State Duma deputy Anatoly Wasserman was spotted by Telegram channel Shot playing a game on a tablet while seated in the lower chamber of parliament. Wasserman confirmed to socialbites.ca that he played before the session began. He said he enjoys the game because it requires little mental effort, and he does not spend much time on it.
He explained that the activity occurred prior to the meeting. The game in question is Bubble Ball, available on Google Play. The deputy noted that its appeal lies in its simplicity: a quick pastime before official duties start, with no heavy concentration required. He emphasized that the recordings are personal and automatic corrections occur, so the comparison is not with other players but with one’s own results. For Wasserman, this genre suits short breaks between responsibilities. It harks back to his early interests when, around the turn of the millennium, he pursued serious games and enjoyed a streak of wins in large, complex titles. That phase, however, has long since ended, he added, reflecting on how tastes and time change over the years.
Meanwhile, on the political front, Wasserman floated a proposal on the eve of a parliamentary week calling for citizens to report cash holdings exceeding one million rubles for tax purposes. He attributed his idea to a case from eleven years earlier, when during searches with Ksenia Sobchak he discovered 1.5 million euros near a particular residence. He argued that the plan could help curb the informal economy by increasing transparency and encouraging income reporting, thereby strengthening fiscal discipline.
In response, the Russian Ministry of Finance stated that it does not support the proposal. Officials argued that the measure would not align with current fiscal and economic policy and would not reflect the interests of citizens who have the right to decide how to manage their savings. This exchange underscores ongoing tensions between calls for stronger tax reporting and the government’s approach to taxation policy, a debate that continues to unfold in the public discourse. [Citation: governmental briefings]