[this analysis was written for the Unz Review]
For those of us who followed the Russian Internet there is a highly visible phenomenon taking place which is quite startling: there are a lot of anti-Putin videos posted on YouTube or its Russian equivalents. Not only that, but a flurry of channels has recently appeared which seem to have made bashing Putin or Mishustin their full-time job. Of course, there have always been anti-Putin and anti-Medvedev videos in the past, but what makes this new wave so different from the old one is that they attack Putin and Mishustin not from pro-Western positions, but from putatively Russian patriotic positions. Even the supposed (not true) “personal advisor” to Putin and national-Bolshevik (true), Alexander Dugin has joined that movement (see here if you understand Russian).
This is a new, interesting and complex phenomenon, and I will try to unpack it here.
First, we have to remember that Putin was extremely successful at destroying the pro-Western opposition which, while shown on a daily basis on Russian TV, represents something in the 3-5% of the people at most. You might ask why they are so frequent on TV, and the reason is simple: the more they talk, the more they are hated.
[Sidebar: so far from silencing the opposition, the Kremlin not only gives it air time, it even pays opposition figures top dollars to participate in the most popular talk shows. See here and here for more details.]
Truly, the reputation of the pro-Western “liberal” (in the Russian sense) opposition is now roadkill in Russia. Yes, there is a core of russophobic Russians who hate Russia with a passion (they refer to it as “Rashka”) and their hatred for everything Russian is so obvious that they are universally despised all over the country (the one big exception being Moscow where there is a much stronger “liberal” opposition which gets the support of all those who had a great time pillaging Russia in the 1990s and who now hate Putin for putting an end to their malfeasance).
As for the Duma opposition, it is an opposition only in name. They make noises, they bitch here and there, they condemn this or that, but at the end of the day, they will not represent a credible opposition at all.
Why?
Well, look at this screenshot I took from a Russian polling site:
The chart is in Russian, but it is also extremely simple to understand. On the Y axis, you see the percentage of people who “totally trust” and “mostly trust” the six politicians, in order: Putin, Mishustin, Zhirinovskii, Ziuganov, Mironov and Medvedev. The the X axis you see the time frame going from July 2019 to April 2020.
The only thing which really matters is this: in spite all the objective and subjective problems of Russia, in spite of a widely unpopular pension reform, in spite of all the western sanctions and in spite of the pandemic, Putin still sits alone in a rock-solid position: he has the overwhelming support of the Russian people. This single cause pretty much explains everything else I will be talking about today.
As most of you probably remember, there were already several waves of anti-Putin PSYOPS in the past, but they all failed for very simple reasons:
- Most Russians remember the horrors of the 1990s when the pro-Western “liberals” were in power.
- Second, the Russian people could observe how the West put bona fide rabidly russophobic Nazis in power in Kiev. The liberals expressed a great deal of sympathy for the Ukronazi regime. Few Russians doubt that if the pro-western “liberals” got to power, they would turn Russia into something very similar to today’s Ukraine.
- Next, the Russians could follow, day after day, how the Ukraine imploded, went through a bloody civil war, underwent a almost total de-industrialization and ended up with a real buffoon as President (Zelenskii just appointed, I kid you not, Saakashvili as Vice Prime Minister of the Ukraine, that is all you need to know to get the full measure of what kind of clueless imbecile Zelenskii is!). Not only do the liberals blame Russia for what happened to this poor country, they openly support Zelenskii.
- Most (all?) of the pro-western “NGO” (I put that in quotation marks, because these putatively non-governmental organization were entirely financed by western governments, mostly US and UK) were legally forced to reveal their sources of financing and most of them got listed as “foreign agents”. Others were simply kicked out of Russia. Thus, it became impossible for the AngloZionists to trigger what appeared to be “mass protests” under these condition.
- There is a solid “anti-Maidan” movement in Russia (including in Moscow!) which is ready to “pounce” (politically) in case of any Maidan-like movement in Russia. I strongly suspect that the FSB has a warm if unofficial collaboration with them.
- The Russian internal security services (FSB, FSO, National Guard, etc.) saw a major revival under Putin and they are now not only more powerful than in the past, but also much better organized to deal with subversion. As for the armed forces are solidly behind Putin and Shoigu. While in the 1990s Russia was basically defenseless, Russia today is a very tough nut to crack for western subversion/PSYOP operations.
