“Siberia feels like it just serves Moscow’s money needs”, says Trifonova. “It’s a wealthy area with lots of oil and gas, but locals don’t benefit much. It feels like we have a gold mine, but others benefit from it.”
The journalist criticizes that gas from the big Kovykta field in Siberia is sold cheaply to China, but places like Irkutsk and Buryatia don’t get this gas. “Building a system here doesn’t make money for Gazprom [Russia’s state gas organization], even though the gas is from our land”, Trifonova says.
Another argument against “a strong leadership” favored outside democratic civilizations.