I don't know why this article made me laugh. It really is not funny. But Russians just shrugging off y2k because it can't bring any worse conditions just struck me funny. Seriously, it is why Russia must go to war.

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Russia might not even notice Y2K By Genine Babakian / Special for USA TODAY

MOSCOW -- A recent conversation with a Russian client sums up for Canadian businessman Ron Lewin why Russians appear nonchalant about the prospect of problems from the Year 2000 computer bug. "I was telling him about an American couple I know of who are convinced that Y2K will have catastrophic effects," says the president of TerraLink. His Moscow-based company provides technical consulting and Y2K-preparedness services. In preparation for the possible malfunction of computers on Jan. 1, 2000, the American couple bought a house in the wilderness and a water pump to ensure that they will have fresh water. They are stocking up on canned foods, batteries, candles and other necessities. "Oh, yeah," the Russian said. "We're going to the "dacha" (country house) for New Year's Eve, too." In Russia, food, water and energy shortages are endemic, and machinery and telecommunications breakdowns are regular events. To many here, the global frenzy to plan for a Y2K disaster looks like normal preparation for a weekend trip to the country - or just coping with everyday living conditions. As a result, even the Russians and foreign business people who have focused on the Y2K concern treat the news with a shrug. Y2K is just one more risk in a risky environment. The international rush to get ready has barely crossed Russia's borders into the national consciousness. President Boris Yeltsin issued his first "instruction" concerning the problem in June when he called on government agencies to make preventive and contingency planning a priority. But the various ministries have been left to their own devices. Alexander Manoshkin, an official at the Ministry of Communications who is in charge of coordinating the government's Y2K commission, says each agency must use its own limited funds to address its Y2K problems. The federal government will find additional money for the Security and Defense ministries, which oversee domestic and international security issues and the country's nuclear weapons. Those agencies have been targeted as safety priorities at home and abroad. Russian and foreign experts say the chances of missiles being set off by a Y2K glitch are small. But Russian and U.S. military officials are meeting regularly to discuss joint safety projects, Manoshkin says. Few experts predict doom for the nation of 150 million. While there is a greater chance systems will fail here, there also is far less technology, particularly digital technology. And Russia's enterprises and people are accustomed to dealing with problem scenarios. "The good news is that a lot of things don't work in Russia, and, therefore, Y2K will not be a catastrophe," says Lawrence Haw, director of international operations for System Integration Technologies, which helps companies plan for Y2K glitches. He adds that Russians are much more used to putting up with glitches in electricity, telecommunications, transportation and water systems - all of which are vulnerable to Y2K failures - than are Americans. In Russia, there is no need for an excuse as large as Y2K for water supply breaks, power outages or dead phone lines. People in several regions throughout the country have been living with heating and electricity shortages for years, usually because their local administrations can't pay the bills. "My phone went out last week, and this week my power was off for half a day," says Natalya Ryabova, a Moscow shop clerk who lives in the center of the capital. "Why should I worry about what might happen six months from now?" Russians, in this respect, are more psychologically prepared for the potential Y2K glitches than their Western counterparts. But Russia-based foreigners are scrambling to prepare for the worst. Many are buying generators and diesel fuel and stocking up on supplies. DHL, which delivers goods to 97 regions throughout the former Soviet Union, faces severe problems if Russian planes are grounded or airports are closed due to computer problems Jan. 1. "We will do our utmost to maintain our business in as many cities as well as we can," DHL's Anita Hayward says. She says the company is looking into buying a fleet of trucks and stocking up on diesel fuel. Other international companies are planning to ensure that most of their foreign personnel are out of the country by Jan. 1, Haw says. They don't want to be responsible for expatriates who may be stranded in Russia, he says. A report on global readiness for the Y2K problem issued last month by U.S. State Department Inspector General Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers warns that there are "unanswered questions with respect to (Russia's) telecommunications sector." She also says the United States is offering assistance, particularly in preparing Russia's nuclear power sector, the source of much of the country's electricity. Even having a contingency plan is no guarantee against disaster, Haw says. The Philip Morris Cos. is one example of how international corporations are at the mercy of Russia's infrastructure, he says. "Their logic was that if they get a second telecommunications provider, they will be covered if their phone system goes down," Haw says. "But then they found out that the second provider uses the same network as the first." Then there's the Moscow warehouse that advertised that it's Y2K-ready. Haw went to check out the warehouse for a pharmaceuticals client seeking to import medicines that need refrigeration. The owners hadn't purchased backup generators to keep the refrigeration operating in the event of a blackout in January. "I asked them, 'What happens if the electricity goes out?' " Haw says, chuckling as he remembers their reply. "No problem," they said, noting the frigid local weather conditions in January. "We'll just open the doors."

-- BB (peace2u@bellatlantic.net), August 07, 1999

Answers

A lack of funds for tackling Y2K could cost the country dear, but then funds are in pretty short supply in Russia

The door slammed shut behind me with a sickening thud. I knew I was in trouble. Earlier, I had heard him talking with his muscle-bound colleagues and so I knew his name to be Ivan.

He pointed at the hard bench and made internationally understood gestures that I should undress.

He roughly pulled one arm behind my back and began his work . . . this all seemed so different from earlier in the day.

So how on earth did I end up in the semi-darkness with Ivan and his flexing biceps?

Galina had warned me about many things. She was my guide and interpreter (very essential) for the whirlwind tour of the stunning city of St Petersburg.

At one point, I described the waterfront as the most beautiful I had ever seen, with the Tsar's Winter Palace and the Church of the Spilled Blood shining in the background.

She certainly knew her way around every nook and cranny. My imagination was on full throttle, fuelled by the vodka, caviar, and blinis. Galina, a former celebrity ice skater, spoke very smooth, but accented English and had been employed during the visits of ex- President Carter and, more recently, Al Gore.

As we turned the next corner she pointed out a stark monument - "That's the local headquarters of KGB - it was called the Big House". It seemed huge to me and very very scary. "Da, they used to say that it is so big that people can sometimes see Siberia from the windows".

I thought about this for a moment - Siberia is thousands of miles from St Petersburg. And slowly it dawned on me. Aha.

This is the largest country in the world. The buildings are truly magnificent, but totally run down, the gold leaf fluttering in the winds of change. The buses are held together by luck where the rust hasn't quite eaten through. The trams run on tracks which undulate across the fractured tarmac. The shops are full of imported trivia, but low on staple items. And all this in one of the wealthiest parts of Russia.

When last week it was revealed that Russia had so far spent only $80m (#48m) on Y2K, some of us were dismayed. Now, having visited, I am amazed that they managed to find even that much.

True, they have fewer PCs per head that we in the West, but their society does require the processing of massive amounts of data which can only be done by computer.

And what of Ivan? Did I get out unscathed? How much pain did he inflict on me? Well I have to say only a little.

Having spent the whole day bouncing around the broken streets in the back of a Lada, he was just what I needed. I can heartily recommend a Russian massage to anyone. Pity he spoke no English though - except for one very apt word.

As he towelled off the fragrant oil he looked me in the eye. "Finished," he said.

Yes, I thought, tragically it is.

-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), August 07, 1999.

The Russians are ready for a change.

Can you say "Lebed"?

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), August 07, 1999.