- Last, but not least, the Russian liberals are so obviously from the class Alexander Solzhenitsyn referred to as “obrazovanshchina“, a word hard to translate but which roughly means “pretend educated”: these folks have always considered themselves very superior to the vast majority of the Russian people and they simply cannot hide their contempt for the “common man” (very similar to Hillary’s “deporables”). The common man fully realizes that and, quite logically, profoundly distrusts and even hates “liberals”.
There came a moment when the western curators of the Russian 5th column realized that calling Putin names in the western press, or publicly accusing him of being a “bloody despot” and a “KGB killer” might work with the gullible and brainwashed western audience, but it got absolutely no traction whatsoever in Russia.
And then, somebody, somewhere (I don’t know who, or where) came up with an truly brilliant idea: accusing Putin of not being a patriot and declare that he is a puppet in the hands of the AngloZionist Empire. This was nothing short of brilliant, I have to admit that.
First, they tried to sell the idea that Putin was about to “sell out” (or “trade”) Novorussia. One theory was that Russia would stand by and let the Ukronazis invade Novorussia. Another one was that the US and Russia would make a secret deal and “give” Syria to Putin, if he “gave” Novorussia to the Empire. Alternatively, there was the version that Russia would “give” Syria to Trump and he would “give” Novorussia to Putin. The actual narrative does not matter. What matters, A LOT, is that Putin was not presented as the “new Hitler” who would invade Poland and the Baltics, who would poison the Skripals, who would hack DNC servers and “put Trump into power”. These plain stupid fairy tales had not credibility in Russia. But Putin “selling out” Novorussia was much more credible, especially after it was clear that Russia did not allow the DNR/LNR forces to seize Mariupol.
[Sidebar: I remain convinced that this was the correct decision. Why? Because had the DNR/LNR forces entered Mariupol their critical supply lines would have been cut off by an envelopment maneuver by the Ukrainian forces. Yes, the DNR/LNR forces did have the power needed to take Mariupol, but then they would end up surrounded by Ukronazi forces in a “cauldron/siege” kind of situation which would then have forced Russia to openly intervene to either support these forces. That was a no brainer in military terms, but in political terms this would have been a disaster for Russia and a dream come true to the AngloZionists who could (finally!) “prove” that Russia was involved all along. The folks in the Russian General Staff are clearly much smarter than the couch-generals which were accusing Russia of treason for not letting Mariupol be liberated.]
Eventually, both the “sellout Syria” and the “sellout Novorussia” narratives lost their traction and the PSYOPS specialists in the West tried another good one: Putin became the obedient servant of Israel and, personally, Netanyahu. The arguments were very similar: Putin did not allow Syrians (or Russians) to shoot down Israeli aircraft over the Mediterranean or Lebanon, Putin did not use the famous S-400 to protect Syrian targets from Israeli strikes, and Putin did not land an airborne division in Syria to deal with the Takfiris. And nevermind here the fact that the officially declared Russian objectives in Syria were only to “stabilize the legitimate authority and create conditions for a political compromise” (see here for details). The simple truth is that Putin never said that he would liberate each square meter of Syrian land from the Takfiris nor did he promise to defend Syria against Israel!
Still, for a while the Internet was inundated with articles claiming that Putin and Netanyahu were closely coordinating their every step and that Putin was Israel’s chum.
Eventually, this canard also lost a lot of credibility. After all, most folks are smart enough to realize that if Putin wanted to help Israel, all he had to do is… … well… … exactly *nothing*: the Takfiris would take Damascus and it would be “game over” for a civilized Syria and the Israelis would have a perfect pretext to intervene.
[Sidebar: as I have already mentioned in a past article, these were the original Israeli goals for Syria:
- Bring down a strong secular Arab state along with its political structure, armed forces and security services.
- Create total chaos and horror in Syria justifying the creation of a “security zone” by Israel not only in the Golan, but further north.
- Trigger a civil war in Lebanon by unleashing the Takfiri crazies against Hezbollah.
- Let the Takfiris and Hezbollah bleed each other to death, then create a “security zone”, but this time in Lebanon.
- Prevent the creation of a Shia axis Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon.
- Breakup Syria along ethnic and religious lines.
- Create a Kurdistan which could then be used against Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
- Make it possible for Israel to become the uncontested power broker in the Middle-East and forces the KSA, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and all others to have to go to Israel for any gas or oil pipeline project.
