AndyRussian invasion of Ukraine
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Russian peasants used to write letters to the Tsar in the hope he would be able to address their grievances. The Guardian reports that this tradition has been reinvigorated under President Putin, who receives 11,000 letters each week. This letter comes from Vitaly Bakhrushin, a pensioner…
March 4 2004
Vladimir Vladimirovich!
I have 1,000 dollars in my bank account. In the event of my death it will be enough for a proper funeral [the most basic costs $500]. But, according to the law, when I die my relatives have to wait six months before they can get the whole sum. They can immediately only get $300, and only then if they produce a notarised certificate confirming my death. Thus, I have two questions for our president:
1. Mr President, do you think that $300 is enough for a proper funeral in Russia?
2. How much money would be spent on the funeral of the president of the Russian Federation in the event of his death?
More here.
Just out of curiosity I googled to see how much mail the US president receives.
Oh you silly Americans – so charmingly innocent 😉
I always found this to be an interesting tradition. As an American, I react with cynicism and a kind of “oh you silly Russians” thought, but hey, it does have a kind of touching innocence, optimism, and faith in one’s leaders to it.
I had a friend who told me that her grandfather, who was exiled to Yakutsk, wrote to whomever was in charge in Moscow all the time.