themoscowtimes--2020-04-30--4 in 5 Young Russians Are Apolitical: Poll

More than 80 % of young Russians have no interest in politics , according to a new survey on Generation Z ’ s values published by the Vedomosti business daily Thursday .
Russian authorities have targeted the country 's youth with several initiatives , including a ban on minors attending protests , funding for military and patriotic education and a plan to monitor youngsters ’ online behavior .
Last summer , thousands of young activists took part in a wave of anti-government protests that gripped Moscow .
Only 19 % of Russian respondents aged between 14 and 29 expressed an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll conducted by Russia ’ s independent Levada Center and Germany ’ s Friedrich Ebert Foundation cited by Vedomosti .
“ Politics is boring and de facto nonexistent [ for young people ] , ” Vedomosti quoted Andrei Kolesnikov , senior associate for the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank and the chairman of its domestic politics program , as saying .
“ It ’ s interesting to engage in it when there ’ s competition between real actors .
That ’ s why young people have no incentive to get involved in politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation ’ s Russia office , echoed that assessment : “ The youth sees that there will be a strong reaction to their activity , so that ’ s why they don ’ t want to engage in politics.
” The survey also measured young Russians ’ attitudes toward migration , their views of the West and trust in institutions .
Only 16 % of young Russians expressed a “ strong ” or “ very strong ” desire to migrate , compared with 49 % who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel abroad for more than six months at a time .
Only one-third of young respondents identified Russia as a European country , while slightly over half ( 52 % ) said they believe Russia could maintain friendly relations with the West .
Young Russians were most likely to express distrust toward international organizations like NATO ( 56 % ) , political parties ( 50 % ) and labor unions ( 44 % ) .
Conversely , volunteers ( 49 % ) , the army ( 44 % ) and the president ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generated the most trust .
Levada and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation conducted the survey among 1,500 Russian respondents between the ages of 14 and 29 in May-June 2019 .
It included five focus groups in three Russian cities including Moscow .

More than 80% of young Russians have no interest in politics, according to a new survey on Generation Z’s values published by the Vedomosti business daily Thursday. Russian authorities have targeted the country's youth with several initiatives, including a ban on minors attending protests, funding for military and patriotic education and a plan to monitor youngsters’ online behavior. Last summer, thousands of young activists took part in a wave of anti-government protests that gripped Moscow. Only 19% of Russian respondents aged between 14 and 29 expressed an interest in politics, according to a poll conducted by Russia’s independent Levada Center and Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation cited by Vedomosti.
“Politics is boring and de facto nonexistent [for young people],” Vedomosti quoted Andrei Kolesnikov, senior associate for the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank and the chairman of its domestic politics program, as saying. “It’s interesting to engage in it when there’s competition between real actors. That’s why young people have no incentive to get involved in politics,” Kolesnikov added. Peer Teschendorf, the head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s Russia office, echoed that assessment: “The youth sees that there will be a strong reaction to their activity, so that’s why they don’t want to engage in politics.” The survey also measured young Russians’ attitudes toward migration, their views of the West and trust in institutions.
news Putin Orders Monitoring of Youth Behavior Online Read more


themoscowtimes--2020-04-30--In Russia Virus Lockdown, Fears of a Return to the Bottle

Alcohol purchases jumped after authorities imposed lockdown orders in late March , with sales in the first week of isolation rising by 65 % , according to market research group GfK .
But experts and campaigners are pointing to worrying signs that under stress Russians may be reviving old habits .
Alcohol consumption in Russia fell by more than 40 % between 2003 and 2016 , according to the World Health Organization , and Russian adults began drinking less on average than the French or Germans .
Despite Russia 's reputation for hard drinking , alcoholism has been on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in part due to anti-drink campaigns and aggressive moves by authorities to control sales .
`` Not everyone manages to resist during confinement , '' says the 50-year-old , who has been sober nearly seven years and is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings online .
`` When I found myself alone at home , the first thought I had was 'ah , it 's a good time to get drunk , ' '' says Tatyana , a recovering alcoholic on lockdown in Moscow .
Stuck in cramped flats and struggling with fears of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russians are worried about the return of an old demon .
In a survey by campaign group Sober Russia , 75 % of respondents reported buying more alcohol than usual , similar to what they would purchase ahead of New Year 's Eve .
Many were simply stockpiling , but sales were also boosted by popular myths that alcohol can prevent the virus .
`` Eighty percent of those we surveyed think that alcohol immunizes you against COVID-19 , while on the contrary , it weakens immunity and exacerbates chronic conditions , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Vasily Shurov , a psychiatrist specializing in addiction , says the phone has n't stopped ringing at the private addiction clinic he heads in Moscow .
All its places are now full or reserved .
`` In isolation , patients who are fragile experience a higher level of anxiety '' and those at risk `` start drinking as it 's the only way they can relax , '' he says .
In the clinic , haggard patients wander through the corridors and gather in the smoking room .
A disheveled man in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days earlier and `` it 's better this way , for everyone back home . ''
Along with increased drinking , groups helping victims of domestic violence say the number of reported attacks has grown dramatically since the lockdown started .
Higher levels of drinking may not be the only factor , but Anna Rivina , the head of Moscow 's `` No to Violence '' victim-support center , says that `` alcohol rouses the devil '' and women are reporting `` more severe '' violence .
Mari Davtyan , a lawyer who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says she has received several accounts from women of how their partners attacked them during lockdown binges .
One of them , 32-year-old Irina who lives in the Moscow region with her two-year-old child , said in her account : `` My husband was laid off .
He started drinking and beating us .
`` I wanted to go live with my parents but he threatened to report me to the authorities and say I was putting my child in danger by leaving our home . ''
Rights campaigner Alyona Popova is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed to ensure women fleeing domestic violence are not penalized for breaking lockdown rules .
`` You 're stuck home with your oppressor , no money to leave .
Alcohol and poverty increase the violence , '' she says .

