Putin Urges Lawmakers to Curb Obsession With Prohibitions – Press Review

(MOSCOW, RUSSIA) – The Russian dictator has instructed lawmakers to cease their obsessive fixation on prohibitions, warning such an approach is counterproductive, even as the state controlled media coordinates to amplify his message. Vladimir Putin made the remarks during an address to Russian MPs and senators in St. Petersburg, with the government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta leading the publication of the quote. “To fixate on prohibitions, restrictions, the development of new penalties for offenders… of course, it is kind of necessary. It is necessary to protect the interests of consumers in all senses of the word, but to obsess about this is counterproductive,” he stated. Putin stressed that excessive barriers hinder development, characterising them as temporary transient phenomena and claiming Russia is eternal. He added that legislation should be flexible, dynamic, progressive, and future oriented.

The commentary, headlined by Moskovsky Komsomolets as “Putin bans MPs from banning,” has prompted analysts to question whether this signals a sudden political shift. There is no evidence of a genuine thaw after years of repressive legislation. When Putin hints to lawmakers to go easy on prohibitions, it is worth noting he is the individual who signs all of these bills into law.

Much of the restrictive legislation in Russia is believed to originate in the presidential administration. This rhetoric appears to be an attempt by the dictator to present himself as being on the side of the Russian people. Recent data from a state run pollster indicates that Putin’s approval rating has been falling for seven consecutive weeks. Internet restrictions have proved deeply unpopular, and there is growing public fatigue with the war in Ukraine alongside deep concern about the economy.

Despite the messaging, there is no sign of a political thaw. In comments last week, the Kremlin leader offered no apology for the disruption caused by internet restrictions, claiming these measures were necessary for people’s security. There is no sign of a thaw weatherwise either, as snow returned to Moscow with a vengeance, an event Komsomolskaya Pravda labelled a “snow apocalypse.” A significant chill is also running through the Russian economy.

Vedomosti reports that the investment crisis is becoming increasingly difficult to mask. Even the government’s cautious forecasts signify the collapse of certain industries by tens of percent, and statistical methods are failing to gloss over the downturn. The publication noted that the construction industry risks lying at the bottom for several years. The situation is developing in such a way that the investment crisis may turn out to be much deeper than the government’s conservative unfavourable forecast.

RBC highlights the “big pessimism of small business,” citing a new survey by the Center for Strategic Research showing that half of all micro businesses generate no profit. More alarming data from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce indicates that in the first quarter, 65 percent of enterprises made no profit.

In the joke section of Komsomolskaya Pravda, a reader asks where one could get a low interest long term mortgage in 2018, reflecting a bitter nostalgia for better financial times. A political joke from the same edition on the subject of inflation and internet restrictions noted that the Duma has demanded the verbs “to go down in price” and “to unblock” be removed from Russian dictionaries, as MPs explained these words are now out of date and no longer in use.