From the MT:
“Top Russian Official Predicts Protest ‘Explosion’ if Economy
Doesn’t Improve”
Russia is at risk of nationwide social upheaval if the
country’s economy does not improve, the head of Russia’s auditing agency has
said. During a Monday interview on state-run television, Audit Chamber head
Alexei Kudrin described an upcoming “explosion” of protests caused by falling
living standards and widespread poverty. The only way to prevent this is by
transforming the country’s economic system, he added.
Economists Forecast 6th Year of Falling Incomes for Russians
“For the past six
years, the country has not taken advantage of the opportunities, and our share
in the global economy has fallen. We have not become more competitive and
efficient. We are in a state of economic stagnation that doesn’t lend itself to
optimism,” he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kudrin’s comments had
been an “emotional expression,” adding that while poverty is a real problem
that shouldn’t be ignored, it also shouldn’t be exaggerated, the state-run RIA
Novosti news agency quoted him as saying. Kudrin clarified his comments during
a television appearance on Tuesday, saying he hadn’t intended to encourage any
protests. “I simply meant that yes, there is a basis [for this argument], and
it is associated with the decline in real incomes,” RIA quoted him as saying.
“And when so many people live below the poverty line in 2019, this worries me,
and many citizens could begin expressing their concerns.”
^ Kudrin does have a point. The Era of Stagnation (Период
застоя) in the Soviet Union from 1964-1985 helped lead to the collapse of the
USSR. The current Russian Stagnation started in 2014 by Putin has hurt the majority
of ordinary Russians. Many can not afford basic things like food, medicine,
etc. and so far the Russian Government’s response has been to tell their
citizens to “Live longer and work harder.” Not the best way to appease your
angry citizens. ^
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