March 18, 2018

Tsar Vladimir II


Tsar Vladimir II

[This commentary aired on Vermont Public Radio on November 26, 2007. You can hear the streaming audio here.]

(HOST) On December 2, for just the fifth time since 1993, Russia will hold nationwide parliamentary elections. There have been plenty of theories about what the elections will mean for Russia's future. Commentator Paul Richardson examines one of these theories, with a little help from a Russian friend.

In a few days, Russia goes to the polls to elect a new Duma - the lower house of parliament. There has been wild speculation that President Vladimir Putin will rig the elections as part of his plan, "Operation Successor," to cling to power.

Tired of theories and conjecture, I decided to get the inside scoop. So I put in a call to my old friend Boris in Moscow, who has a job that allows him, well, to keep an eye on things.

After we dispensed with the usual small talk, I cut to the chase. "So what's going to happen, Boris?"

"How do you mean?" he replies.

"The election. What's going to happen in December?" I ask.

"Oh, that." He suddenly sounds profoundly bored. "You Americans, you are always focusing on wrong things, then act surprised when later you are run over by train or hit by - how do you call it? - sucker punch."

"What are you talking about, Boris?"

"What are two most important things for modern society?"

I sense a rhetorical question.

"Oil and water," he says. "Oil and water, and Russia has world"s biggest supply of both. Land and wood are also very important, and we have plenty of these too."

"What are you driving at, Boris? What does this have to do with the election?"

"Election in Russia "it is always more than just election," Boris says. "Duma election, and presidential one in March, they are not about democracy. That is American idea. Here, elections are about who will be controlling Russia"s wealth "oil, water, forests, land."

"And who will that be?"

"Same people as now, of course," Boris laughs. "You think Russians give up such things without fight?"

"And what about Putin?" I ask.

"Putin?" There"s a long pause. "This is not yet decided. But I believe they will make him tsar - Tsar Vladimir the second."

"Tsar?!" I say, incredulous.

"Yes, after United Russia party wins Duma landslide, they will announce national referendum. And then they make Putin president for life - tsar, same thing."

"I have to say, Boris," I reply. "That sounds very unlikely."

"Oh, and you, being American, understand Russia better than Russians?"

"What does this have to do with understanding Russia?"

"Because, my American friend, Russia needs a tsar. Deep down, Russians hate media, distrust politicians and businessmen and, thanks to communists, have little need for priests. So we need tsar - someone to trust, a strong man who is not criticized, who has final say on all things."

"Ok, so if Putin is to be tsar, who will be the next president?"

"Does not matter."

"What do you mean it doesn"t matter?"

"Not matter, because you have forgotten main thing with tsars."

"What is that, Boris?"

"You cannot have more than one."

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

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.

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.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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.

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.

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.

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.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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