In early November, SouthFront already addressed the problems faced by Russia in the field of strategic culture and national consensus. After the crisis of the 1990s, robber-baron capitalism and consumerist values have come to dominate culture in post-USSR states influencing various areas of society. Over the past few years, there have been some changes in this field as well as the efforts of the Russian state and nation to find its own way in the modern world.
Curiously enough, the bureaucracy is among the key social groups opposing the changes. This bureaucracy was formed in 1990s and early 2000s. In most cases, the motivation of such bureaucrats is their personal wealth, rather than interests concerning the state or the nation.
Over the past few months, there have been cases revealing the real faces of glamorous Russian bureaucrats.
Natalia Sokolova
On October 10, during a meeting of the regional parliamental group on social policy, Minister of Labour and Employment of the Saratov region Natalia Sokolova claimed that pensioners can live on 3.500 RUB a month (This is about 50 USD, 10 times lower than an average salary of an ordinary worker). Commenting on the issue of raising the subsistence minimum for pensioners, she claimed that 3.500 RUB is enough to satisfy the “minimum physiological needs” and advised them to eat “makaroshki” [a derogatory term for maccheroni] to save money.
“You will become younger, prettier and slimmer! Makaroshki cost are always the same!”, she said adding that discounted products can be used to create a “balanced, but dietic” menu.
In response the local MP invited her to participate in an experiment and to try to live on 3,500 RUB a month, but she refused claiming that her “status” does not allow her to do this.
This story rapidly became widely popular on social media and has been covered by Russian mainstream media. As a result, Sokolova lost her post. But her behaviour was not an isolated incident.
Olga Glackih
Another official, who has become quite popular in the social media is Olga Glackih, Head of Department for Youth Policy in the Sverdlov Region. She showed her stance towards Russian youth during a meeting with young volunteers in the city of Kirovograd on October 25. Commenting on the possible financing of youth projects, she stated that it’s wrong to believe that the state might “owe” something to youth.
“No, the state owes you nothing in general. Your parents owe you. The government did not ask them to give birth to you,” she stated adding: “You should do everything yourself.”
A video in Russian:
On November 6, when it appeared that her remarks had caused a media scandal, Glackih was temporarily dismissed from office.
Olga Glackih
These are only two examples of the behaviour often demonstrated by bureaucrats across the country. These cases became widely known thanks to new media. However, the major part of such situations remains unreported.
It is unlikely to be possible for Russia to return to its previous position or to keep its current position among the world powers if there are problems with the carcass of the state – the selection and formation of the middle level bureaucracy as well as social elevators.
Thanks, Southfront. Now what will the Kremlin do about this?
they’ll resign en masse, hand over their nukes to the US and officially ask Estonia to become a province of it.
also, invade belarus and hand it to ukraine alongside all western russia.
Is it OK if Russia forces the Israel to hand back Palestine to the Palestinians and The US to the indigenous American Tribes first John :)
The Russian government contributes some efforts to combat corruption within the upper reaches of its bureaucracy. However, we see no system work to reform the bureaucratic apparatus.
Sincerely yours,
SF Team
Mnay unfortunatly see that. Thanks for the answer.
Quite outdated, this one. During the last few years the Russian bureaucracy is in the process of a cetrally-driven revamping and it seems that the largest country on Earth is about to slowly change for the better.
I would say that during the last couple of years the Russian bureaucracy is in the process of fiersely fighting against that centrally driven revamping.
Putin has mentioned it several times: The biggest problem in Russia is the heavy bureaucracy protecting their comfortable no value positions and bloodsucking personal benefits on the State.
As far as Im informed Putin has done a lot to clean out old habbits and introduce new young leaders with visions.
But its heavy work which we also can see in US where the big State Administration run its own agendas.
This is why Putin is hated so much by Ruzionic elites and liberasts. Cleaning them out is an almost impossible task.
This is very semilar to Ukraine as well as Bell Russia.replacing pest with colera solves nothing.
Its about bigger groups are raised as well as they are allowed in the illusion they are learned to trust and not control and repace bad leaders.
That goes for as lot of things and not only corruption.
why impossible? putin owns fsb, he has in hand lot of facts against them. BUT! putin is also dirty, has billions in offshore banks and if he send in prison those guys, they also show evidences against putin.
Your mother is dirty you dumb shiteating whore.
True but he can also have them killed so he should just throw them under a truck and say ,if you talk you are dead. Everyone wins;Russia is cleaner,dirty bureacrat /oligarch is alowed to live and pay for his crimes and Putin looks good and keeps his loot.
We need Hercules to dam the mighty rivers of Russia to clean these Augean Stables from all the bureacratic shit!
Putin himself is one of the richest in Russia and the world. You ignore where those money are made and come from.
Proof please Jens.
Now why would hasbara trolls provide any proof of their accusations? The countries they work for sure don’t.
I live in hope :)
Explain yourself.
Where is those money made? Where do they come from? Where can we see Putin is richest in the world?
Do you want us to take your lousy words for it without proofs?
You are babling insinuations as usual due to bad language and lack of education and thereby ability to express yourself clearly.
also thes new faces are corrupt.
your monkey brain is corrupted
Bureaucracy in any organization, government or corporate is entrenched to some degree. The good part of that is a continuation of knowledge on how it functions, the other darker side, is ‘middle management’ personnel tend to think they are indispensable and untouchable. Problem is worldwide.
Bureaucracy is very good at that. And its everywhere unfortunately. Name one country which is not suffering from these people? Hell, even companies suffer from bureaucracy. Only there they call it management. And its logical that it happens. Bureaucracies become like that and/or attract people who either thrive in that environment, or just no longer care and just sit out their time and wait for their pension. Anyone who does care eventually either gets fired for not being a team player, or just quits in disgust.
Its very, very, very slow. And this is only one of many problems.
Russia now mainly seemes to be driven by many of the richest oligarks in the whole world in the same way fx Tzars did. We see exact the same in the a much lower level in many devellopment zones.
Syria is a very good example. Some few owners named Baathist take all the cake, because they can, but in the samme kind of action, they are not vompetent to make the cake bigger and share with the rest of the population.
Thats a good reason for, that changes only can be done by different kinds of uprise.
do you really believe that this oligarchic state will ever care about the pensioners and its youth? When I first visited USSR in 1977 the Mariinsky theater was full of workers and the ticket price war 1 ruble. In 2007 the ticket price was 150 US dollars and the theater was full of oligarchs and foreigners. The working class was sent to paradise.
I agree. They just replaced a very bad system with one being not better – or sometimes even much worse.
My focus is not tickets but all kinds of production and services. Fokus should be producing more and better by and for the middle and low classes. If they dont get tigher productivity, they cant effort to buy, what they need.
Unfortunatly that misaire includes schools, medical care and too much all over, as i see it.
Many danes companies has given up any investmentments there even for copy production to the Russian market.
Sounds like life under globalisation,privatisation and free market economic liberalism in the West. After all,the capitalists of the west both raped Russia and provided all its current bureacrats. We need a good old-fashioned Stalinist purge!
bureaucracy is nothing in comparison to corruption. without bribing in russia everybody is lost. this is the largest cancer of russia.
You are eagerly contributing.
Dumb bitches… bureaucracy and dumb bitches are the worst enemy of Russia/entire humanity.
It is the self-entitled “I am a woman” attitude of these two women. Maybe they are only good for fcucking? Let us see them try to survive only on whore’s wages .