Union, twitches while she mentions the fall of communism, smiles while
she explains how we helped bring into play the present day experience in Russia, she never once, not even once has she mentioned the cruel results of this "accomplishment" of which she is so proud.
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/7023-14.cfmSt. Petersburg Times
January 17, 2003
Russian Life Expectancy on Downward Trend
By Irina Titova
STAFF WRITER
Just last month of weeks ago, unemployed engineer Nikolai Medvedyev, 52, buried his cousin Alexander, who died of a heart attack at the age of 59. The funeral was the second Medvedyev attended for a male relative this year as another cousin, only 45 years old, also died from heart disease in August.
Medvedyev's terrible year is an all-too-common story in Russia, where a variety of factors combine to create life-expectancy numbers well below Western levels, particularly for men.
According to the most recent data compiled by the State Statistics Committee, the average life expectancy for Russian men is less than 59 years - 58 years and 11 months - while that for Russian women is 72 years. The combined figure is 65 years and three months.
By comparison, the average life span for men in the United States is 73 years and for women 79 years. Male life expectancy in France and Germany is 74 years, while for women it is 82 and 80 years respectively.
Not only are the numbers for men bad, they are getting worse. Since 2000, the average life expectancy for Russian men has fallen by 15 days, while the number for women has increased by almost two months.