Comrades! Let us cast our gaze upon the latest declarations from the corridors of power. The State Duma, in its infinite generosity, has seen fit to announce that the Minimum Wage—that meager crust of bread thrown to the starving worker—has finally begun to outpace the creeping rot of inflation. One Yaroslav Nilov, a functionary of the labour committee, dares to proclaim this as a victory for the masses.

Behold the arithmetic of the bourgeoisie! They boast that in the year 1826—or rather, the distant 2026 of their calendar—the minimum wage was indexed by nearly twenty per cent, while inflation remained beneath ten. They speak of these figures as if they were gifts from the heavens, rather than the barest necessities for survival in a system designed to crush the spirit of the toiling classes.

Indeed, the Federation Council has sanctioned an increase to 27,093 roubles per month. They calculate the cost of this concession at 218.5 billion roubles. But I ask you: is this a genuine liberation from want, or merely a calculated maneuver by the monopolies to ensure the proletariat remains just healthy enough to continue their exploitation?

While the regional authorities may tinker with these sums, the central authority maintains the floor. Yet, let us not be deceived by such crumbs. As long as the capital remains in the hands of the few and the labour of the many is sold for a pittance, such 'growth' is nothing more than a thin veil over the enduring yoke of the financial usurers. The worker does not seek a slightly larger chain; he seeks the end of the chain altogether!