Putin’s vision of a Eurasian Union stretching from the Polish frontier to Pacific shores would group together former Soviet states and cement an alternative economic system. Konstantin Leontyev, who was critical of Western consumer society in the late 19th century, also figures, dovetailing with the thinking of a new generation of leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church.įor an answer, Putin has turned to Soviet-era historian Lev Gumilev who contended that Russia was not a European state but a Eurasian one, uniting two continents. He has peppered his speeches with references to political philosophers such as Ivan Ilyin who, in the early 20th century, blamed a lack of national pride for allowing the tragedy of the Bolshevik revolution. Last year, he went further, calling for a new and fierce patriotism to save Russia from Western ideology which, he said, was “denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual”.ĭrawing on at least three schools of thought and contemporary Orthodox beliefs, the former KGB spy has buttressed his ideas with the work of Russian thinkers from the 19th and 20th centuries - a period characterised by debate about Russia’s identity. In 2005, he lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union and urged Russia to take its own path. Living through the chaos of the 1990s after returning home from his KGB post in eastern Germany, Putin blamed the West for all but destroying post-Soviet society. This has become an even greater priority in his third term as president. I cannot say that this is a route of development that offers a brighter future, but it is not the dead-end that Western liberalism faces.” BEFORE, AFTER CRIMEAĪ review of Putin’s public comments since he came to power in 2000 shows a consistent emphasis on restoring Russia’s pride and its place as a geopolitical power. People have a choice - on the one hand they see the West, where there is individualism taken to the extreme, tolerance to the extreme, gay parades, the lack of a traditional family,” Makarenko said. “Russia has an ideology of traditional conservatism. He says the site runs on contributions from readers and articles are written for free. The danger of instability is a continual refrain. “If we fail to win the information war then it will be easy for the Americans to get people on to the streets,” he said, reflecting mistrust, fanned by Putin, of the West. Makarenko, a prominent blogger in Russia under the name Fritz Morgen, said his website and others like it were needed after the collapse of the Soviet Union enabled America “to swallow countries up like they were nuts, one after the other”. All good background information to equip “Russian patriots” with reliable arguments. Offering notes on subjects ranging from Crimea and New Russia to liberal myths and sexuality, Ruxpert says it provides “the truth about Russia - without dirty, enemy propaganda and without embellishments”. But his website fits in to a seemingly well-organised Russian media campaign that has blamed the West for the protests that drove Viktor Yanukovich from power in neighbouring Ukraine. Makarenko denies receiving money or support from political groups. His website, designed to be a “Patriot’s handbook”, has mirrored and presaged Putin’s thinking. His website Ruxpert (may not command the viewer numbers of Wikipedia which inspired it, but inside Russia it holds a prominent position in what Makarenko calls an information war with the West.Īs Vladimir Putin has embraced an increasingly nationalist ideology in his third term as president, evidenced by his seizing of Crimea from Ukraine, Makarenko’s anti-Western ideas have become mainstream. T-shirts, displaying images of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, are on sale at a canteen during the event titled the "Innovations Day" organized by Russia's Western military command at Levashovo airbase outside St.
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