Solidarity Vlad, Don't you want to haggle?

In a recent interview, former Russian Deputy Energy Minister Vladimir Milov, head of Russia's "Solidarity" opposition movement, has claimed that Gazprom is not acting in Russia's best interests. Although he makes a strong point about the variation in prices which Gazprom charges to various countries, Mr. Milov ends a bit weakly when he says that prices should be raised just not as much as Gazprom had first suggested. Having been to Russia myself, I would have thought a homegrown Russian would understand even more clearly the role of haggling.

However, we've got to admire the audacity or perhaps blatant stupidity of giving such an interview at such a time. As we all know, to criticize Gazprom is to criticize the current government, because they can practically hold simultaneous meetings of the Presidential Administration's key people and Gazprom's board of directors (hey, maybe they do?). In view of that fact, criticizing the government which is reportedly already on edge and is seeking to reign in that kind of talk (evidenced by its redefinition of treason and elimination of the jury trial in those cases) is just ....

Edit- Perhaps my Monty Python reference was a bit unclear in the last picture, for any who don't recognize it, it's Life of Brian