Russian Vice Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin criticized the popular…
Russian Vice Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin criticized the popular saying 'In Russia, there are two problems: fools and roads,' calling it unjust, unpatriotic, and inaccurate, emphasizing that Russia ranks among global leaders in education and intelligence levels.
Consensus
- Marat Khusnullin stated that the expression 'In Russia, there are two problems: fools and roads' is unjust and unfair.
- Khusnullin claimed he disagrees with the idea that the Russian people are foolish.
- Khusnullin said Russia is among global leaders in the number of educated people and intelligence level.
- Khusnullin described the expression as unpatriotic.
- The expression originated from a 1987 monologue by satirist Mikhail Zadornov titled 'Country of Heroes.'
Points of divergence
- In late 2025, words like 'anxiety,' 'contractor,' and 'cringe' led in the 'Nationwide Word' category of the 'Word of the Year' project. — vm
- Leading Russian universities reported a rise in the number of Olympiad winners among budget students, prompting calls for reforming intellectual competitions. — vedomosti
- Khusnullin did not comment on the second of the 'two problems'—roads. — kommerasant
Coverage (5 sources)
- Idiots and roads: Khusnulgin spoke about two Russian woes — Фонтанка
- Khusnullin considers the aphorism about fools and roads unpatriotic — Ведомости
- Khusnutdinov called the expression about two Russian woes unfair — Вечерняя Москва
- Khusnullin called the saying about fools and roads unpatriotic — Коммерсантъ
- Expression 'In Russia there are two evils: fools and roads' is unjustified, says Marat Khusnutdinov in TASS interview. He emphasized, that... — ТАСС (Telegram)