Stuck in cramped flats and struggling with fears of the coronavirus and its economic impact, many Russians are worried about the return of an old demon. "When I found myself alone at home, the first thought I had was 'ah, it's a good time to get drunk,'" says Tatyana, a recovering alcoholic on lockdown in Moscow. "Not everyone manages to resist during confinement," says the 50-year-old, who has been sober nearly seven years and is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings online. Despite Russia's reputation for hard drinking, alcoholism has been on the wane in the country for years, in part due to anti-drink campaigns and aggressive moves by authorities to control sales. Alcohol consumption in Russia fell by more than 40% between 2003 and 2016, according to the World Health Organization, and Russian adults began drinking less on average than the French or Germans. But experts and campaigners are pointing to worrying signs that under stress Russians may be reviving old habits. Alcohol purchases jumped after authorities imposed lockdown orders in late March, with sales in the first week of isolation rising by 65%, according to market research group GfK.
Isolation and anxiety In a survey by campaign group Sober Russia, 75% of respondents reported buying more alcohol than usual, similar to what they would purchase ahead of New Year's Eve. Many were simply stockpiling, but sales were also boosted by popular myths that alcohol can prevent the virus. "Eighty percent of those we surveyed think that alcohol immunizes you against COVID-19, while on the contrary, it weakens immunity and exacerbates chronic conditions," says Sober Russia's chief Sultan Khamzayev. Vasily Shurov, a psychiatrist specializing in addiction, says the phone hasn't stopped ringing at the private addiction clinic he heads in Moscow. All its places are now full or reserved. "In isolation, patients who are fragile experience a higher level of anxiety" and those at risk "start drinking as it's the only way they can relax," he says. In the clinic, haggard patients wander through the corridors and gather in the smoking room. A disheveled man in his 30s says that he arrived three days earlier and "it's better this way, for everyone back home." Along with increased drinking, groups helping victims of domestic violence say the number of reported attacks has grown dramatically since the lockdown started. Higher levels of drinking may not be the only factor, but Anna Rivina, the head of Moscow's "No to Violence" victim-support center, says that "alcohol rouses the devil" and women are reporting "more severe" violence. Rise in domestic abuse Mari Davtyan, a lawyer who represents victims and campaigns for better legislation, says she has received several accounts from women of how their partners attacked them during lockdown binges. One of them, 32-year-old Irina who lives in the Moscow region with her two-year-old child, said in her account: "My husband was laid off. He started drinking and beating us. "I wanted to go live with my parents but he threatened to report me to the authorities and say I was putting my child in danger by leaving our home." Rights campaigner Alyona Popova is calling for an emergency law to be passed to ensure women fleeing domestic violence are not penalized for breaking lockdown rules. "You're stuck home with your oppressor, no money to leave. Alcohol and poverty increase the violence," she says.


themoscowtimes--2020-04-30--Russia's Coronavirus Cases Surpass 100K in Latest One-Day Record Surge

President Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday that Russia had not yet reached the peak of coronavirus infections but said a `` phased exit '' from the country 's lockdown measures could begin in two weeks .
With the number of cases rising by several thousand daily , Putin extended a non-working period across the country until May 11 , telling officials to plan for a gradual lifting of quarantines after that .
He ordered the government to come up with a plan for a `` phased exit '' from quarantine regimes from May 12 `` depending on the epidemiological situation '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also ordered officials to develop a new `` package of urgent measures to support the economy . ''
While the country 's industry has mobilized to manufacture more medical equipment and protective gear , shortages persist , Putin said .
Virus testing has also expanded to a current level of around 150,000 tests per day , he said .
Putin announced a month of non-working days at the start of April to encourage Russians to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus .
Individual regions then imposed various quarantine measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow , which has been hardest-hit by the disease .
Since March 30 , all of Moscow 's 12 million residents have been ordered to stay in their homes with few exceptions .
City officials have warned the capital `` will face difficult weeks '' ahead .
Russia has carried out more than 3 million coronavirus tests , though there have been concerns about their reliability .
Worldwide , the virus has infected over 3.2 million people .

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Russia's fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures.
Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that now allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.
Both events were initially postponed due the epidemic.
Moscow opened cinemas and theaters on Aug. 1. In the capital, masks are mandatory in stores and on public transport but not in the streets.
Several institutes in Russia are working on a coronavirus vaccine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said it developed a "safe" vaccine following clinical trials on a group of volunteers.
The trials are ongoing, and the Defense Ministry expects clinical trials to be fully completed in the coming weeks.
AFP contributed reporting to this article.