Crimea River

A gaffe by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev caught on video has exploded on the internet into a popular meme. During a trip to Crimea Medvedev came face to face with a crowd of angry locals, leading to the following exchange:

Crowd: It’s impossible to survive! Prices are outrageous!

Medvedev: Pensions are a separate issue entirely.

Crowd: They are indexing our pensions wrong! Just 4 percent… What’s 8,000 rubles, that’s miserly!

Medvedev: We’ll deal with pensions nationwide, we can’t just deal with them in one place.

Crowd: You said our pensions would be indexed, well, where is that?!

Medvedev: Nowhere, nowhere, we haven’t done that anywhere. There just isn’t any money right now. If we find the money, we’ll index them. You hang in there. I wish you all the best, good spirits and health!

Russia has been trying to balance its budget during the economic recession by digging into its cash reserves and cutting spending, though President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the government’s social obligations, such as pensions, will not be subject to cuts. However, the pensioners who suddenly accosted Prime Minister Medvedev when he ventured out of the cocoon of his security detail and motorcade and strolled among the locals cast the picture in a slightly different light from the positive image shown on state television.

The “hang in there” remark proliferated throughout blogs and social networks. One of Russia’s more prominent banks, Alfa Bank, even posted a tongue-in-cheek tweet (later deleted). Some people have taken to posting copies of their tax declaration forms with “I have no money, but you hang in there!” written across them.

Unusual Protests

Though street protests are effectively banned in Russia, some people have come up with creative ways to dissent and interact with the public.

Roman Roslovtsev, a former religious studies student, has taken to wearing a mask of Putin while strolling around Red Square with a poster critiquing the harsh legislation against protesters. Although the law allows individual picketers to demonstrate without prior authorization, he is routinely detained by police. In May, a court ordered him arrested for 20 days. As soon as he was released, he demonstrated again, was arrested, and got another 30 days. Roslovtsev says he envisions “The Putin Mask,” as his supporters call him, going on trial, highlighting the absurdity of the draconian rule that peaceful protesters can be given prison sentences for repeat violations.

Darya Serenko, a Moscow librarian, quietly began carrying a poster with her on her commute in April. Calling her action a “silent protest,” Serenko aims to communicate with other commuters about issues she declaims on her sign – from domestic violence to the rights of artists and homophobia. She writes about her interactions on her Facebook page, which suddenly went viral in May after an award-winning photographer happened to be on the same car with her and snapped a photo.

A trio of young women have been holding sewing circles in public places, stitching dissident slogans on cloth to make patches that they then hand out to passersby in parks, shopping centers, museums, and squares. They started doing this after a street anti-war exhibit they attempted in March was confiscated by police. Several people were detained, said one of the activists, Katrin Nenasheva.