Support The Moscow Times!

Communists Ignoring Doomsday 'Rumors'

A senior Communist Party lawmaker said Monday that his party would ignore the prediction based on the Mayan calendar that the world would end on Dec. 21, and instead the party will celebrate the birthday of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Valery Rashkin, who has represented the Communists in the State Duma since 1999, told Interfax that party leaders would go ahead with plans to lay flowers at Stalin’s grave in the Kremlin’s walls.

“We are materialists. We don’t believe in these freakish stories and funny rumors,” Rashkin said, adding that party boss Gennady Zyuganov would take part in celebrating Stalin’s 133rd birthday.

The Communists’ attitude toward the end of the world differs markedly from that of residents of the Siberian city of Tomsk, who have been stocking up on “emergency kits” in preparation for doomsday.

Talk of an impending apocalypse has even affected some of the capital’s residents. News reports said some Muscovites asked for their salaries to be paid in advance so they can live out their last days in style.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more