Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev may never live it down.
Asked by an angry pensioner in Crimea last month when the government would raise her state pension, Medvedev was caught on camera saying: “There's just no money. When we find the money — we'll do it. Hang on in there. All the best.”
The comment immediately went viral on social media with a slew of parodies at Medvedev's expense.
Russia is mired in an economic slump and pension payouts have fallen behind rising prices for the first time in years.
Now, just as it seemed that the scandal was passing, comedian Semyon Slepakov has composed a song lampooning the prime minister. Published on YouTube on June 6, within 24 hours it had been watched almost 2 million times.
In the video, Slepakov introduces the ditty as “Obrashcheniye Narodu” — “An address to the people.”
For non-Russian speakers, here is an English version of the lyrics:
Hello to all Russians, I'm your prime minister,
To improve your lives we've taken a series of effective measures,
We worked all hours of the day,
To solve all your needs and worries,
I'm glad to tell you what we've achieved in recent years,
We have results,
There's just no money.
Chorus:
Have a good day!
Have a good day!
Have a good day!
You hang on in there.
There's just no money.
Everything is planned out and works like clockwork,
We sell oil, we sell wood, we sell gas,
We sign big deals with foreigners,
And serious money flows our way,
This country hasn't seen such a revival in many years,
We have things to be proud of,
There's just no money.
Chorus
So in general there's lots of excellent news,
We're off on holiday happy and with clear conscience,
Since we worked without resting,
Luxury yachts and private jets are waiting for us,
The Maldives are waiting, Monte Carlo, London and Phuket,
We would take you with us,
There's just no money.
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