Mitrofanov on the smoking ban

The Children’s Ombudsman, speaking in a VIP lounge at the airport, reflects on Russia lagging threefold behind the United States in birth rates and on the situation in orphanages. He also recalls a meeting with President Putin, who allowed him to finish his speech — and then pointed to his untied shoelace.

Participants of the Seliger youth camp watch a video featuring Navalny, and some chant “Turn it off!” Dmitry Ternovsky then criticizes Putin for the case against Pussy Riot, the judicial system as a whole, and the immutability of power. The Russian president responds that he did not change the Constitution to suit himself, and "moved to a lower position".

The Seliger Forum was held for the eighth time in the Tver Region. This time, the organizers positioned it as “apolitical,” promising to focus mainly on social projects. Nevertheless, politics could not be avoided, and Vladimir Putin's visit became the central event of the forum.

On February 26, 2013, in the village of Veduchi near Grozny, a presentation was held for the new Veduchi ski resort. Olympic champions and public figures, including Timati and Nikita Dzhigurda, were invited to the event. The project’s investor, Ruslan Baisarov, stated that thanks to its natural features, Veduchi would have competitive advantages over Krasnaya Polyana: elevation differences, natural and climatic conditions, and strong infrastructure. He promised that within three to four years, an international-class luxury resort would be built —featuring 19 slopes and the capacity to serve up to 12,000 people per hour. The project cost was estimated at half a billion dollars, and Baisarov stressed there would be no unnecessary overspending, since he “does not plan to steal from himself.” The head of Chechnya also praised the region’s safety, noting in particular that there had “never been a war in Itum-Kalinsky District.” “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on. I have an Instagram—‘Kadyrov95’—and all the ‘Russian-ans' there comment only good things!” he remarked.

Elena Mizulina, chair of the State Duma Committee on Women, Family and Children, criticizes U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul for failing to attend an extended session of the committee, citing diplomatic protocol. She then goes on, for reasons that are not entirely clear, to claim that there is also no protocol “that allows the United States to kill Russian children.” She later clarifies that she is referring to the adoption of Russian children by same-sex couples.

Aleksey Pushkov, chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, scolds the media for their “pathological” defense of the United States, noting that the U.S. is the only country alongside Somalia that has not ratified the Vienna Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Activists from the Youth Anti-Drug Special Forces carried out a punitive raid against dealers of spice—a synthetic smoking blend. The Youth Anti-Drug Special Forces (YADSF) project was created on the initiative of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Young Russia. A group of YADSF members, looking like ordinary teenagers, attacks a suspected stash courier, who insists that he is merely a buyer and “just smoked a little.” They beat him, including with a hammer, and then go to ride the metal carousel on a children’s playground.