Putin's aggression in Ukraine has wide popular support here in Russia. The president plays on an old Soviet fear that most Russians do not see that there are better solutions than military power.
(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
COMMENT
MOSCOW, RUSSIA. Much of the Western press coverage of Russia's actions in Ukraine, and the sharp tone towards the West, have been about our President Vladimir Putin.
In bold headlines, the question has been asked about "what is going on in Putin's head," and he has been portrayed as either a new imperialist, a revolutionary fascist, or a person with a vengeance and a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons and invincible military force.
But what is happening in today's Russia is not just about Putin – it is about the Russians as well. The responsibility for what Russia has done in Ukraine must be placed as much on the people of Russia as on the leaders.
Recent measurements from the Russian Gallup Office VCIOM show that 75,5 percent of the Russian population supports Putin's actions in Ukraine. This must be seen in light of the huge propaganda campaign launched by prostatic Russian media, which tells stories of how Russian-speaking Crimean residents have been "rescued" from oppressive and threatening Ukrainian nationalists.
Nevertheless, popular support runs deep. Putin has succeeded in finding mechanisms in the old Soviet way of thinking and manipulating people's consciousness to ensure their legitimacy as leaders – not in the sense of the law, but in the thoughts of the Russian people. A majority of Russians were behind the Duma's unanimous mandate to use force in Ukraine.
identity problem. It's no coincidence that Putin's popularity has peaked in 2014, just as it did during the Georgia war in August 2008. Even after being in existence for 23 years, the Russian state has not gained a new identity, and it still has a Soviet nature.
The former satellite states have cut off their old ties with the Soviet empire, but Russia is still the sole heir of the Soviet Union in the eyes of the world. A new Russian state with a new national identity has never been formed – instead, Russia appears to be the core of the old Soviet Union, with amputated limbs and phantom pain in which the former Soviet states were cut off.
Open borders and freedom of movement, which in the West have been signs of transformation and openness, have had a different effect on the internal democratization processes in Russia.
For most Russians, there are no alternatives to Putin. He reflects and resonates with a militaristic logic that the majority can recognize: Power use is the most effective means of being noticed and respected. It is completely wrong to compare Putin with Hitler or Stalin. Nevertheless, there are some parallels: communication with a population that has been militarized and which readily accepts the use of military force.
In December 2013, Putin had one of his lowest opinion polls ever. After the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, opinion polls have skyrocketed, and they are now at their highest in five years – with the support of people who have never had sympathy for him before.
Soviet beast. Former presidents Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin both became unpopular in Russia as they tried to liberate Russia from its Soviet identity and the phantom pain of the past. Putin has exploited the insecurity of the Russian people to win support and sympathy.
The difficulty of such a public retreat is the fear of losing this support and sympathy. In the 15 years that have passed while Putin has both formally and informally ruled Russia, his only opportunity to retain support has been the continuous feeding of "the Soviet beast". He has been able to do this by demolishing civil society, which gained ground under Gorbachev and Yeltsin, and deployed the use of force and military force as the most important guiding principles. Legal security is not respected. The only way Putin can continue as the nation's leader is to continue feeding the Beast.
Now that Russia is creating its history in the shadow of its Soviet past, it is the people who will be responsible for the country's future. The West's reaction to Putin's actions in Ukraine should go further than just hitting Putin's lackeys.
Prison Mentality. The West must give the Russian people reason to question Putin's urge to "protect" and show them that he does not bring any dignity to the country or the people.
If there is to be an opportunity to prevent future Russian aggression, the international community must give the people of Russia responsibility for supporting Putin's actions and imposing broad economic sanctions.
For in a prison mentality, where power is more important than justice, it is only when the "protector" is severely punished that the others, and perhaps even the innocent, understand what is going on.
Translated from English by Kristian Krohg-Sørensen.
Elena Milashina is an award-winning journalist and commentator for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. She was a colleague of Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot and killed on October 7, 2006. In recent years, Milashina has written regularly and exclusively for Ny Tid.
Published in Ny Tid 11 April 2014
