Report by Andrey Kolesnikov about Vladimir Putin’s meeting with students in Kaliningrad

On January 25, the Day of Russian Students, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the westernmost regional center of Russia, Kaliningrad, and met with students, to whom he explained, says a special correspondent for Kommersant. Andrey Kolesnikov, how much does a person need to be happy?

Students were sent to a meeting with the president from various Kaliningrad universities. For example, I noticed two students wearing uniforms that didn’t seem to be military, with “BGA RF” stripes. RF, I thought, that’s understandable, but what is BGA? It turned out, on the contrary: the BGA is more understandable than the RF, since the BGA is the Baltic State Academy, and the RF is in fact not what we all thought until now, that is, a “fishing fleet”. These students intended to ask questions worth, according to my calculations, about fifty billion, and not necessarily rubles.

Also in the hall, attention was drawn to a woman (in the strict sense of the word) and two busts of men, or rather elders. Green paint was applied to the woman’s eyes in the form of a bandage, from which one could conclude that perhaps this is Themis, whose eyes should, as we know, be blindfolded for the sake of objectivity. But why did the elders also have bandages: one was either pink or orange, the other red?

– This is the design. Neoclassicism,” a student at the Higher School of Education and Psychology of the Baltic Federal University (BFU) eagerly explained to me.

“Arthouse,” nodded another, a student at the Higher School of Physical Education and Sports.

“Rose-colored glasses on our eyes,” stated presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

“This is about the fact that Immanuel Kant also wore glasses,” explained an employee of the Baltic University.

Before Mr. Putin appeared, presidential aide Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and other officials entered the hall.

Vladimir Putin congratulated the meeting participants on the Day of Russian Students.

“We all remember that we once studied at the university, at the institute, and, of course, these were such unforgettable years,” the president said.

However, to be fair, not everyone studied and not everyone remembers.

“I myself am from a working-class family,” added Vladimir Putin, “both my mother and father are working people, but they tried at all costs to create conditions for me to receive a higher education,” the president explained. “Higher education creates certain advantages… By the way, in terms of salary too. Yes, yes, that’s a fact! There is such a bonus, it is considered a bonus for education: if a person has a higher education, then the employer immediately raises the bar.

I wonder if anyone has actually encountered something like this.

“But,” Mr. Putin made a reservation, “let’s say. For a KrAZ driver in some jobs where such large equipment is used, the salary starts from 200–300 thousand (from 200 thousand or is it still from 300 thousand? – A.K.). Decent for today’s time.

But I readily believe in this.

— The question is for a person to feel that he is doing what he loves and achieving results. This is the most important thing, you know? – Mr. Putin explained to the students. “If a person does what he loves and is successful in this matter, he is happy!”

And you can’t even argue, except for the fact that sometimes even this for a person’s happiness is for some reason negligible. Oksana Varzanova, a student at the Kaliningrad State Technical University and chairman of the student sports club “Amber Knight,” interested Vladimir Putin not only with the idea that all students of Kaliningrad universities should be allowed onto the campus of the Baltic University, which will soon be built.

— What sports do you do? – Vladimir Putin asked the student, since it was obvious that she was involved in one of the sports.

“I do cheerleading,” the girl answered honestly.

– How? – the president did not understand.

“Support group,” the girl shrugged.

– This is also a sport, right? — the president seemed perplexed.

“Yes,” the girl insisted.

—Who do you support?

— We support our athletes at any competition. We come, support them with pom-poms, cheer for them…

With pom-poms!.. We must pay tribute to the girl: she held on to the last and with the dignity of a true cheerleader.

Rushikesh Makone, a medical student at the IKBFU from India, very much asked to expand cooperation between Russia and India and listened to a whole lecture about India – “a great culture with a population of one and a half billion, which pursues an independent foreign policy, which is not easy in the modern world”…

In its turn,

“Russia is one of the few countries in the world,” Mr. Putin noted, “where Indian films are broadcast on a regular basis on national television channels. I don’t know any other countries like this! That is, we have a lot in common!

When asked how he felt about Immanuel Kant’s phrase “have the courage to use your mind,” Vladimir Putin seemed carried away:

— Immanuel Kant believed that he could logically prove the existence of God. These are complex things that he wrote about, in time, in space, but they are very interesting, and it makes sense to read and delve into what he said, what he wrote, and what he thought about (and this is the hardest thing.— A.K.). So sometimes you fly away somewhere…” Vladimir Putin unexpectedly admitted. “Your rector (Alexander Fedorov.— A.K.), he is also a philosopher, Doctor of Philosophy. At the same time, philosophers say that philosophy is not a science. Doctor of what sciences is unclear…

Vladimir Putin now seemed to be looking at the rector with bewilderment. When looking at him, it really was not clear what kind of doctor of sciences this man could be. (At best, a candidate.)

“Maybe not science…” the president shrugged. “Just a doctor of philosophy…”

It seemed that Vladimir Putin had flown away somewhere.

Dmitry Kosolapov, a student at a technical university, asked to support the construction of a pier for the legendary sailing ships “Kruzenshtern” and “Sedov” in the city of Svetly.

“They need to be used, and not stand where no one can see them…” Mr. Putin agreed. “It’s a good thing, it will cost a lot… Because it’s not only necessary to build a wall, it’s necessary to build the adjacent infrastructure…”

The question really seemed to be quite expensive.

After the meeting, the students were understandably filled with feverish joy. I asked one of them, Rushikesh Makone, if everything was fine with him now, after his meeting with Vladimir Putin.

– Everything is very good! – he assured.

– Are you sure? What exactly? – I still asked. – Why?

– Because I understood everything! — the Indian student beamed.

Still, a person really doesn’t need much to be happy.

Andrey Kolesnikov, Kaliningrad