SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A new novel has drawn attention to the depth of corruption in Russian society. President Dmitry Medvedev has taken steps to combat the problem, but his appeals for improvement are falling flat.
It isn't often that a senior member of the innermost circle of power writes an exposé novel in which he describes the demise of the very system he created. Which explains why a book, written under a pseudonym but widely assumed to be the work of one Vladislav Surkov, is causing such a stir in Moscow. Surkov is the chief ideologue at the Kremlin or, as retired KGB General Alexei Kondaurov describes his former associate, a "genius of cynicism".
The novel, "Okolonolya" (Close to Zero), is being touted as "gangsta fiction," but the political gangsters featured in its 112 pages are very much real. The author paints a shocking picture of the Russian capital, with its "trading in offices, medals and bonuses." It is a place where government funds are siphoned off into the pockets of wives, lovers and nieces. "Corruption and organized crime, next to schools and the police, are the pillars of social order," explains an intelligence service colleague of the protagonist.
There is probably no other European country -- not Silvio Berlusconi's Italy or post-communist Romania -- where political offices and wealth are so closely intertwined than in Russia. The affliction has "struck deep roots in our country" and has "taken on particularly repugnant forms," President Dmitry Medvedev said in a SPIEGEL interview in early November. Bribery and nepotism are pervasive in public life, from the healthcare system to the courts. Last year, it put Russia in a tie with Kenya, Bangladesh and Syria for 147th place on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
"From the political leadership all the way down to local administrations, we are hampered by corruption" Medvedev said, adding how accepted it has become among the Russian population. "In your countries in Europe, drivers don't automatically pull out their wallets when stopped by a traffic policeman," said the president. According to Medvedev, the notion that bribery is a crime must become second nature to citizens. Arbitrary Arrests >>> Uwe Klussmann and Matthias Schepp. Translated from German by Christopher Sultan | Monday, November 16, 2009