- Gradually isolate, threaten, subvert and eventually attack Iran with a wide regional coalition of forces.
- Eliminate all center of Shia power in the Middle-East.
It is quite easy nowadays to prove the two following theses: 1) Israel dismally failed to achieve ANY of the above set goals and 2) the Russian intervention is the one single most important factor which prevented Israel from achieving these goals (the 2nd most important one was the heroic support given by Iran and Hezbollah who, quite literally, “saved the day”, especially during the early phases of the Russian intervention. Only an ignorant or dishonest person could seriously claim that Russia and Israel are working together when Russia, in reality, completely defeated Israel in Syria]
Still, while the first PSYOP (Putin the new Hitler) failed, and while the second PSYOP (Putin the sellout) also failed, the PSYOP specialists in the West came up with a much more potentially dangerous and effective PSYOP operation.
But first, they did something truly brilliant: they realized that their best allies in Russia would not be the (frankly, clueless) “liberals” but that they would find a much more powerful “ally” in those nostalgic of the Soviet Union. This I have to explain in some detail.
First, there is one thing in human psychology which I have observed all my life: we tend to remember the good and forget the bad. Today, most of what I remember from boot-camp (and even “survival week”) sounds like fun times. The truth is that while in boot camp I hated almost every day. In a similar way, a lot of Russians have developed a kind of nostalgia for the Soviet era. I can understand that. After all, during the 50s the USSR achieved a truly miraculous rebirth, then in the 60s and 70s there were a lot of true triumphs. Finally, even in the hated 80s the USSR did achieve absolutely spectacular things (in science, technology, etc.). This is all true. What is often forgotten is that at the same time, the Soviet society was oppressive, the corrupt and geriatric CPSU ran everything and was mostly hated, the Russian people were afraid of the KGB and could not enjoy the freedoms folks in the USA or Europe had. In truth, it was a mixed bag, but it is easy to remember only the good stuff.
Furthermore, a lot of folks who had high positions during the Soviet era did lose it all. And now that Russia is objectively undergoing various difficult trials, these folks have “smelled blood” and they clearly hope that by some miracle Putin will be overthrown. He won’t, if only for the following very basic reasons:
- The kind of state apparatus which protects Putin today can easily deal with this new, pseudo (I will explain below why I say “pseudo”) patriotic opposition.
- In the ranks of this opposition there is absolutely no credible leader (remember the chart above!)
- This opposition mostly complains, but offers no real solutions.
The core of this opposition is formed of Communists and Communist sympathizers who absolutely hate Putin for his (quite outspoken) anti-Communism. Let’s call them “new Communists” or “Neo-Communists”. And here is what makes them much more dangerous than the “liberal” opposition: the Neo-Communists are often absolutely right.
The (in my opinion) sad reality is that, for all his immense qualities, Putin is indeed a liberal, at least an economic sense. This manifests itself in two very different ways:
- Putin has still not removed all of the 5th columnists (aka “Atlantic Integrationists” aka “Washington consensus” types) from power. Yes, he did ditch Medvedev, but others (Nabiulina, Siluanov, etc.) are still there.
- Putin inherited a very bad system where almost all they key actors were 5th columnists. Not just a few (in)famous individuals, but an entire CLASS (in a Marxist sense of the term) of people who hate anything “social” and who support “liberal” ideas just so they can fill their pockets.
Here is the paradox: the USSR died in 1991-1993, Putin is an anti-Communists, but there STILL is a (Soviet-style) Nomenklatura in Russia, except for now they are often referred to as “oligarchs” (which is incorrect because, say, the Ukrainian oligarch truly decide the fate of the nation whereas this new Russian Nomenklatura does not decide the fate of Russia as a whole, but they have a major influence in the financial sector, which is what they care mostly about).
So we have something of a, maybe not quite “perfect”, but still very dangerous storm looming over Russia. How? Consider this:
Under Putin the Russian foreign policy has been such a success that even the Russian liberals, very reluctantly, admit that he did a pretty good job. However, the internal, many financial, policies of Russia have been a disaster. Just one example, the fact that the major Russian banks are bloating with their immense revenues, did not prevent millions of Russians to live in poverty and many hundreds of thousands of Russian small/family businesses of going under due to the very high interest rates.
