Russia elects a new parliament. There are almost no doubts about the outcome. The lists with the names of the future MPs have long been in the Kremlin. We would like to introduce you to three of them.
The Duma election began in Russia on Friday. For three days, the Russians can vote nationwide on how to fill the 450 seats in the lower house of the Russian parliament. At least that is the theory of the Russian political system. In fact, the Russians hadn’t had a choice worthy of the label for decades. The list of future MPs has long been on the table in the Kremlin.
These three names should have found their place there: Valentina Tereschkowa, Maria Butina and Evgenij Popow. A former astronaut, an exposed agent and a TV presenter. As different as these characters are, they have one thing in common: They belong to the hard core of the Putin fan block. And so much loyalty is rewarded – with the best places on the list of the ruling party United Russia.
Maria Butina: From failed agent to MP
Maria Butina is the youngest addition to the Putin fan club. The now 32-year-old became known when she was exposed as a spy in the USA. In 2019, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison after confessing to infiltrating Republican circles and the US gun lobby, the NRA, under the guidance of a Russian government official. At the trial, the gun fool pleaded guilty to the conspiracy against the United States of America.
For years, Butina had used a much older lover from the political scene as a door opener to gain access to politicians and to build up an extensive network. In confiscated documents, she expressed herself disparagingly about living with the man. The relationship was only a “necessary aspect of their activities” for them. She also offered “sex” to another person in order to gain access to a lobbyist organization.
The government in Moscow did not thank her. Not even the lawyer was paid for the exposed spy. Butina served a total of 15 months of her prison sentence before she was released for good conduct.
But then suddenly they found a use for them in the Kremlin. As soon as she arrived at the airport in Moscow, she slipped into the role of a martyr, an innocent victim of the US judiciary and the allegedly Russophobic Americans. They were met by dozens of reporters, television cameras, fans and officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Since then, Butina has mainly been busy telling everyone about the horrors of her prison time. “467 days in hell” was the slogan she used to promote her book, which she published last year about her time in prison.
Butina’s propagandist career reached a temporary high point when she visited the opposition politician Alexei Navalny in custody for RT last spring. At a time when Putin’s archenemy was being sealed off from the whole world, a former agent of all people was allowed to scrutinize the opposition politician’s detention conditions – which of course could not take offense. “It looks better here than in a holiday camp in the Altai region!” Was her verdict. An appearance that must have convinced someone in the Kremlin. A few weeks later, Butina announced her candidacy for the Duma. She occupies second place on the list in her constituency. The governor of the region occupies first place, but he will give up his place in the Duma. And so Butina will soon be able to report in Parliament on the horrors of the US prisons.
Evgeny Popov: From small propagandist to heavy artillery
While Butina is one of the freshmen in the propagandist scene, Evgeny Popov has been in this business for a long time. He started his career with state television as a reporter in 2000. However, Popov only achieved national fame as the presenter of the political talk show “60 Minutes”. At the side of his wife and co-host Olga Skabeewa, he has been telling viewers since 2016 how decaying the West is, how vicious the independent Ukraine and how blessed Russia is under Putin – every day.
Insulting guests and spreading false information are the order of the day. In 2018, for example, an interview with a student who claimed to have witnessed a rampage in the annexed Crimea caused a scandal.
“His candidacy is a mockery of the Moscow citizens,” says Navalny’s fellow campaigner Maria Pevchich. “He of all people is used as heavy artillery in a constituency that is traditionally very opposition. Evgeny Popov is supposed to be the best that United Russia has to offer. But you can’t look at Evgeny Popov without crying with laughter”, said Pevchich in one.
In fact, Navalny’s team only recently uncovered how much Popov and his wife are making by bypassing the treasury: millions of dollars, of which they have the consequences of fraud none.
During his election campaign, Popov embarrassed himself several times when he paid shows in his constituency and was simply laughed at by the residents. Nonetheless, Popov ranks first in United Russia’s list. It almost takes a miracle that he doesn’t make it into the Duma.
Valentina Tereschkowa: From the astronaut to the talking doll
The most prominent figure among the three featured is Valentina Tereshkova. She was the first woman to fly into space in 1963 and to date is the only woman in space history to be sent on a solo mission. Three years after her flight, the national heroine moved into the parliament of what was then the Soviet Union.
For 55 years, Tereshkova has been part of the government in one way or another. During this time everything has changed: the ruling party, the constitution, even the state. Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, Gorbachev, Yeltsin: Tereschkowa outlived six leaders. Whether she will survive the seventh, Putin, remains to be seen. In any case, the former astronaut is doing everything possible.
Last year, the 84-year-old did her second great deed. She was the one who introduced the proposal in the Duma to annul Putin’s terms of office. In doing so, it opened the way for him to another 15 years in power – at least. Putin could not bring such a proposal to parliament himself. To do this, he needed a venerable person who would give the project a noble touch – a role made for Tereshkova. After all, who would dare to criticize a national heroine, probably the deliberation in the Kremlin.
In this role, however, Tereshkova lost the last bit of dignity that she may still have possessed. The image of a talking doll that only opens its mouth to speak the words of other people will not get rid of anytime soon. But Tereshkova has never cared about that as long as she has a warm place in the government. And she is still sure of that. She is number 2 on the electoral list in her region.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
