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

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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
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.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Latchkey Murders

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...
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