soup time

There is some kind of soup kitchen near the station (provided I presume by a charity) which is, as you can see, well-attended. There have been various - mainly desultory - references to problems with poverty, both as part of the national elections and from the new mayor of Moscow as he settles in. In fact, the Moscow News recently reported a city Poverty Plan. To quote the report (by Nathan Toohey), Vladimir Petrosyan, head of Moscow's Social Welfare Department, said: 

that a “social contract” had been agreed with 26 Moscow families, while a further 84 families were prepared to take part in the program. The contract lasts six-month with the authorities obliged to provide work, place any children in day care and even “send grandmothers to a sanatorium, for example.”

So that should sort it. (Although I should add that things only seem a little better in Moscow, Idaho. I kept getting articles on poverty from the Moscow-Pullman Daily News when I was doing that Googling thing.)

everyday scenes 1

I don't write much about poverty, homelessness and drunkenness on this blog. Living near a major railway station (linking to the south east of the country and Ukraine, so an entry point for many economic migrants) the size of the problem is just far too obvious; particularly at this time of year when it is still warm enough to sleep out. So, I end up doing the same as everyone else, just ignoring these people.

Had one very drunken and dissolute character knocking about in our apartment corridor for several hours last night; down to his underpants and banging on all the doors, roaring about something. Just lucky (and relieved) that he still had his pants on.

grubby

Don't know if it is because I am grumpy with a cold, or because as the snow melts accumulated detritus - buried for several months - is now exposed, but the air smelt oil-stained today and I was reminded of just how polluted this city is. The local railway station too, which is a natural haunt for the homeless, the poor and stray dogs,  seemed grimmer than usual.

But maybe its just me feeling stupid. I have been wondering for ages what these old women do all day, standing aimlessly around with their trolley bags in the cold. Except that they occasionally rummage for, and then hand over, plastic bottles full of a clear liquid.

.... and more

This woman begging was on the same corner as me. The smart looking women beyond her are not in the photograph to signify the huge divide between rich and poor in post-Soviet Russia. Well, they might be, but mainly they are searching in their bags to find some change to give this woman; walking past her and then, when they have found their money, returning.

goat in a coat

There are a lot of homeless and drunks in Moscow, mainly around train stations. There are also quite a lot of beggars, these usually ex-soldiers (or at least people in camouflage uniforms) with missing limbs or elderly ladies on their knees with icons. This man was the first I have seen begging with a goat.