A Joyless Power Vertical

We’ve written in the past about the unfortunate dearth of political satire in Putin’s Russia, with wise-cracking puppets and acerbic cartoons pushed to the margins, leaving pathetically lame and unfunny animatronics in their place.  God forbid that somebody poke some fun at the exalted leadership and bumbling bureaucracy – a situation rendered especially tragic given the richness and intelligence of Russian wit.

Nevertheless, confined to its small spaces on the internet, some satirists continue to excel.  The Jakarta Globe finds what’s left:

“There is no political cartooning where there is no political battle, and where most publications depend on the authorities,” said Viktor Bogorad, one of the few Russian cartoonists to regularly poke fun at both Putin and Medvedev.  (…)

“Unfortunately, one no longer sees political cartoons in newspapers,” said Evgeny Artyomov, director of the Saint Petersburg’s Museum of Political History, which hosted the exhibition.

“The attitude of the authorities toward satire reflects the level of democracy in the country,” he said.

“Political satire exists in Russia formally, but you can only see it in special places such as museums,” said a visitor, who gave his name as Vasily Sergeyevich.