The incident with the wedding in the family of the Krasnodar judge, becoming the federal news number one, unexpectedly exposed the problem of demonstrative luxury consumption among Russian bosses. Although in recent years, officials seem to be learning to behave more cautiously and, at least, not to tell everyone about their lifestyle, but sometimes still can not stand it, they break down, and then information about real estate, yachts, cars or luxury resorts becomes public.

Modern Internet in general is a kind of showcase of vanity, a place where even not too wealthy citizens are trying to demonstrate their success.

Teens show off new sneakers or headphones, students from middle-class families are photographed against the backdrop of European attractions. Men are posing next to expensive cars, women are dressed in famous brands. Both those and others are shooting from concerts of celebrities. Sociologists wrote about the prestigious consumption about a hundred years ago: in conditions when the old aristocracy no longer exists, representatives of the bourgeois class compete for high status in society, trying to demonstrate the most subtle and expensive consumption.

The new Russian bourgeoisie is no exception. Its only problem is that it is almost fully staffed with budgetary funds and, according to official incomes, can most often afford only a relatively modest standard of living. Therefore, our bourgeoisie is literally torn between the desire to demonstratively consume and some not completely articulated fears of possible retaliation. But as practice shows, judicial or administrative persecution for demonstrating luxury in social networks to officials is often not threatened. In the case of the Krasnodar judge's wedding, officials found, for example, that everything was within the bounds of decency, and the price of luxury is greatly exaggerated by hostile attorneys and bloggers.

Nevertheless, officials are broader - in general, representatives of the Russian elite regularly cleanse traces of their adventures on the Internet. Whether fearing dismissal or disgrace of the authorities, whether the people's forks in the side, or tormented by some of them themselves an unknown moral feeling. The state bourgeoisie, which arose in recent years in Russia, clearly lacks courage to leave its impoverished country with its wealth in person.

And this fear, it seems, does not at all depend on the level of wealth and unites all - from regional officials to deputies and top leadership of the country.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 1

"Porsche" for the daughter of a deputy
 
The most recent example of luxury consumption in the Russian elite is the daughter of the former mayor of Saratov Oleg Grishchenko: last year he became a State Duma deputy, but in June of this year he died at the age of 51.

Anastasia Grishchenko, the daughter of the now deceased deputy, on April 2 published her photo in the instagram of the new black Porsche coupe, writing: "Can you please have more good roads for this beauty?" The photograph was immediately picked up by the public comment "VKontakte" "Lentach", a screenshot from the instragma Grischenko scored 295 outposts, the daughter of the deputy was advised to ask for good roads from his father. In the evening of the same day, the girl renamed and closed her profile, and removed the page in VKontakte.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 2

Bride of a Crimean official
 
Igor Kravchenko, former head of the Crimean Highway Service, was forced to resign in January 2017 because of the scandal surrounding his bride's instagram. Tamila Omerova regularly published photos of brand shoes, handbags, earrings for thousands of euros, "Cartier" engagement rings, without hiding that these acquisitions and a happy romance with Igor Kravchenko are directly related.

In early January, Omerova published a photo shoot from the hotel "Mriya" in Simeiz - a double room suite there is about 30 thousand rubles per night. In photographs taken by a professional photographer, Omero and Kravchenko in white hotel coats on the bed embrace and depict the fight with pillows. This was not the only photo of expensive hotels and air flights Omero, but the scandal rose just after the New Year's photo shoot. Tamila Omerova closed access to her profile, and Kravchenko was forced to resign on January 11.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 3

"Yacht Sechin" in instagrama
 
In July 2016 Novaya Gazeta published a story about one of the most luxurious yachts in the world. Princess Olga. In the instagram of the wife of the head of Rosneft, Olga Rozhkova (Sechina), photos were published from a yacht that looked exactly like St. Petersburg. Princess Olga. A young woman posing on a highly decorated deck with a swimming pool, publishes views of picturesque Mediterranean shores: judging by the geotags and replicas of Olga herself in the comments under the posts, photos were taken in Ibiza, Capri, Corsica, the Balearic Islands, in Venice.

After our publication, first Olga Sechina sued the "New Newspaper" with the claim for an invasion of privacy. And then Sechin himself filed a lawsuit, and on October 10 the Moscow Basmanny Court ordered the editorial office to publish a refutation, which appeared on the website on December 19. Now Olga Rozhkova's account in the instagram is closed by privacy settings.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 4

Kuzbass official on vacation
 
In November 2016, Kuzbass official Oleg Zakharov caught on publications in social networks of a huge number of photos from the rest. Zakharov directs the municipal tourist center in Mezhdurechensk "Celestial cogs". In August 2016, the local branch of ONF drew attention to the official: the portal "Open City" of the Kemerovo activist Maxim Uchvatov published a photo from Zakharov's instagram. On them the director of the municipal resort poses on a helicopter and a snowmobile, next to him - girls in swimsuits (even against the background of snow). Fiftieth anniversary Zakharov noted with dancers in carnival costumes. In this case, the official income of an official for 2015 was a little over 300 thousand rubles.

