Putin’s Reaction to Moscow Salaries: The Ego Show We Didn’t Need

6 min readJan 26, 2025

You know what’s funnier than a clown at a birthday party? A dictator pretending to care about salaries. It’s like watching a magician try to pull a rabbit out of a hat and instead yanking out his own ego. This debacle started at a meeting of Moscow State University’s Board of Trustees, where Vladimir Putin got hit with the average salary stats for Moscow. The report claimed the average monthly salary ranged from 140,000 to 160,000 rubles (around $1,500 to $1,700). Putin’s response? “No way. More!” The guy looked so surprised, you’d think someone told him he was on minimum wage.

This moment, caught on video, went viral before it magically disappeared — like the truth in Russian state media. The Kremlin’s decision to delete it? Classic move. When you’re running a propaganda machine, the last thing you want is the star performer slipping up on camera. But this wasn’t just an awkward moment. It was a big flashing neon sign saying: “This guy’s been living in a bubble for 20 years.”

1. Putin’s Ignorance is By Design

Living in La-La Land: Let’s be real — Putin’s shock at those bloated salary numbers is exactly what happens when you’ve been king of the castle for two decades. He’s surrounded by yes-men who’d rather tell bedtime stories than bad news. They’ve built him a Russia that exists only in his head, complete with golden streets and happy peasants. And he’s lapping it up like a kid with free candy.
Theatrics, Plain and Simple: Or maybe this was all just a performance. Putin’s “No way, more!” routine is the political equivalent of a guy tripping over his own shoelaces and blaming the floor. It’s all about deflection — pointing fingers at the bureaucrats while tightening the screws on regular folks.

2. Propaganda: The Kremlin’s Favorite Recipe

Cooking Up Fake Salaries: These Moscow salary figures are about as believable as a diet pill ad. The Kremlin isn’t selling economic stability; it’s selling fairy tales. And while Moscow pretends to be dining on caviar, the rest of the country is gnawing on stale bread.
Delete and Deny: The video of Putin’s awkward reaction? Vanished faster than free speech in a dictatorship. That’s the Kremlin playbook: “If it makes us look bad, it didn’t happen.” George Orwell would be impressed. They’re not fixing problems — they’re just erasing the evidence and hoping everyone forgets.

3. Prioritizing Tanks Over Tables

Feeding the War Machine: Here’s a fun fact: over 32.5% of Russia’s budget goes to defense. Social services? Education? Healthcare? They’re left picking through the scraps. But hey, at least the military has shiny new toys to play with.
Patriotism, Kremlin-Style: Putin’s real genius is making misery sound noble. “Sacrifice for the motherland!” is a lot easier to sell when you’re not the one doing the sacrificing. Meanwhile, the oligarchs are sipping champagne and laughing all the way to their Swiss bank accounts.

4. The Kremlin’s Hypocrisy Olympics

Rich Get Richer: While regular Russians are counting pennies, the Kremlin’s inner circle is swimming in cash. A 26% raise for government officials? Sure! Nothing says “serving the people” like giving yourself a fat raise while everyone else gets breadcrumbs.
Fake Empathy, Real Greed: Putin’s feigned shock at salary figures is as genuine as a three-dollar bill. He talks about caring for the people, but his actions scream, “Not my problem.”

5. Russia’s Economic House of Cards

Built on Sand: The Russian economy is a wobbly Jenga tower held up by oil, gas, and a lot of wishful thinking. Sanctions, brain drain, declining investment — it’s all piling up while Putin pretends it’s business as usual. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
The Broken Deal: Remember when Russians traded freedom for stability? Well, guess what? They got neither. Wages are stagnant, inequality’s through the roof, and the Kremlin’s big solution is more propaganda and repression. “Let them eat lies” seems to be the motto.

6. Censorship: The Kremlin’s Magic Trick

Fear and Loathing: Pulling that video wasn’t a power move; it was a panic move. The Kremlin’s like a bad magician — they’re all about misdirection because they know the tricks are garbage. But here’s the kicker: the more they censor, the more obvious it is they have something to hide.
The Strongman’s Fragile Ego: Putin has built his entire image on being the guy in charge, the man with all the answers. So when he looks clueless, the whole facade starts to crack. And trust me, those cracks are getting harder to plaster over.

7. What Comes Next? The Reckoning

Dissent is Bubbling: Russians aren’t stupid. They’re seeing through the propaganda, and the frustration is building. Sure, the Kremlin can keep a lid on it for now, but sooner or later, the pressure cooker’s gonna blow.
Russia on Shaky Ground: Militarization, isolation, and a shrinking economy? That’s not exactly a recipe for success. Putin’s dream of a superpower is looking more like a pipe dream with every passing day.

Final Thought: The Kremlin’s House of Cards

Here’s the punchline: Putin’s regime isn’t strong; it’s scared. Scared of dissent, scared of scrutiny, and scared of the truth. They can keep playing their censorship games and inflating their salary stats, but the cracks are too big to ignore. And when the reckoning comes — and it will — no amount of propaganda, tanks, or fake smiles will save them. The jig is up, and the house of cards is coming down.

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