Such a statement was made by Grigory Yavlinsky, founder of the YABLOKO party and leader of the YABLOKO faction in the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly, during an open lesson on social studies for senior students in St.Petersburg School No 526 on November 13, 2012.

According to Yavlinsky, health care and education are the most fundamental sectors for the future of Russia. He criticised the policies of the present Russian government, «Recently Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the expenditures on education in the coming years will be the same as expenditure on the defence. First, this is not quite true, consolidated defence expenditures are considerably higher. Second, these things can not be compared. Indeed, the security of the country virtually bases on the high quality of education.»

Yavlinsky also noted, that the task of responsible politicians should be to defend citizens’ right to decent and high quality education and health care.

«I think that education should be free and compulsory in today’s society and in such a country as Russia. Russia has every reason to be such a country, but unfortunately, once again, the priorities have been very much distorted today.»