Sakhalin officials apparently want to set a record. They are buying themselves a Mercedes for 8 (eight) million rubles.
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/notice-info/common-info.html?noticeInfoId=783963&purchaseMethodType=AE The list of optional equipment is impressive and tells us a lot about the things a Sakhalin official simply cannot live without: 197 Obsidian black 514 Exclusive Nappa leather, brown walnut/black 793 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, 5 twin-spoke design, titanium gray 731 Glossy brown walnut trim 735 Extended wood trim 950 AMG Line (delivery restrictions with paint finish 799) P07 Chauffeur Package P09 Sun Protection Package P17 KEYLESS-GO P20 Driving Assistance Package Plus P21 AIR-BALANCE Package (fragrancing, ionization, and air filtration) P34 Exclusive Package in combination with 950 P35 LED Intelligent Light System (full LED headlights) P43 Rear Seat Comfort Package P44 Parking Assistance Package P46 Individual rear-seat entertainment system P54 Anti-theft Package P64 Memory Package (for driver and front passenger) P69 Comfort Package 223 Electrically adjustable rear seat with memory function 224 "First Class" rear seats 228 Parking heater 276 Memory function for rear seats 289 Leather and wood-trimmed steering wheel 3U1 Headunit for European countries and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) 401 Front comfort seats 413 Panoramic sliding sunroof with electric drive 432 Front Seat Comfort Package including dynamic multicontour front seats with ENERGIZING massage function 443 Heated steering wheel 475 Tire pressure monitoring system 481 Engine underbody protection 501 360° camera 502 Three years of free navigation map updates 513 Traffic Sign Assist system 518 Multimedia interface 531 COMAND Online 540 Electrically operated sunblind for the rear window 582 THERMOTRONIC in the rear compartment 610 Night View Assist PLUS night vision system 682 Built-in fire extinguisher 810 Burmester® surround sound system 814 6-disc DVD changer 816 Remote control for Comand 840 Tinted rear side windows and rear window 874 MAGIC VISION CONTROL, heated 887 Separately mechanically lockable trunk lid 902 Heated front seats Plus U25 Illuminated door sills (for the AMG version: AMG floor mats with AMG lettering and white illumination) U26 AMG floor mats U67 230V socket in the rear compartment One assumes that transporting the Mercedes S500 from 39 Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow to Sakhalin Island is also absolutely essential for the Sakhalin authorities. Well, why not? After all, Sakhalin Governor Khoroshavin says exactly this at his party congress:
The instructions from Sakhalin residents should form the basis of the party’s and the government’s future work. United Russia’s (the ruling political party) strategy was built on an honest and open conversation with people about development problems, both in the region as a whole and in each municipality in particular. A large number of meetings were held with Sakhalin and Kuril Islands residents, and based on people’s proposals, 11 action plans were drawn up for the development of municipalities in Sakhalin Region. It was the islanders’ initiatives, not ready-made decisions imposed "from above," that formed the basis of the new version of the party program, which also received public support. http://sakhalinmedia.ru/news/sakhalin/24.10.2012/235551/nakazi-sahalintsev-dolzhni-lech-v-osnovu-dalneyshey-raboti-partii-aleksandr-horo.html Who could possibly doubt that this record-priced Mercedes purchase is precisely one of those "initiatives of the islanders"? I would even suggest that the "instruction" to Khoroshavin and United Russia went something like this: - Here on Sakhalin, we have 4,085 orphans and children left without parental care (4.3% of the total number of children in Sakhalin Region), and therefore we demand that Governor Khoroshavin immediately buy a Mercedes in Moscow for 8 million rubles and bring it to the island. I agree that it sounds a bit illogical, but I cannot come up with any other explanation. Let us hope that Khoroshavin, a member of United Russia, will smile especially kindly at all Sakhalin residents as he looks out from the windows of his Mercedes, with his feet resting on the "U26 AMG floor mats." And let me remind you that we collected 100,000 verified signatures long ago for a bill limiting the cost of cars for officials (to 1.5 million rubles). This initiative was supported by the expert group of the Open Government. However, United Russia and Medvedev’s government (Medvedev being the leader of United Russia) are still blocking it—apparently because these very "instructions from Sakhalin residents" are getting in the way.