March 13, 2020

Russians "Re-Zero" in Online Humor


Russians "Re-Zero" in Online Humor

After weeks of denying his intent to alter the constitution so as to extend his time in office, President Vladimir Putin has announced that he supports the idea of being able to run for president again – possibly extending his rule to 2036, when he will be 84 years old.

Resetting the presidential term clock to zero, or обнуление, immediately sparked online mirth, even though the word does not officially exist. Few other means of expressing opposition to the rapid adoption of the constitutional amendments are available, especially as authorities further limit public gatherings due to the new coronavirus pandemic while expressing criticism is being likened to anti-Russian treason.

Here are some of our favorite memes being shared on the RuNet.

"The State Duma supported the idea to re-zero the years from the Birth of Christ and to start the count from the Birth of Vladimir Putin" [Link]

"Can I re-zero the amount of calories I consumed today? V important." [Link]

Writer Linor Goralik with a rephrasing of Pushkin's tale of The Little Humpbacked Horse.
See the original here.

Obnulinin

Obnulenin - a re-zeroed Lenin mausoleum [LINK]

Moscow city Duma member Darya Besedina, one of a handful of opposition lawmakers, sports a playful opposition t-shirt that her pro-Kremlin colleagues found offensive.

Loketsi Street art
Street artist Loketski creates Obnulin, a new "drug to counter democracy" LINK

You are my first
– You know, you are my first.
– Really?
– Well, after re-zeroing.

LINK


Convicts posing
"Convicts are also requesting that a rezeroing of their terms is added to the constitution." LINK

Tic Tac To a la Russe
Russian tic-tac-to. LINK

Gagarin and Tereshkova
A meme-meeting between Yury Gagarin, and Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space who was the one who suggest Putin should be able to run again:
– How is it going, kids?
– Yura, forgive us, we have re-zeroed everything!"

LINK


And of course the requisite cat meme.
Cats Meme
– I am against rezeroing of terms. – Only if the Constitutional Court allows it. – We will allow it. – Ok, let's.

LINK

You Might Also Like

Tsar Vladimir II
  • March 18, 2018

Tsar Vladimir II

Putin has again been elected president. This post was originally written/aired in November 2007. Apparently, it still seems relevant.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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.

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.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

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