A Russian police major lost his job after recording two YouTube videos’ worth of complaints about low pay, long hours and being promoted for arresting an innocent man. In one of the clips, the major invites Vladimir Putin himself to buddy up and investigate the problem.

The Guardian says the disgruntled cop has become a sensation in Russia, where police corruption is reportedly commonplace. — PZS

The Guardian:

More than 400,000 people have visited Youtube and Dymovsky’s own website to watch his emotional video appeal. In it, Dymovsky, an officer with the narcotics squad in the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, describes how local police bosses forced him to work unpaid on Saturdays and Sundays – a gruelling timetable that, he said, prompted two former wives to walk out on him. He and his colleagues were paid 14,000 roubles (£300) a month, he complained, despite the demanding nature of their jobs.

Dymovsky also revealed how his boss told him to arrest someone whom he knew was innocent. Dymovsky agreed. In return he got promotion. “I’m sick and tired of it all. I want to resign,” he said, dubbing his senior officers “ignorant, reckless, boorish and dim-witted”.

Read more

Rock Solid Journalism

In 2026, amid chaos and the nonstop flurry of headlines, Truthdig remains independent, fact-based and focused on exposing what power tries to hide.

Support Independent Journalism.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG