What do the heads of all state corporations have in common: from former KGB officers to former liberal free-market reformers.

How unoriginal. The moment you tell the head of a state-owned company that things in his little state-corporate empire are not going so well, and that we fail to see any benefit in the way they spend public money, they immediately start talking about a "hit job," a "coordinated campaign," that "they've gone on the attack," and so on.

And I mean any of them: from Sechin and Yakunin to Chubais.

Here is the latest from Anatoly Borisovich:

And now compare:

But that's all right; I take it with understanding. I'm used to it, and it's clear that there is something special that makes all the heads of Putin-era state corporations look very much alike. Great-power statism, sobornost (a Russian idea of spiritual and collective unity), and vast sums of budget money spare no one.

With a sad, melancholy smile, I'll simply say, "Ah, Anatol, Anatol," and make a note in my little black notebook that a substantive reply absolutely must be written. After all, claims like "we at ROSNANO do not receive budget money" cannot be left unanswered.

P.S. Background:

My post about the shutdown of a ROSNANO plant (which A. Chubais paid no attention to).

Post about the Accounts Chamber's audit of Rosnano (this one did get his attention)

Responsefrom A. B. Chubais

A brief comment on his response.

Original