Tsar Medvedev?

Posted By Aditi Nangia Thursday, August 20, 2009 - 9:17 AM Share

In a move towards great transparency and accountability, the Kremlin yesterday released figures detailing a recent order of new furniture. It sounds simple enough but, as is usually the case with Russian politics, it quickly became the stuff of legends -- or at least, Aesop's fables. The total value of the interior ministry's furniture tender, it appeared, was $755,900 (24.4 million roubles) and included a cherry wood bed with head and footboards coated in a thin layer of 24 carat gold. Though other items will be delivered to an address in the exclusive dacha district on the outskirts of Moscow where many senior officials live in state-owned homes, the gilded bed will be sent to the ministry headquarters.

Unsurprisingly, the news has received much criticism in a country where the economy shrank 10.9 percent in the last quarter. I think the question praying on all our minds is: who's going to be sleeping in the gold bed?

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EXPLORE:EASTERN EUROPE, RUSSIA

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ANUNTURI

4:22 PM ET

August 20, 2009

putin is the king in

putin is the king in russia

regards
Anunturi

JIMBO787

4:23 AM ET

August 21, 2009

scandalous

Similar scandal wise to the UK politicians putting swimming pools, hot tubs, (and even second home mortgage payments!) through their expenses. In this global economic slump its bound to rub people up the wrong way!

Regards,
Jimbo
Cheap hot tubs

MARK2009NEW

7:32 AM ET

August 21, 2009

I wish I had one!

I wish, I had a bed like this. Sadly politicians around the world are the same. Their motto is " Me First, Country last". Who cares what the country is going through?

Mark

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