One key problem in Russia is that both the Central Bank and the major commercial banks only care about their profits. What Russia truly needs is a state-owed DEVELOPMENT bank whose goal would not be millions and billions for the few, but making it possible for the creativity of the Russian people to truly blossom. Today, we see the exact opposite in Russia.
So what is my beef with this social ( if not quite “Socialist”) opposition?
They are so focused on their narrow complaints that they completely miss the big picture. Let me explain.
First, Russia has been in a state of war against the US+EU+NATO since at least 2015. Yes, this war is 80% informational, 15% economic and only 5% kinetic. But it is a very real war nonetheless. The key characteristic of a real war is that victory is only achieved by one side, the other is fully defeated. Which means that the war between the AngloZionist Empire is an existential one: one party will win and survive, the other one will disappear and will be replaced with a qualitatively new polity/society. The Neo-Communist Russian opposition steadfastly pretends like there is no war, like all the losses (economic and human) are only the result of corruption and incompetence. They forget that during the last war between Russia and the “United West” German tanks were at the outskirts of Moscow.
Well, of course they know that. But they pretend not to. And this is why I think of them as the 6th column (as opposed to the 5th, openly “liberal” and pro-Western one).
Second, while this opposition is, in my opinion, absolutely correct in deploring Putin’s apparent belief that following the advice of what I would call “IMF types” is safer than following recommendations of what could be loosely called “opposition economists” (here I think of Glaziev, whose views I personally fully support), they fail to realize the risks involved in crushing the “IMF types”. The sad truth is that Russian banks are very powerful and that in many ways, the state cannot afford totally alienating them. Right now the banks support Putin only because he supports them. But if Putin decided to follow the advice of, say, Glaziev and his supporters, the Russian bankers would react with a “total war” against Putin.
If you study Russian history, you will soon realize that Russia did superbly with military enemies, did very averagely with diplomatic efforts (which often negated military victories) and did terribly with what we could call the “internal opposition”.
So let me repeat it here: I do not consider NATO or the USA as credible military threats to Russia, unless they decide to use nuclear weapons, at which point both Russia and the West would suffer terribly. But even in this scenario, Russia would prevail (Russia has a 10-15 year advantage against the USA in both civilian and military nuclear technologies and the Russian society is far more survivable one – if this topic is of interest to you, just read Dmitry Orlov’s books who explains it all better than I ever could). I have always, and still do, consider that the real danger for Putin and those who share his views is the internal, often “insider”, opposition in Russia. They were always the ones to present the biggest threat to any Russian ruler, from the Czars to Stalin.
This new Neo-Communist 6th column is, however, a much more dangerous threat to the future of Russia than the pro-western 5th columnists. Some of their tactics are extremely devious. For example, one of the things you hear most often from these folks is this: “unless Putin does X, Y or Z, there is a risk of a bloody revolution”. Having listened to many tens of their videos, I can tell you with total security that far from fearing a bloody revolution, these folks in reality dream of such a revolution.
“Too often in our history we have seen that instead of an opposition to the government we are confronted with an opposition to Russia herself. And we know how this ends: with the destruction of the state as such”.
Now, if you think as a true patriot of Russia, you have to realize that Russia suffered from not one, but two, truly horrible revolutions: in 1917 and 1991. In each case the consequences of these revolutions (irrespective of how justified they might have appeared at the time) were absolutely horrible: both in 1917 and in 1991 Russia almost completely vanished as a country, and millions suffered terribly. I now hold is as axiomatic that nothing would be worse for Russia than *any* revolution, no matter what ideology feeds it or how bad the “regime in power” might appear to be.
Putin is acutely aware of that (see image).
These Neo-Communists would very much disagree with me.
They “warn” about a revolution, while in reality trying to create the conditions for one.
Now let me be clear: I am absolutely convinced that NO revolution (Neo-Communist or other) is possible in Russia. More accurately, while I do believe that an attempt for a revolution could happen, I believe that any coup/revolution against Putin is bound to fail. Why? The graphic above.
