Moscow
Faced with a revolt by the elderly over benefits cuts, President Vladimir Putin this week promised to raise pensions—a little bit. Thousands of old people across Russia have been blocking roads and banging spoons on pans, in protest of the abolition of their right to free transportation and free medicine. They claim the $10 monthly stipend they’re getting instead isn’t nearly enough to make up for the loss. Putin admitted his government and local governments had failed “to ensure that we do not make things worse for the people most in need of the state’s help.” He promised the monthly pension would go up another $7, to an average total of $80.
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