Andrei Isaev Awarded the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," 4th Class http://er.ru/news/2013/4/26/andrej-isaev-nagrazhden-ordenom-za-zaslugi-pered-otechestvom-iv-stepeni/ Apparently, the pork knuckle on the Lenten menu of the undeclared "pilgrims' hotel" in Germany was so delicious that they decided to mark the occasion. Photos from the award ceremony have already appeared:
On the other hand, against that backdrop, Isaev's award looks quite harmless: The inclusion of Russian citizens' names on the Magnitsky List (a U.S. sanctions list connected to the Sergei Magnitsky case) will in no way affect the careers of Interior Ministry employees, agency head Vladimir Kolokoltsev assured journalists and representatives of the Interior Ministry system whose names ended up on the U.S. list. Kolokoltsev also thanked the Interior Ministry employees whose names were added to the Magnitsky List for their work and their principled stance. http://echo.msk.ru/news/1062298-echo.html After all, the United Russia deputy only bought a hotel in Germany and failed to declare it. He didn't torture or kill anyone. So why not give him an award. Still, if killer cops, embezzling tax officials, and hotel-owning deputies are not your heroes, then see you on May 6 at Bolotnaya (Bolotnaya Square in Moscow, a major protest site).