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The future that young Russians want
The Putin generation is often worldly, optimistic, and enthusiastic about democracy – as they define it.
from the February 26, 2008 edition
Page 4 of 4
"Our opponents ... think the press should pay as much attention to them as to us," says Ivan Demidov, a former TV personality in charge of shaping the Young Guard's ideology. "Support for opposition parties is about 3 to 5 percent, and that's about [what] they get in the media.... If your song is not popular, why should I have it played on my radio station?"
While Shchitov shares that view, his mother laments the all-consuming focus on Putin and his protégé, Dmitri Medvedev.
"The TV of today is similar to the TV of my youth under Brezhnev," says Alla Shchitova, who fed her son's voracious appetite for learning with French literature and frequent museum visits.
"Actually, I cannot agree with my mom," Shchitov chimes in as they sit in their elegant living room. "You can hear journalists blaming Putin every minute [on REN-TV]. On the first two [state-run] channels, there is no need to speak of an apocalypse for the whole country; they need to be sure of their country."
That theme surfaces often among those in Shchitov's circle: a wariness of full-fledged democracy as Russia emerges from a fragile stage. Still, Shchitov, contrasting Russia with the checks and balances of the US system, speaks critically of parliament's weakness.
"In Russia, real power [rests with] the president and the ministers, and the parliament is the mechanism of legitimizing the decisions of the president," he says. "According to the Constitution, deputies [in the State Duma] must defend the interest of the Russian people. But right now … our deputies are afraid."
'Our children will have all they need'
While Shchitov believes that under Mr. Medvedev, Russia will transition to a strong parliamentary system, he insists that Putin's strict government was essential to restoring stability.
Before taking a break from his political life to attend an evening opera at the Bolshoi theater, Shchitov and his fiancée, businesswoman Elena Filatova, explain over cappuccinos what stability means for them.
"Stability means we won't have an economic crisis like in '98; we won't have devaluation of our currency…. We won't have crime in the streets," says Shchitov, his light-blue eyes intense yet steady. "But for me, the most bright example of what stability is – this summer we will get married. I'm sure I will have a good salary, I won't be fired because of an economic crisis, we will be able to look after our children – and they will have all they need."
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