"Double Standards" vs. "He Runs Where He Wants." A former Tatarstan deputy ran the New York City marathon and caused a social media storm.
The owner of the mayonnaise manufacturer Makheev and a former (until September 2024) member of the Tatarstan parliament from United Russia Leonid Baryshev came to the USA and successfully ran the famous New York City MarathonHe shared the news on his Telegram channel. Rustem Nureyev - chapter Yelabuga, where Baryshev's enterprise operates.
An act that wouldn't have raised any questions just a few years ago has now become a source of controversy on social media. Many Yelabuga residents are left perplexed: "What about America, our friendly country? What double standards!" "Isn't this a foreign agency and a feast during the plague?" "One man's war is another man's peace. Ugh, I had a different opinion of him.", - some wrote.
Some supported: "Dreams must come true!", "He runs wherever he wants, well done Leonid!"
Baryshev built his business from scratch and was involved in a lot of charity work. He hasn't been known to actively promote war or make anti-Western statements. However, he maintains close ties with the authorities and is listed as a "party faces" on the United Russia website, and his company has assistance to the front. His deputy, Ilshat Shaimuratov, is one of Tatarstan's prominent Z-activists and the organizer of training camps for the army. And at the end of October, a mobilized employee of Baryshev's company, who died in the war, was buried in Yelabuga.
One commenter wrote:
"We're not opposed to traveling anywhere either. Open the borders, lift the restrictions, and stop shouting about this artificial confrontation with America, pitting us against it, and sowing hostility. Everyone already understands that this is a double standard."