Russia is torn between the “refrigerator” and “TV” – The Observer

The refrigerator will win the game on television, predicted the Russian columnist Semyon Novoprudski the point in an article to the coexistence of two Russias: the “common sense”, represented by the refrigerator as an expression of basic needs, and “the . national myth “victim of nationalist propaganda deployed by the media

Russia has become accustomed: the crisis and recession; the low oil and the ruble by clouds, which have left 5 million new poor; the Siberian parmesan and ham muscovite, which have replaced the original stores by the embargo that prohibits importing Western foods.
“No money. When we find him, we will raise pensions. Resistan” said a few days ago one weighed down Dmitri Medvedev, Russian Prime Minister when a retired rebuked him in Crimea for just 100 euros charged by Russian pensioners, to top it not have been updated this year by inflation.

Media and critical bloggers did justice to the prime minister stating, sarcastically, that video broadcasting with the troubles happened Medvedev shows that there is freedom of expression in Russia: all can be guilty of the people’s problems except one person, President Vladimir Putin.
in another outburst of sincerity, spontaneous unlike anything that had Medvedev, Putin’s adviser on economic, Andei Belousov, he admitted this week that Russia has added 5 million new poor since the start of the crisis.

But even with more than 19 million Russians, one fifth of its 146 million inhabitants, malviviendo under the poverty line, according to figures provided by Belousov, the popularity of the head of the Kremlin it suffers from the annexation of Crimea and approaches 90%.

mixed messages

Ministers, experts and advisers economic bouquet has always been the most sensible in the Russian political landscape, released to the public two seemingly contradictory messages.
on the one hand, not tire of pointing out that the prevailing model-based on the exploitation of raw materials, industry and uncompetitive, and a social over-protectionism technologies, among other evils, must be overcome to return to the path of growth
the other, they emphasize that the worst of the crisis has passed.; the Russian economy, its businesses and its citizens have already accustomed to the new circumstances; the ruble is not so sensitive to the vagaries of oil and inflation is controlled.
After the collapse of the ruble she suffered between 2014 and early this year, when lost more than half its value pushed by the fall of petroleum, the Russian currency has stabilized and is more or less impervious to oil prices, hovering and US $ 50 a barrel after falling below $ 30 in January. However, the economy still in recession; real incomes and wages have fallen; pensions have stagnated, and millions of new poor financial engineering practice to fill the refrigerator.
moment, television wins heading to the refrigerator, but as Novoprudski recalls, “common sense is very vindictive, and why no sugar or toilet paper in Venezuela. ”

Source: EFE