December 15, 2021

We're in Your Camp! Just Kidding


We're in Your Camp! Just Kidding
Livin' like a tsar Telegram, RIA Novosti

“Why feed poor kids well when you yourself can eat like a tsar?” the deputy may have pondered right before he grubbed money skimping on their grub.

On December 10, online news portal Meduza reported that former deputy of the Neklinovsky district assembly and current deputy of the Polyakovsky rural settlement Vitaliy Latyshev, who is a member of the United Russia party, is thought to have been skimming from a budget allocated to service poor families in the Rostov region.

Latyshev is the head of more than a dozen companies that own children’s recreational camps in the Neklinovsky district. The camps, designed for low-income youth, have been allocated nearly one billion rubles since 2015. Latyshev is thought to have embezzled around 30 percent of the money.

The Telegram channel Baza recently published a recording, allegedly a conversation between Latyshev and some of his subordinates, where the officials discussed how to properly finance the best menu for their disadvantaged charges.

When one woman suggested that youth should be fed cutlets every day, another was taken aback by the suggested increase in price. The offended was quickly reassured, however, that “on the menu [you can] write that they always need cutlets, but it doesn’t mean you have to give them.” Another woman offered that the menus include “grain, meat, everything,” but only on the days when inspectors come to the camps.

Most important, of course, is that the children are fed well enough that they “aren’t hungry” and don’t complain to their parents.

There’s a chance we should give Latyshev some credit here – he obviously knows how to save for what’s important. His home, decked out with golden wallpaper, a white fireplace flanked with statues of alluring women, a bathtub on golden clawed feet, and a swimming pool, is the sign of a man inspired!

Perhaps he fashioned his place as a recreation center of sorts, and when it’s quite ready, he will invite the neighborhood in for a swim?

 

You Might Also Like

Mother Russia's
  • June 01, 1997

Mother Russia's "Difficult Kids"

Russian folk wisdom has it that, the more difficult the child, the stronger you love him (or her). And so, in honor of International Children’s Day, this year’s first summer issue is dedicated to Russia’s difficult kids, greatly loved.
Scout's Honor
  • September 01, 2019

Scout's Honor

Scouting has had a long and complicated history in Russia. And, not surprisingly, it gets a bit political.
Rostov-on-Don
  • June 07, 2016

Rostov-on-Don

Sveta Balashova-Kuzmina gives us a tour of her hometown, Rostov-on-Don, at the apex of five seas.
Tourism for Tykes
  • July 10, 2021

Tourism for Tykes

Youthful tourism ambassadors might be coming to a Russian region near you.
Polar Youth
  • March 18, 2021

Polar Youth

Andrey Borodulin made a video to go with the story in our March/April issue on Polar Youth.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955