"There is no money for schools, but there is rockets"

Putin’s statements about nuclear missiles were not very impressed by the residents of different regions surveyed by The New Times. But some were alarming - especially in those places where rockets are based

Photo: Coda-craven.org

The politically active part of the society still cannot move away from the shock after the “nuclear” message of Vladimir Putin and subsequent statements and clarifications on the same topic. NT correspondents in the regions decided to find out the mood in the outback - what impression on the inhabitants of the Russian periphery made warheads falling on Florida, and cruise missiles, skillfully around all obstacles in order to manage the enemy that has settled for one or another ocean?

Bad news for Orenburg

Residents of Orenburg showed increased interest in the topic, NT correspondent reports from the 555,000th city in the southeast of Moscow and on the border with Kazakhstan. The Orenburgers did not like the news of the Sarmatian super-gap , since the mines of such missiles are located in the east of the Orenburg region. Now, in the case of a nuclear war, the region will be one of the first goals where American missiles will fly, the townspeople say and write about the same in social networks.

In addition, Orenburgers well remembered the consequences of the Snowball exercises, which took place at the Totsky training ground in September 1954. Then the Soviet army worked out the tactics of the breakthrough of enemy defense using nuclear weapons: an explosion was produced, and three hours later the troops moved to the infected territory. Although more than 60 years have passed after the explosion, the region is still in the TOP for cancer.

Rocket "Sarmat" photo: vesti.ru

The residents of Orenburg were not pleased with the news about the Sarmat missile: the missiles will be based in their area, which, therefore, will be the first goal for the preventive strike of a probable enemy

The events that occurred the next day after the announcement of the message also caused anxiety in the city. The next morning, riot police and armored personnel carrier suddenly appeared on the streets. In the afternoon it became known: this is part of the exercises that are held in the Orenburg region, at the very Totsky training ground. According to the alarm, more than 2 thousand motorized riflers were raised, more than 350 units of military equipment, including the Grad, Su-24M front-line bombers, Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters and Mi-8, are combat readiness. Information about the exercises quickly scattered on social networks.

Alexander Prokhorenko died
When the Syrian is released
Palmyra photo: stihi.ru

Some of the NT interlocutors in Orenburg saw in the exercises an indicator of growing military power. Others are inclined to the opinion that such teachings are an element of the election campaign, and the army was like weak, and it remains. In this regard, they recalled the recent hero of the local news - the native of the Orenburg region who died in Syria, senior lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko , who died during the release of Syrian Palmyra: he was an artillery adjustor, was surrounded and caused fire to himself. He became posthumously the hero of the Russian Federation. One of the interlocutors of NT asked the question: why were the drones or systems of satellite guidance of fire in Palmyra, which is often said on TV?

"The army must be ready"

“There is no such weapon anywhere, and I think that this really could scare the same America,” a resident of Vladikavkaz Alexei, a resident of Vladikavkaz, shared his opinion with the North Caucasian NT correspondent. - But foreign policy is good, only sometimes you need to solve internal problems. Many Russians live behind the poverty line. Thank you that after the 1990s it became much better with us, but there are still many problems. Nevertheless, I understand why you need to spend so much money on weapons. If suddenly the people are indignant and will rebel, the army will be ready. ”

“Have we heard something new? Not sure, ”says another Vladikavkazets, Alexander. - Every day we are told from the screens of the TV, what a strong and powerful country we are. That is, Putin did not say anything unexpected. ”

A resident of Tomsk Denis told the NT correspondent that he was upset by Putin's performance. “It turns out that there are no money for schools, kindergartens and salaries, but there is money to weapons that can demolish money from the face of the earth, including us. And this is very sad, ”the young man says, adding that the new“ supractais ”may not take off, and then everything will turn into a farce. But the very fact that our president calls other countries to the dialogue in such methods does not inspire hopes for a calm future, says Alexander.

The new "supractais" may not take off, and then everything will turn into a farce. But the very fact is that such methods our president calls for other countries to dialogue does not instill hope for a calm future

His fellow countryman Nikolai looked at Putin's message on the Internet, because "he wanted to hear what the president would say on the eve of his re -election." Russia took a dangerous course for militarization, he said. But Oksana did not watch the broadcast of the message, but colleagues told her that "Europe in hysteria and in such a troubled time could not change the president."

Three words about Kazan

For the inhabitants of Kazan, the main in Putin’s message was not missiles (Kazan could not say anything definite about them), but how many times the head of state mentioned the capital of Tatarstan (three) and in what context (in the positive), Kazan correspondent NT reports. “Putin did not mention any other city in the message! So, everything is not so bad, ”the locals say.

Last year, the federal center inflicted offense to Tatarstan: he did not sign a federal contract, canceled the mandatory study of the Tatar language in schools, did not save the regional banking system from the crisis, etc. Now, the three -time mention of Kazan may indicate, according to the interlocutors in Kazan, that relations are being established with Moscow.

A rally in defense of the mandatory study of the Tatar language, Kazan, February 18, 2018 Photo: Regina Khisamova

The second conclusion, primarily made in Kazan Telegram channels, the federal authorities and business will soon come to the republic, but not for Tatneft, as many expected, but at the enterprises of the defense industry. Tatarstan is a center of such production. There are 26 large and medium -sized defense industry enterprises, the production volumes of which are calculated in tens of billions of rubles. Putin's militaristic message reminded everyone of their existence.

The army is cooler, more terrible citizens

The head of the Levada Center Lev Gudkov believes that Putin’s message even more raised anxiety in the country: “Fear is spreading. The Crimean period of propaganda and euphoria, in addition to a sense of pride, was accompanied by a diffuse increase in fears, ”said NT Gudkov. - This was not provided for propaganda, but people, based on their experience, react to militaristic and warlike rhetoric. I think that after this performance a wave of anxiety, uncertainty and fear will rise. Naturally, not in all environments, but in more informed and critical to the current regime. ”

Pride of the power of the country and the fear of war are different sides of one complex. "We can say that this is such a syndrome of teenage consciousness - we are cool, and at the same time the soul goes into heels"

Pride of the power of the country and the fear of war are different sides of one complex, Gudkov notes. The current pride is another expression of the national inferiority complex. “A sense of pride, the feeling that we are so cool and defend our interests before the hostile West, at the same time give rise to uncertainty and fears,” the sociologist states. - The general uncertainty of the situation, the deterioration of the economic situation only reinforce the state of uncertainty. We can say that this is such a syndrome of teenage consciousness - we are cool, and at the same time the soul goes into heels. ”