I got enormous pleasure out of it and laughed a lot while looking through the photo reports from the rally in Grozny. They really did draw and bring along on placards those absolutely amazing slogans composed by Chechnya’s finest poets.
Including my favorite one — about Navalny for some reason running out into some field.
It immediately reminded me of a classic children’s story:
- Listen, brothers, to the poems I’ve written. - Well then, well then, what are these poems about? — everyone asked with interest. - I wrote them about you, — admitted Neznayka (a famous Russian children’s character, literally “Know-Nothing”). — First, here’s a poem about Znayka: Znayka went down to the river one day, And jumped right over a sheep on the way. - What? — shouted Znayka. — When did I ever jump over a sheep? - Well, that’s just how it goes in poetry, for the rhyme, — Neznayka explained. - So for the sake of a rhyme you’re going to make up all kinds of nonsense about me? — Znayka flared up. - Of course, — replied Neznayka. — Why would I make up the truth? There’s nothing to invent about the truth; it already exists. - Just try that again and you’ll see! — Znayka threatened. — Go on then, read what you made up about the others. - Now listen to this one about Toropyzhka, — said Neznayka. Toropyzhka, hungry and bold, Swallowed a flat iron, icy cold. - Brothers! — shouted Toropyzhka. — What is he making up about me? I never swallowed any cold flat iron. - Oh, stop shouting, — replied Neznayka. — I only said the iron was cold for the sake of the rhyme. - But I never swallowed any iron at all, neither cold nor hot! — Toropyzhka shouted. - I’m not saying you swallowed a hot one, so you can calm down, — replied Neznayka.
By the way, speaking of less amusing things. Today is a weekday, yet all of Chechnya is idling at this rally; either the day was declared a holiday or it officially remained a workday, but everyone was forced to go to the #Kadyrov-rally.
As is well known, Chechnya earns virtually nothing and lives off the rest of Russia. Let’s calculate how much this rally cost us.
According to the latest Rosstat data, the average salary in Chechnya is 20,865 rubles per month.
That means we are paying each “worker” 1,000 rubles for a workday.
Chechen authorities claimed that one million people attended the rally. That means the rally cost 1 billion rubles.
The good news is that the claim of one million people is an obvious lie. The entire population of Chechnya is 1.3 million, and a very large share of it — up to 40% — consists of children under 14.
And the photographs make it quite clear that there were hardly more than 70,000 people gathered there.
The bad news, however, is that whether they are rallying or working, it is all paid for out of our pockets anyway — and on top of that, it is stolen in such a way that the lion’s share never even reaches ordinary Chechens; it all stays with Kadyrov’s mafia.
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