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A TV reporter in Vladimir, Russia, has been charged with "insulting a public figure" for some seemingly innocent wordplay involving President Vladimir Putin's last name. The putative violation occurred when the journalist, Sergei Golovinov, referred to local supporters of the president as Putinisty (Putinists) and to a meeting of these supporters as a puting, which is a play on miting, the Russian word for demonstration. A local State Duma deputy heard the broadcast, and Golovinov is now facing a fine of up to $1,600 or one year of forced labor.
Golovinov and his employer are a bit baffled by the charges, since both neologisms are used frequently in the Russian media. A chapter in one tell-all Kremlin memoir, for instance, is titled "Light Puting." Back when they used to get along better, George W. Bush would refer to his Russian counterpart as "Pootie-Poot," which should probably merit a year in Siberia at least.
Things are unlikely to improve much on this front after Russians wish Putin schastlivogo puti (bon voyage) and welcome his anointed successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Medved is the Russian word for bear. As if that weren't bad enough, the phrase "Preved medved" ("Hi, bear" in Russian Internet-speak) had taken on a life of its own as a Russian Internet meme before Medvedev was even announced (Best I can tell, it's sort of the Russian equivalent of LOLcats.) The joke police might have their hands full with this guy.
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