Direct speech

Alexander Khinshtein, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption:

- No, and it’s time to end this. The scale of the theft is already amazing, and I can’t even imagine what will happen when they start to sort out Sochi. Considering the kind of financial flows that went there and how weak the budgetary efficiency was, we could be talking about one and a half trillion rubles. And here, without strict sanctions, no result can be achieved.

Alexander Malis, President of Euroset:

— The scale of theft is frightening. Unfortunately, people have been stealing in Russia for hundreds of years - and, as a rule, this has always led to bad results. In 1917, there were not enough budget funds for everyone - we all know well how it ended.

Vadim Solovyov, State Duma deputy, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation:

“There isn’t enough anymore, and they, like rats in a box, begin to almost openly squabble among themselves over the feeding troughs, it’s obvious.” As for the summit, this is clearly just the tip of the iceberg; according to experts, up to 60% of the budget is being stolen in Russia! And the party in power does nothing to change the situation, because they themselves are mired in this whirlpool of kickbacks, theft and corruption, they have become flesh and blood of this system. The only solution is to replace these people with decent professionals.

Sergey Aleksashenko, Director for Macroeconomic Research, State University - Higher School of Economics:

— There’s not enough for everyone. Serdyukov’s resignation is further confirmation of this. Apparently, he decided that he alone was in charge of 20 trillion in defense orders, and there were many who wanted it. It's like that everywhere. And regarding APEC, I believe that the Accounts Chamber simply did not count everything - the 2% of the budget that was stolen does not even look serious. I think that we will still build Sochi, but there will be problems with the World Cup.

Sergei Lisovsky, member of the Federation Council:

“I’m afraid that the budget will not withstand the growth of citizens’ incomes and the appetites of thieving officials.” A huge number of our officials are corrupt, and if they are not returned to the legal field and left unpunished, then soon there will not be enough money. When I travel around the regions, people ask me when will officials stop stealing? They see how officials live, how they travel abroad, they see their wives, hung up like Christmas trees. And according to APEC, I think the scale of theft is much greater. Friends told me terrible things about the quality of construction, and it is unclear why this was not revealed for so long.

Andrey Nechaev, President of the Russian Financial Corporation bank:

“With such appetites, there may not be enough for the population.” Every year more and more people steal. According to various experts, over the past ten years the size of the bribe has increased tenfold. These are estimates, but there is no reason not to trust them. The scale of corruption is no longer even astonishing, since in recent years our system of power has been built on the principle of personal loyalty in exchange for turning a blind eye to corruption.

Viktor Gerashchenko, former head of the Central Bank:

“At one time, Elizabeth Petrovna’s favorite Count Razumovsky clearly said: “They steal in Russia, they steal... what can you do?” Unfortunately, it’s the same now - they steal, and nothing can be done about it. The authorities begin to do something only when the scale of theft goes beyond all imaginable limits.

Is there enough money for everyone?