Russia's Police: Western Cinema to the Rescue
Editorial, Moskovskii Komsomolez (in Russian) | August 23, 2010
Only rarely does Russia witness open discord within the ruling party, as it does now over the President’s decision to rename the despised Russian “miliz.” ++ Policemen are derogatively but popularly referred to as “menti.” ++ Medvedev wants the service called “the police” in the hope that, in the popular imagination, the word will be associated with the positive role the police play in Western films. ++ However, only ten percent of the population approve of the name change. ++ A change in substance, not in name, is needed to fight corruption.
