1. Pink elephants and reality

2. It seems that Russia’s media has finally lost its sense of reality. The more the mainstream narrative of the pre-election campaign jars with the economic crisis developing around the world, the more journalists find themselves contradicting common sense. Mainstream – основной; Narrative – повествование, рассказ; Pre- election –предвыборный; Contradicting – противоречие.

3. The state stepped in to plug the gap – the largest intervention in a Russian bank since 2008. Recently top managers and shareholders at the Bank of Moscow cleared almost 400 billion rubles ($14 billion) from its accounts. Shareholder – акционер; Cleared – чистить; Plug the gap – заполнить пробел.

4. Bailouts – катапультирование. So to pay these financiers, the government has simply printed more money. Such anti-crisis bailouts have been seen before, but now there is less money left in the stabilization fund.

5. Argued – утверждение; Emission – распространение, выпуск, излучение; Rescuing – спасающий. Various experts then argued in articles that this emission would not drive up inflation, and insisted that rescuing the Bank of Moscow was a top priority for the Russian economy.

6. Healthcare – здравоохранение; Even atomic energy – автономная энергетика; The space program – космическая программа. The military; Culture; Agriculture; Education; Healthcare; Demographics; Even atomic energy; The space program. At a budget meeting it was declared that although the deficit will remain, the government will raise 815 billion more rubles ($29 billion) in revenues than expected. We are told that this sum, barely twice the amount used to bail out the Bank of Moscow, can be used to finance practically every sector:

7. remain without - остаться без. The government’s polemics with the liberal opposition are little more than a dispute between representatives of different business sectors. More often than not they are arguing over the speed with which the social cuts should be made – and in whose interests the privatizations should be carried out. But most ordinary Russians, who have children in state schools or work in the organizations that are to be sold off, still remain without a real political voice.

8. Authorities – власть; invaluable skill - неоценимое умение; awkward questions – щекотливые вопросы. The authorities would prefer to debate with people who have demonstrated their loyalty, who possess the invaluable skill of not noticing pink elephants in the middle of the room and those who do not ask awkward questions.

9. Pink elephants and reality The Moscow news The author of article: Zhenya Otto The author of presentation: Luba Zdanova

10. Thanks for attention.