Surkov Ridicules Government’s New Website

Vladislav Surkov file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimews.com – May 21, 2013) Former deputy prime minister Vladislav Surkov has ridiculed the English version of the government’s new official website presented by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday.

Surkov posted in his Twitter blog a screenshot of the new site’s introductory page with comments pointing to obvious grammatical errors as well as awkward translation into English.

“There is more stupidity on the second page of the Russian government’s new site than on the first … I will not check it any further. I am scared,” Surkov tweeted Monday.

In another sarcastic comment on the same subject Surkov wrote, “They found 50 billion [rubles] for the Winter Olympics in the subtropics, but they were too greedy to pay $50 for a translator for the Russian government’s site.”

Medvedev introduced the new site on Monday on the first anniversary of forming the new Cabinet, RBC reported.

He said in his video blog that the new site www.government.ru is more informative and interesting after the revamp.

Medvedev noted that the new site simplifies access to information and sets a new transparency standard for Russian authorities.

It is structured to provide information on government decisions and their fulfillment, the work of ministries and other government bodies as well as the work of the prime minister and his deputies.

The new government portal works on mobile devices and has an “intellectual search” function.

It has five new directories compared with the previous version.

The new site also allows users to send petitions and requests to the Cabinet and the prime minister, the report said.

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