The entire nation is delighted as Russia have reached the knock-out stage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Everywhere, the topic of discussion is ‘football’. Majority of the Russians believe that the hosts will play tough football against Spain in their Round of 16 encounter on July 1. However, some people are not so happy (despite Russia’s fantastic performance) as they fail to find their favourite dogs in their locality. The bodies of several dogs have been found in Sochi. But…. why?
It’s like darkness under the light. The concerned authorities in Russia are culling dogs in order to make the country ‘safe’ for foreign football fans. According to various sources, thousands of dogs were killed in 11 Russian cities ahead of the World Cup as a part of ‘Cleansing of Biological Trash‘ programme.

Dogs sleep outside a metro station in Moscow

Currently, a huge number of foreigners are enjoying football in Russia and people across the country are in festive mood. In such a situation, the presence of so many dogs at public places has become a cause of annoyance for the foreign guests (read the local administration). So, the stray dogs were offered poisonous foods and the innocent animals died slowly without feeling any pain. The stray dogs vomited after consuming poisonous foods and then died, reported The Guardian. Later, their bodies were taken away.
Meanwhile, the local authorities claimed that the stray dogs were sent to the temporary shelters and they would be released after the World Cup. In a statement, the Russian government said that the main purpose of the programme was to ensure the safety of foreign nationals. Although the government admitted that there were approximately two million strays in 11 World Cup host cities, it rubbished the report that up to GBP 119 million was spent on catching, caging, sterilising and euthanising animals this year. However, a Russian animal lover said that no dog is seen in the street and it isn’t normal.

The foreign media also reported that the Russian government signed contracts with a private company for “regulating the number of stray dogs”. Soon after the company started implementing the “programme”, animal rights activists posted images of thousands of dead dogs in social media, thus, triggering uproar.
Ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Russian government was strongly criticised for exterminating homeless dogs in a co-ordinated campaign. Some Olympic athletes condemned the move, adopted Sochi dogs and took them back to their respective countries. What happened in Sochi four years ago repeated in all World Cup venues in 2018.
A senior FIFA official expressed serious concern over the media reports, saying: “FIFA and the local organisation committee cannot treat animals like this. We will investigate the case and take necessary steps to protect animals.”

President Putin with his dogs Yume & Buffy

Star players – like Lionel Messi, Mesut Ozil and Harry Kane – (and even Russian President Vladimir Putin) love dogs. They often post photos of them posing with their pets on the social media. Now, these players will have to come forward and do something for their beloved animal, as President Putin’s only concern is to ensure the safety of his guests.

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boundlessoceanofpolitics/

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/+KoushikDasboundless

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kousdas?s=09

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundless-ocean-of-politics

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das