My Letter to the Chairman of the Russian State Duma

I was born in 1930. I am an ex-colonel in the Soviet army. Considering my age, you probably understand how many trials my life has brought. I have an education as a historian, and I consider everything happening in our country from a historical point of view. As a historian, I cannot explain why in a country so devastated, a portion of our world falls to 20 million people who struggle, and approximately 50 million people are on the brink of poverty? At the same time, in Japan, which is much smaller than our entire seventh part of the world and where there are over 100 million inhabitants, people live better than us. And yet no one possesses the same volumes of natural wealth as we do.

What are the main reasons for such a situation? You hold one of the most important positions. You lead the Duma, chosen by the people. Do you not see the horror and torment our people are going through? Deputies should be accountable to their constituents and be held accountable themselves. They have become undiscerning. We do not see how the Duma functions at different levels. People do not see their work. Or maybe they simply sit comfortably and rest at ease. Sometimes they press this or that button. Well, any button they talk about.

Respected Chairman, in addition to all this, I have experienced what it is like to be God in this country. I lived through times when a person who hadn’t completed a church-parish school aspired to govern the country. I experienced it during a time when a professional alcoholic effectively ruled our country, whose actions now astound the top echelons of power in this country, and this drunkard’s family lives like a royal family. It seemed like everything was going fine now. A young athlete came to power. He doesn’t consume alcohol. In every respect, he is good, but the dollar soared from 30 roubles to 76 roubles. Why? Countless volumes of our natural wealth are sold, yet the people are suffering. Admittedly, the number of billionaires has increased. There is reason to rejoice. Transparency is lacking in this country. The people are disillusioned.

In the last 20 years, we have surrounded ourselves by enemies. We have managed to turn former friends into enemies. Why? In the last 20 years, under Golikova’s leadership, healthcare has been destroyed, and no one has taken responsibility. Why? Yet, the state of healthcare is about caring for people. Can a person earning 13,000 roubles go to a private polyclinic? No, they can’t. So, dear chairman, what should we do about all this?

As for democracy, historically, Russia has lacked democracy. In Europe, they say, “My vassal’s vassal is not my vassal.” But in our country, everyone is a vassal of the king, the emperor, the secretary-general, the president. In a country where one person is in command, with unlimited power, democracy cannot exist. The president can remove a governor by stating that he doesn’t trust them. If the Duma disagrees with the president’s proposal, the president has the right to dissolve the Duma. Which deputy would want to lose such a comfortable position for the sake of the people’s interests? They earn millions and are not accountable for anything. To become a deputy, you probably need to spend around 5-6 million dollars on organizing propaganda work. Whose interests will such a deputy represent? That’s why discussions about democracy are empty words and a cover-up of the top elite’s true goals. They just happened to end up there and, so to speak, embedded themselves. We haven’t had a presidential election since 1996. And you call this democracy? The Duma has not yet been elected, but President Volodin has already appointed the chairman.

If you dare to object, dear chairman, you will be expelled. I am an old person and maybe I don’t understand something. Explain to me how I am wrong and everything I wrote is false. Thank you for your attention, which you did not give me and probably will not give to read this letter.