The Soviet Union was a bureaucratic nightmare.
Even the smallest task involved piles of paperwork and forms to fill out.
In modern-day Russia that is still the case if you want to get clothes dry cleaned.
Moscow-based Guardian correspondent Miriam Elder wrote about the mountain of paperwork it took to get five sweaters dry cleaned.
“The woman behind the counter takes a huge stack of papers,” said Elder in an interview with Marco Werman. “She starts examining your clothes with the diligence of a doctor devoted to internal medicine.”
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!