"He took large amounts of money in cash at his disposal. There were checks that did not correspond to reality. Accounting "Podnebesnyh Zubyov" was in shock, "Andrei Gedyma, ex-deputy of the head of Mezhdurechensk for social issues, told REN-TV. Despite the participation in the scandal of the pro-presidential movement of the ONF and the federal television channel, there were no significant consequences for Zakharov: he was only declared "public reprimand".

"The Commission passed a unanimous decision on passing Zakharov public censure for violation of ethics when posting personal information in social networks. Due to the lack of corruption in its activities, the commission found no reason to remove Zakharov from his post, "REN-TV quoted a response from the administration of the Kemerovo region. A scandalous account in the instagram official deleted.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 5

Timati and private Kadyrov aircraft
 
The head of Chechnya is an active user of instagram: besides protocol photos and professional videotapes from working meetings, Kadyrov often conducts video broadcasts from his huge residence, shows his walks with children. But about the luxurious plane of the head of the republic became known not from his publications, but thanks to rapper Timati: on March 7 he published in his instragm photo of a posh private jet with the following signature: "When on the eve of March 8 you were kicked out of the house, but your brother always has For you a free room (hereinafter referred to as the account of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov) ".

In the comments to the photo, users suggested that this is a personal plane of the head of Chechnya. The next day, Timothy removed the photo, but on March 10 he restored the publication, already without mentioning on March 8.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 6

Wedding of the daughter of the mayor of Kazan
 

Information about the chic way of life of the Kazan mayor leaked into the media, too, not by the will of the official himself, but by the guest's carelessness. In early July, the daughter of the mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, was married in Nizhnekamsk. As local media write, the wedding tried to be kept secret as much as possible due to the impressive budget of the event. Guests and newlyweds did not have to remove boastful photos - they were careful enough not to leave a web of evidence of the feast. Except one visiting star.

"Those who were at that wedding and, as they say, they drank honey-beer, did not sound a sound about it and did not share pictures in social networks, as it is usual for representatives of the Moscow secular get-together," Vechernyaya Kazan wrote on July 10. - A photograph from the airport Begishevo, indirectly indicating that the wedding took place, laid out in his instagram only the King of the Russian stage Philip Kirkorov ... "

"And now, all greetings from NIZHNEKAMSK! - signed by Salfi Kirkorov. - Today we are here, and tomorrow - Murom! I do not understand how we all manage everywhere. "

Kirkorov's followers in the comments regretted that the artist came not with a concert, but only with the corporate: "It's a pity that you fly so fast and you have a closed party," one of the users wrote.

And the Moscow DJ Anton Zagryadsky (DJ Nejtrino) published a joint photo with the son of Metshin Tagir, Comedy Club resident Dyushe Metelkin and the popular Tatar showman Dinar Zalyalov. It is thanks to these publications that Kazan learned about the wedding in the family of their mayor and the likely costs for it. Publications in instagram Kirkorov and Zagryadsky were not removed and are still available.

CONSUMPTION HISTORY # 6

Geotagging Medvedev
 
The most noisy revelation in Russian politics this year - the FBK's investigation of the residences and yachts that Dmitry Medvedev enjoys - was also possible thanks to Medvedev's instagram: from photos of houses and landscapes, and geotags to them, investigators figured out where the prime minister is resting. The profiles of builders who built a residence in the Moscow region also helped, and also noted their whereabouts.

After the scandal, Medvedev's spokeswoman Natalia Timakova told the Dozhd television channel that she does not own prime residences in Plyos, Krasnodar Krai and the Moscow region: "The named facilities, like other temporary accommodation facilities, are not owned by Dmitry Medvedev and are not used by him Members of his family on another legal basis. For example, rent ». And Medvedev himself removed the geotagging of his posts, FBK employee Georgy Alburov wrote on Twitter. "Medvedev in the instagram has erased all geo-tags and deleted the photo card (the third button on the left is now unavailable). A powerful response to the investigation, "Alburov wrote on March 20. However, this post was also removed.

As Georgy Alburov himself said "Novaya", he was not asked to delete the tweet, but he decided that "not everything is so straightforward": according to him, the tags could disappear because the instagram removed the search function for exact coordinates.

COMMENTS

Fear vanquishes vanity

Historian Vasily Zharkov, head of the department of political science at the Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences, considers modern Russian officials to be an "aggravated caricature" for the late Soviet nomenclature, which, however, lived much less luxuriously. "These are people who came from families with difficult childhood, and they decide on their enrichment," Zharkov said. "There is no control, neither social, nor state, nor party, so you can create anything."

Zharkov believes that wealthy and influential Russians, boasting of their luxurious lives, can then be frightened of their own boasting, because its consequences in the absence of working institutions and public standards are completely unpredictable.

"As a rule, luxury goods and events demonstrated by the elite are clearly dissonant with their wages, and in the last few years there have been several landmark landings, and in general fear within this social group is very strong. I admit that this fear is stronger now than he was among the party elite of late Soviet times.

He is irrational. This is the fear of anger, perhaps some action in the course of a subversive struggle, in which they can be an extreme victim. The authorities are really trying to set the attitude to modesty, but in the current context it is unlikely to have real success: the luxury of these people is too glaring.

The question is, what will win: greed, fear, vanity? Now there are all conditions for fear to win, and not only in this social stratum.