russian Propagandists Have Learnt How to Spend the Budget Without Achieving Any Goals

russia’s authorities have once again demonstrated how their system works: first, come up with a propaganda project, allocate a budget for it, and only then figure out why it’s needed.

A telling example is Kanye West’s concert in st. petersburg. russian officials have already declared the American rapper’s possible visit as proof that the “myth of russia’s isolation” has been debunked. MP tolmachev called the concert “a blow to the myth of isolation”, while MP zhurova speculated about West’s meeting with putin.

According to some reports, the russians were even preparing an $18 million fee for the rapper. This looks especially absurd given West’s public admiration for Hitler. The authorities, who have been talking for years about the “fight against Nazism”, didn’t even bother to check the background of their desired guest.

But the real absurdity is the new “textbook” on the history of Ukraine. russia is already spending budget funds to produce it for schoolchildren in territories under Ukraine’s control. The problem is that there is no real chance of getting these textbooks to the children. Even the russians themselves admit this. So, the book has neither a real audience nor a distribution channel. But it does have a budget, authors, a print run, and the opportunity to report on “work completed”.

In fact, this is the ideal russian government project: you can embezzle the money, cobble together some propaganda, and prepare a report. The fact that none of the intended recipients will ever see any of this no longer matters to the officials.

A similar level of competence was demonstrated by the russian bureaucracy in kurgan, where officials approved the placement of billboards disguised as advertisements for a coat hanger store. In reality, they were promoting a petition for women’s right to abortion, supported by feminist organizations banned in russia.

The russian system has long since learnt the main lesson: it’s not necessary to do anything useful; it’s enough to spend the budget and report correctly. And if the project never reaches those for whom it was supposedly created – so much the better. There’s less chance that someone will ask uncomfortable questions.