Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with members of the Avtoradio Olympic construction team that is clearing the future ski runs of the Roza Khutor alpine resort. He explained to the volunteers why Russia needs the Olympic Games and why they are more expensive and difficult to organise in Sochi than anywhere abroad. He was greeted with the song Putin Goes to Pikalyovo, but he would have preferred to hear From What the Homeland Starts.
Putin's boat appeared on the horizon to the sounds of the song Girl Praskovya from Podmoskovya by Uma2rman. As soon as he reached the beach at the village of Vesyoly some eight kilometres from the border with Abkhazia, the volunteers and stars gathered around the fire abruptly changed the tune to I've been waiting for you for so long, Vova. Putin approached the group with a bouquet, which he later presented to Yelena Pisakova, a volunteer from Kaliningrad, for her birthday.
Both the volunteers and the stars were very nervous and their singing was slightly off. Only the key words "I've been waiting for you for so long, Vova" sounded right. The prime minister managed an awkward smile. "We must get to know each other somehow," soloist Kristovsky tried to explain. And Putin greeted the crowd again.
"Nobody is paid for anything here," the Avtoradio volunteers insisted. Thirty seven volunteers were invited to the team for their good deeds – they painted over graffiti in entrance ways and decorated fences. Each of three shifts will clear the future ski runs of the Roza Khutor alpine ski resort. The volunteers were provided with free flights, accommodation and meals.
"I didn't quite get you – what did they write on the fences? Is this why you were invited to work here?" Putin wondered. He also said that the Olympics in Sochi would be very impressive. "The main arena is five times greater than the Coliseum," he said. "The main thing is that everything is high-tech, the best in the world. We are using new technology everywhere."
"Why do we need the Olympics at all? We have just emerged from the economic crisis!" someone naively asked. The prime minister explained that people always want to have reference points for the future. "Expectations of a holiday are always good – they invigorate the people," Putin said.
There are always all sorts of skeptics, Putin said. "There have been inveterate skeptics since year one. They didn't like anything regardless of who was in power – the Whites or the Reds. The systemic opposition is also grumbling – we would have done better. Some people are displeased they have been moved from the Imereti Valley. The goal of the state is to make them happier. I think this is what happened – they wouldn't have been able to buy the houses that we have built for them," he explained.
The entire region has also gained. "If it were not for the Olympics, Sochi wouldn't have a new airport," Putin said. "Sochi didn't have a sewage system or enough electricity. We always lack money for basic things, but we are doing them because the Olympic Games are approaching. Out of all the funds, 63% come from the federal budget and the rest is private investment."
One volunteer asked the prime minister why it is more expensive and less enjoyable to take a vacation in Sochi than abroad. Putin answered with a question: "And what shoes do you prefer – Italian or Russian? In Soviet times we focused on the defence industry only, whereas foreign countries have developed industries of goods and services. They don't have the kind of missiles we have and we don't have the kind of shoes they have." Putin promised that we'll have everything but that it would take time. He admitted that he spends his vacation in Russia only but made an admission: "I have more opportunities to travel than ordinary citizens."
Members of the construction teams, including Murzilki International, decided to dilute a long conversation with a song and performed Putin Goes to Pikalyovo accompanied by guitar. "Honestly, I feel awkward," Putin said with embarrassment. "Here we have a whole disc of songs about you," someone added. "Well I never! I couldn't even imagine there are so many," Putin said taking the disc. They were composed over ten years, they explained.
Nodding at their tin mugs, Putin asked: "And what are you drinking?" "Tea," someone answered hesitantly. Judging by Putin's look, it was clear he didn't believe this answer, although journalists were told that alcohol was strictly forbidden at the camp.
Volunteers have promised to move mountains for the Olympics. "Please, don't! We need them for skiing," Putin joked. He hinted that he'd be pleased to hear other songs like From What the Homeland Starts or The City on the Free Neva.
Everyone agreed on Alla Pugacheva's This World Was Not Invented by Us. Judging by everything, Putin was pleased. At any rate, he joined the chorus.
Inga Vorobyeva