President Vladimir Putin's standoff with the West has turned Russia into a corporate state in defensive mode, where dissent is tantamount to treachery. This makes the rebellion of a lone bureaucrat in the Economics Ministry all the more impressive.
Thanks to Western financial sanctions and the cost of integrating Crimea, the Russian government has lately been looking for ways to plug holes in its budget. The part of Russians' 2014 pension contributions that was meant for private pension funds, for example, was confiscated and spent on Crimea. Now, the government has taken steps to channel the 2015 contributions — about $25 billion in all — toward current needs.
Deputy Economics Minister Sergei Belyakov fought the move, arguing that it would undermine faith in Russia's pension system, discourage investment and slow down economic growth. He lost, because Putin is more interested in ensuring his political survival and Russia's insulation against a hostile West.