Russians spent on preparing for the "end of the world" about 30 billion roubles, experts counted FBK. First of all people bought salt, sugar, candles, buckwheat and canned meat. Some were bought tickets abroad at one end. A particularly wealthy Russians were spending up to 200 million roubles for the right to survive the Apocalypse in their own bunker.


"End of the world" had quite a specific economic price is about 30 billion rubles. This is the amount assessed preparation of Russians analysts audit and consulting company FBK, analyzing the forecast data on retail trade turnover, the volume and structure of paid services in December 2012, as well as data of public opinion polls on the number of preparing for the "end of the world".

"End of the world had quite a specific economic price is about 30 billion roubles"

According to VTSIOM, 3% of Russians are actively preparing for the "end of the world", stocking up on food and basic necessities. According to the Levada Center, as much as 14% of Russians considered the "end of the world" is possible.

"In November 2012, the retail trade turnover in fact was 1892,7 billion. The experience of recent years, the December turnover exceeds on November 19-20%, so expect to about 2.3 trillion rubles", - said the Director of the strategic analysis Department at FBK Igor Nikolaev. On this basis, 3% of Russians are actively preparing for the Apocalypse, just spend on the purchase of goods in December 2012, about 69 billion. Estimating the cost of "doomsday" in their spending 25%, we find that it 17.3 billion rubles, explains Nikolaev.

A similar calculation for the market of services (tourism, transport, communications, culture, and so on) gives a figure of about 4 billion rubles. The need to take into account expenditures on medicines, products for body care and cosmetics, bunkers, restaurants, etc. makes to add another 2-3 billion.

Thus, the amount of costs based on forecast data as of December 2012, will be about 23-24 billion, indicates the economist. However, this figure, according to Nikolayev, you need to adjust upwards considering the fact that preparing for the "end of the world" citizens shopped long before the end of December. Thus, the increased demand for certain goods is observed in some regions in September-November 2012.

"Thus, the total cost of the Russians at the end of the world" can be estimated maximum 30 billion roubles", - concludes the representative of FBK.

However, substantial assistance to the country's economy is not given. "At the same time was observed constraining motives in the consumer mood of the Russians, saying, why spend money if tomorrow the world ends". This means that the economy from the point of view of specific enhance consumer demand beneficial influence of the "end of the world" is practically not felt" - sums up Nikolaev.

Excessive demand for products and services in connection with the Apocalypse will not even cover the losses of Russia from the new year holidays, which previously was estimated at 600-700 billion rubles or 1.5% of GDP.

To prepare for the "end of the world" the Russians have been buying commodities (candles, salt, sugar, buckwheat, packaging of dry alcohol, canned meat etc.,) and medicines, including drugs for cardiovascular system. The Russians also buy tickets one way, including in Mexico, travel vouchers in order to get away from Russia.

Some have increased their spending on hairdressing and beauty services, including the means for skin care, services baths, showers and saunas, training courses for the "end of the world", communication services, cafes and restaurants. Till 21 December it would spend those who adhere to a proverb "to die, with the music", and after the Russians were celebrating that we were lucky. Particularly rich spared no money for the construction of shelters and rental places in bunkers.

Place of salvation

In Europe and Mexico tourist industry has tried in full to take advantage of panic moods of people and make a profit. In Europe was declared the main place of salvation from the "end of the world" is a village Byugarash in the French Carcassonne, which is located at the foot of the mountain. on December 21 Friday it expected the landing of an alien spaceship that could take away and to save people. In the end of this place were overcrowded. According to the search engine Skyscanner, a week before the end of the world the number of requests to the South of France increased by 41%. And from Russia requests increased by 45%. In addition, increased the number of bookings of air tickets in one direction only.

Increased flow of tourists and in the Turkish Sirince in the area of Izmir, which for some strange reason the international research Blue Energy Group also announced a safe place. The same Skyscanner noted a 30 per cent increase in bookings to Turkey with visits to 21 December 2012.

However, the press Secretary of the PCT Irina Tyurina said the newspaper LOOK that Skyscanner does not absolute numbers. "It is a strange figure, maybe earlier in the village of Bugarash came two tourists, and now four, that's a growth of 50%," says Tyurin.

Some hurried to survive the "end of the world" in Mexico and Guatemala, where there are historical monuments of the tribe Maya. Mexican authorities even spent about 8 million dollars in the hope that they come into the country for more than 52 million tourists.

However, Russian tourists and tour operators remained quite indifferent to the apocalyptic moods, said Irina Tyurina, referring to a survey of tour operators.

"Russian tour operators indicate that the tourists did not even have questions about end of the world or special events on this event, or about the French village of Bugarash, or about saving place in Turkey. Any excitement in the market of organized tourism among Russians were observed. In Latin America of the Russian tourists in December as actively as a year ago," says the newspaper LOOK Turin. It turns out that the tour operators have missed the chance to earn extra income on the "end of the world".

But very enterprising Russians earned on the mass psychosis in Russia itself. Only in Moscow and Moscow region people dug or updated 1.5 million bunkers, including on the ruble to survive in them "doomsday", told the newspaper the SIGHT of the head of the organization Diversas" Vadim Mikhailov. For example, in the area of metro station "Taganskaya" is the famous "Bunker-42", which houses the Museum of the cold war.

Moreover, this situation is characteristic of the whole Central Russia. However, exactly estimate now of all bins in the Central region, according to him, it is very difficult. There can be several times more than in the same Moscow region, said Mikhailov.

"This former cellars, which were reconstructed in silos and warehouses, and hopper, left over from the cold war, which are inherited or were bought by rich people, and, finally, new built a bunker," said Mikhailov the newspaper VIEW. Estimated Mikhailov, on the restructuring of the finished middle of the bunker, which remained from the past, may additionally require 20-30 million. "May require the bulk of the work, the greater the depth of the bin or introduction there additional sanitary facilities and other modern facilities," - said the interlocutor. The cost of construction of the bunker from scratch, he said, could reach up to 120-200 million rubles.

However, even on the Moscow region is difficult to determine how many bunkers were built from scratch, and how many were bought up and rebuilt. Assuming that the average cost of one tank was 100 million roubles, the preparation to the end of the world 1.5 million bunkers only in the Moscow region could cost 1,5 billion rubles.

However, in the truth of the allegations concerning mass construction and reconstruction of underground facilities in the Moscow region believe still quite difficult. Even if each bunker occupies an area of no more than 10 square meters, this means that was produced 15 million square meters of underground structures. This figure is comparable to the average annual volume of housing construction in Moscow.
Photo: RIA "news"
Text: Olga Samofalova