Putin's Presidency: A Step Back to Soviet-Era Problems?

As the Russian presidential election draws near, a new series of television advertisements has been launched by Grigorii Yavlinskii, which suggests that a Putin presidency would lead Russia back to the problems of the Soviet era. One of the commercials, which aired nationwide, depicts a long line of people waiting outside a shop selling bread and milk, with a shrill employee shouting that there won't be enough for all of them. The ad implies that Putin's presidency has brought a return to the shortages and economic stagnation of the Soviet era.

Key Takeaways:

• The television advertisements launched by Grigorii Yavlinskii aim to equate Putin's presidency with the problems of the Soviet era, such as economic stagnation and shortages.
• One of the commercials shows a long line of people waiting outside a shop, implying that Putin's presidency has brought a return to the shortages and economic stagnation of the Soviet era.
• The ad suggests that Putin's presidency has failed to deliver on its promises of "order" and prosperity.
• Another commercial features two soldiers in the middle of a battle, who regret that they didn't vote for Yavlinskii, who would have "handled this situation" differently.
• The third commercial, which was refused to be aired by Russian Public Television, shows prison inmates regretting that they had not voted for Yavlinskii.
• A new five-minute video supporting Yavlinskii uses Soviet-era footage to attack the recent proposal to raise the price of vodka.

Statistics:

• The commercials have been airing on nationwide television during the past week.
• The three commercials in the series have been the subject of controversy, with one of them being refused to be aired by Russian Public Television.
• The five-minute video supporting Yavlinskii has been released on the RFE/RL website (www.rferl.org/pay-per-view/vodka).

Sources:

• "Vote for Russia" (paid advertisement, nationwide television, past week).
• "The Reason" (paid advertisement, nationwide television, past week).
• RFE/RL, "Russian Ad Campaign Strikes at Putin, Media Barred from Broadcasting Anti-Putin Ad on Russian TV" (www.rferl.org/elections/russia00report/vodka).