Igor Budykin: "Spit in the well"

“Here are some interesting observations - in connection with Kobzon’s ban on entry into the European Union. Firstly, the reaction of Kobzon himself is undisguised resentment, with tears in his eyes. How can I not? But everyone like Troitsky, Makarevich or Vasya Pupkin from Penza can?! And purely reflexively - no, let’s also ban all of them who disagree with the war and the official party line from leaving as a form of punishment.

Punishment by the Motherland is, of course, cool. But it’s not new, since it was widely practiced in the Soviet Union. In order to go out and personally see all the horrors of the West, it was necessary to go through a bunch of commissions, approvals, and learn all the party directives and biographies of the leaders. And on the trip itself you were closely looked after by people with nondescript faces.

What happened was what happened. We thought it was all in the past. You shouldn't have thought so."