Excerpts from a new book by Mikhail Poltoranin, who was a close associate of Yeltsin and a Russian minister of press and information:
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"Russia is gradually sinking to Hell. People are already feeling sick from sulfur smell of the Underworld" (p. 485).
"Even within the CIS group of countries, Russia is among the worst by economic indicators. $ 100 billion, allocated from the budget for anti-crisis measures, have been shifted by Putin and Medvedev to their cronies and buddies (the money was immediately transferred abroad) and given to money-lenders. And the manufacturing industry, electronics and others branches where the innovation is needed in the first pace were left without help from the state and collapsed ...
Innovations fell 15-fold. In terms of production of combines, Russia was thrown back to 1933, tractors - back to 1931, cars - back to 1910, textiles and footwear - back to 1900..." (p. 464).
"Social degradation and primitivization of economy continues, dependence on oil and gas production quickly increases. During the crisis of 2009, financial assistance from the state has been allocated mainly to usurers and oligarchs" (p. 453).
"One oligarch set a concentration camp for the people in his part of Russia, another one in his own place" (p. 485).
"Immunity of parasites and impotence of the people are increasing. The supreme power is awash in self-adulation, officials do nothing and are set in motion only by bribes. The society anxiously waits for something. A degradation in morals, culture, science and everything else is in full swing" (p. 485).
"It seems as if the nation waved goodbye to its country. Up to 50,000 people go missing every year in Russia - and we don't give a damn. Forests are exterminated, the oligarchs poison rivers, protected relic trees under the palaces of the nouveaux riches are cut down - and we don't give a damn about it.
In a country with enormous natural resources, the minimum wage is 15 times lower than in poorer countries like Belgium and Ireland - it doesn't not hurt, we'll get over it. In Russia, there is half a million officials - three times more than in the USSR, they do not serve the people, but press them with kickbacks, extortion, bribery - but we do not care about it...
Somebody up there commits crimes, steals, sheds blood, and the people are silent, as if they not live here, raise children and grandchildren. This only stirs up Kremlin's power which permanently increases ..." (p. 452-453).
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Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
