The "Komi Team" of officials and poverty of 300 rubles: a new #ShameReview from "NotMoscow"
Absurd PR stunts by local officials and resonant statements by public figures continue to proliferate in Russia's regions. The latest weekly #ShameReview from "NotMoscow" has compiled a list of the most ridiculous initiatives, including the creation of AI superheroes from civil servants and Grigory Leps's musings on poverty.
The "Komi Team" of officials and questions to God in the Urals
The regional PR team in the Komi Republic decided that the modern Marvel film universe was sorely lacking a rugged northern flavor. An epic promotional video quickly went viral, introducing "Team Komi"—a superhero squad assembled with the help of artificial intelligence from real local politicians.
The team included acting regional governor Rostislav Goldstein as the armored "Iron Head," Stanislav Kochev as Captain America with a double-headed eagle on his shield, Maxim Martyshin as the thunderer "Hammer of Syktyvkar," and State Duma deputy Maria Butina in a latex Black Widow costume.
However, while the north is entertaining itself with neural networks, the Urals are searching for answers to existential questions. Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye explained that during the annual "Tsar's Days," people can turn to God with their most pressing questions. He believes that it is God who will help people cope with the current situation in the country.
"When will victory be achieved? How can we ensure peace? What will happen to my family, who's behind the ribbon now? What will happen to our children in this difficult social situation? And when will there be plenty of gas?"
The poverty line, according to Leps and the SVO, is a "God-given test"
Moreover, big show business has unexpectedly entered the discussion of social issues. Famous singer Grigory Leps, who plays Z, sincerely sympathized with Russians who literally "survive" on meager incomes. In a recent interview, he expressed profound bewilderment at how the average Russian family manages to raise two children on an income of 200–300 rubles per month.
According to the artist, such families make up the majority of the country. Therefore, how they manage to feed, clothe, shoe, and send their children to school on this money genuinely amazes him. It's worth noting that the actual median income of most Russians in the regions is several times lower than the amount the singer cited.
At the same time, director Nikita Mikhalkov approached current events from a religious and philosophical perspective. He publicly stated that he considered "SVO" a difficult test, specifically "sent by God" so that Russians would finally "wake up from their delusion."
According to him, one part of the country is currently fighting and dying, while the other "doesn't want to know about it." Mikhalkov also noted that Russians have a historical "genetic understanding of what war is," and that national culture should help society understand the goals facing the country.
Soviet democracy against the "Western curtain"
In closing his review, Komi Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov attempted to explain the recent mass removal of Russian apps from international stores. He claimed that the West is actively building a curtain against domestic social networks and messaging apps because it is terrified of the truth. This is allegedly the reason they were removed from the App Store and Google Play.
Therefore, the politician proposed a visual comparison of the level of democracy in the modern West and the historical USSR. And, of course, he concluded that the Soviet Union had far more of it, and that Western freedom proved to be merely a convenient cover for the "ruling classes."
