It’s official! Bureaucrats are getting unwarranted perks from Vladimir Putin in broad daylight now, economic meltdown be damned. And not mere kickbacks, but pimped-out apartments — financed with taxpayer rubles, of course. All an official needs to be eligible is one year of government service under his belt. To clarify, “official,” can mean anything from a minister in the federal branch to a clerk who just hangs around the office kissing ass and drinking buttermilk. And yes, all of this comes courtesy of the Russian taxpayer.

This type of federal bonus for government higher-ups has been done with a wink since Soviet times, but it’s just now become a law signed off on by the prime minister himself. Formally, there will be a committee to determine which apartments go to whom, according to need and rank, but those with close ties to the Kremlin will get to bypass committee rules. See, now we’re just stating the obvious.

What's astounding is that the bureaucrats currently slicing into the real estate cake are the same people who earlier this week expressed concerns about rising civil unrest throughout the country. For their sake, let's hope the new digs come equipped with steel doors.

"Квартиры по путинскому ордеру"[Gazeta.ru]