May 27, 2023

No One is Going Anywhere


No One is Going Anywhere

The Kremlin banned high-ranking officials from resigning during the war.

The online publication Важные истории ("Important Stories") reported on its Telegram channel that the Department of Internal Policy of the Presidential Administration has secretly prohibited high-ranking officials from resigning during the war.

The publication reported that the prohibition was confirmed by four sources: a former FSB officer, a political strategist working with a regional governor, and two acquaintances of high-ranking officials of the presidential administration.

“I am aware of at least two cases where governors tried to leave their posts," said the ex-FSB office. "But in the UVP [Internal Policy Department of the Presidential Administration] they were not just banned from resigning, but there were hints of possible criminal cases..."

"There are many who have wanted to [leave] since the start of the war. If everyone leaves, control will be lost,” said an acquaintance of an official from the Presidential Administration.

According to this latter source, the desire to quit is regarded by the UVP as a betrayal, so the “demonstration of unity” has been put forward as a key task for civil servants.

At the same time, sources note that such a ban is both informal and illegal. As one interviewee put it, “many people are ready to pay a handsome sum for the opportunity to leave quietly, unnoticed.” A person is still allowed to quit for health reasons.

At the same time, FSB officers spoke of the impossibility of resignation. Since the start of mobilization, servicemen under contract, including FSB employees, cannot leave their service even if their contract has come to an end.

 

You Might Also Like

Profile of Russian Chinovniki
  • November 01, 2012

Profile of Russian Chinovniki

Where we bring some interesting statistics and graphics to bear on the overwhelming influence of bureaucrats in modern Russia.
FSB To Seize Passports
  • May 24, 2023

FSB To Seize Passports

The State Duma is going to give the FSB the right to take away passports at the border.
Keep Calm and Be Polite
  • January 03, 2023

Keep Calm and Be Polite

The United Russia party has developed a code of conduct for deputies when they are interacting with media.
A State of Repression
  • October 24, 2019

A State of Repression

"Russia's strict state, with a harsh, or, more exactly, cruel law enforcement system... has raised a generation of citizens to match."
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

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