Russians are persecuted and imprisoned for having a different opinion from the Government and many have left their country behind fleeing the war. But the president of the Russian Senate believes that what everyone needs is a Ministry of Happiness. “A department that will review all decisions and laws to see if each new rule or new government decree will make people happier.”
Valentina Matvienko, president of the Russian Federation Council, said during a speech at the recent educational conference Znanie (meaning knowledge but it was created recently to instill patriotic values in the youth) who came up with the idea in 2019 during a trip to the United Arab Emirates. This country has even created tools that measure benchmarks associated with happiness.
The author of the idea believes that one cannot wait: “Right now, a law on general happiness!” Matvienko, 74, has a few things going for her to be happy: a fortune of approximately 9.9 million euros. He also acquired a villa in Venice. The war, however, has placed it under sanctions. The West is now a distant paradise and at the same time a “decaying enemy” for the creatures of Putinism.
Born in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, she was ambassador to Malta and Greece and also governor of Saint Petersburg. Her son, Sergei Matvienkoalso found happiness early: he was appointed vice president of the Bank of Saint Petersburg at only 30 years old.
The proposal to create a Ministry of Happiness comes at a time when the war is lengthening and so are the sanctions, while the Russians are increasingly favorable to a peace agreement let it end with all this. Russia’s Levada Center reported that nearly three in four Russians said they would support President Vladimir Putin if he decided to call for an end to the conflict.