Not with one bread: eat less for Putin's sake

Moscow - Eat less, use beets instead of lipstick, change French underwear for Russian-made cotton panties and remember that difficulties are a test from God.

First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Igor Shuvalov took part in the "Russian Forecast" session in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos on January 23, 2015

These and other tips are offered to Russians by legislators, top politicians and the Russian Orthodox Church, as the weight of the economic crisis drags down and prices rise.

The country has gone through great difficulties before, officials say, and people should tighten their belts for the sake of their leader Vladimir Putin and the great Russia in the face of confrontation with the West over Ukraine.

"I lived as under Gorbachev and Yeltsin, but Putin became the first president for whose sake I am asked to do less," wrote a Russian, Andrey Kozenko, on Twitter.

His subtle remark would be funny if it were not sad.

Members of the government openly admit that they do not have a plan to solve the crisis caused by falling oil prices and Western sanctions and warn that it can last for many years.

From rich Moscow to vast regions, Russians feel discomfort, to put it mildly: some during a foreign trip, while others count pennies to buy food.

Last week, deputy Ilya Gaffner was monitoring the price increase in a grocery store in the Ural city of Yekaterinburg, when an elderly woman told him that she could no longer afford to buy sugar for her disabled son.

His advice for her? Eat less.

"If there is not enough money, you must remember that we are Russians, we have survived hunger and cold, we must think about our health and there is less," said the deputy of the Sverdlovsk region of the legislative chamber with a sporty double chin.

His words unleashed outrage – and a flurry of obscene online comments – prompting a senior right-wing MP to recommend that Gaffner think twice before speaking next time.

"Even less than Putin"

No sooner had the deputy apologized for his tactlessness than a high-ranking official, an ally of Putin, told the world that the Russians were indeed ready to make sacrifices, especially when their leader was under pressure.

"We will face all the difficulties in this country, there is less food, use less electricity," First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told elites at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"If a Russian feels external pressure, he will never surrender his leader," said Shuvalov, who is believed to be one of the richest officials.

Patriarch Kirill also called for modesty during his address to millions on January 7, when Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas.

"During the crisis, we will be able to overcome evil," said the influential head of the Russian Orthodox Church in his televised address. He added that those who are thinking about starting a family should not suspend their plans because of the crisis, because Russians have never been rich.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the economic crisis could last for several years (AFP PHOTO / Maksym Shipenkov)

"This prosperity is caused by the petrodollar bubble, which really came quite recently."

A senator from the upper house of the parliament also intervened, suggesting that women can use natural colors from vegetables to paint their faces as their foremothers did in ancient times.

"If they have to use cosmetics on their lips, it's not a problem, there are beets, it's natural and chemicals don't get into the body," said Igor Chernyshev, deputy chairman of the social policy committee, in December.

"And our women look better in underwear made in one of the Moscow factories than in France."

The price of Crimea

Internet publication Gazeta.ru mentioned that the officials made it increasingly obvious to ordinary Russians that the crisis is a common responsibility.

"The question is, those who yesterday enthusiastically supported the annexation of Crimea are ready to pay for it with a sharp decrease in the standard of living?"

Whether they're ready or not, Russians are spending more on food since inflation hit double digits and the ruble lost half its value against the dollar.

According to sociologists "Synovate Comcon", 55 percent of residents of cities with a population of more than 1 million saved on food products for the New Year's table, more by 12 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2009, when Russians were struggling with the consequences of the global financial crisis.

Many say that they are not against making sacrifices.

"Figuratively speaking, I am ready to use beets instead of makeup for my lips," said Tatyana Khrolenko, 75 years old.

"We must help Donetsk and Luhansk," she said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian rebel strongholds opposing Ukrainian forces.

Putin remains the most popular politician in Russia.

When he banned food imports from the EU and the US in retaliation for Western sanctions in August, many reacted with bravado, saying that they would live without French cheese or Spanish ham.

But as the crisis deepens, anger grows.

"I absolutely do not trust our corrupt authorities," said Yulia Halych, 43 years old. "And since then there is no trust, there is no desire to tolerate it. For whom? For Putin or Shuvalov?”

Based on: news.yahoo.com