Even if by some (horrible) miracle, it was possible to defeat/neutralize the combined power of the FSB+FSO+National Guard+Armed forces (which I find impossible), this “success” would be limited to Moscow or, at most, the Moscow Oblast. Beyond that it is all “Putin territory”. In terms of firepower, the Moscow Oblast has a lot of first-rate units, but it does not even come close to what the “rest of Russia” could engage (just the 58th Army in the south would be unstoppable). But even that is not truly crucial. The truly crucial thing following any coup/revolution would be the 70%+ of Russian people who, for the first time in centuries, truly believe that Putin stands for their interest and that he is “their man”. These people will never accept any illegal attempt to remove Putin from power. That is the key reason why no successful revolution is currently possible in Russia.
But while any revolution/coup would be bound to fail, it could very much result in a bloodbath way bigger than what happened in 1993 (where the military was mostly not engaged in the events).
Now lets add it all up.
There is a very vocal internal opposition to Putin in Russia which is most unlikely to ever get real popular support, but which could possibly unite enough of the nostalgics of the Soviet era to create a real crisis.
This internal opposition clearly and objectively weakens the authority/reputation of Putin, which has been main goal of the western “alphabet soup” ever since Putin came to power.
This internal opposition, being mostly nostalgics of the Soviet era, will get no official support from the West, but it will enjoy a maximal covert support from the western “alphabet soup”.
Finally, this Neo-Communist opposition will never seize power, but it might create a very real internal political crisis which will very much weaken Putin and the Eurasian Sovereignists.
So what is the solution?
Putin needs to preempt any civil unrest. Removing Medvedev and replacing him by Mishustin was the correct move, but it was also too little too late. Frankly, I believe that it is high time for Putin to finally openly break with the “Washington consensus types” and listen to Glaziev who, at least, is no Communist.
Russia has always been a collectivistic society, and she needs to stop apologizing (even just mentally) for this. Instead, she should openly and fully embrace her collectivistic culture and traditions and show the “Washington consensus” types to the door.
Yes, the Moscow elites will be furious, but it is also high time to tell these folks that they don’t own Russia, and that while they could make a killing prostituting themselves to the Empire, most Russian don’t want to do that.
The bottom line is this: Putin represents something very unique and very precious: he is a true Russian patriot, but he is not one nostalgic for the days of the Soviet Union. Right now, he is the only (or one of very few) Russian politician which can claim this quality. He needs to preempt the crisis which the Neo-Communists could trigger not by silencing them, but by realizing that on some issues the Russian people do, in fact, agree with them (even if they are not willing to call for a revolution).
Does that sound complicated or even convoluted? If it does, it is because it is. But for all the nuances we can discern a bottom line: it is not worth prevailing (or even failing) if that weakens/threatens Russia. Right now, the Neo-Communist opposition is, objectively, a threat to the stability and prosperity of Russia. That does NOT, however, mean that these folks are always wrong. They often are spot on, 100% correct.
Putin needs to prove them wrong by listening to them and do the right thing.
Difficult? Yes. Doable? Yes. Therefore he has to do it.
The Saker
Funny thing is that the Russian Empire was more socialist than the USSR ever was.
Socialism is a word that has frankly been stretched and twisted for so many purposes that it has lost all meaning. The purest definition is that the people who put in the labour to make ‘the means of production’ produce own and democratically control those means of production.
Especially between the Great Reform and the Stolypin reforms, Most peasants, which were like 96% of the population, were organized into mir/obschina, which were rural democratic cooperatives in which land was frequently redistributed based on family size.
The basic model descends from ancient Rus and is the reason Marx famously daydreamed that, under certain conditions, Russia might be able to skip the capitalist stage of history. The dogmatic marxists around Rosa luxemburg called the openly innovative Bolsheviks state-capitalists because the state owned and controlled the means of production, not the working people directly.
The flaw of Marxism is the same as the flaw of classical and contemporary liberalism, faith in human reason and progress. Human nature doesn’t progress. But collectivism has always existed as with humans as with canines or reindeer. Mondragon is a great example.
Besides cooperativism/distributism, Nationalizing banks is the obvious solution to humanity’s main ills today. I’m not sure I can post a link here, but I recommend the article Anarcho-Monarchism by David Bentley Hart in First Things.
Here’s the link to the article by David Bentley Hart:
https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2010/11/anarcho-monarchism
Funny thing is that the Russian Empire was more socialist than the USSR ever was.
This is quite true! For example, the Russian “popular monarchist” Ivan Solonevich in his famous book “People’s Monarchy” (iirc) compares the laws of “socialist” Britain to those of Russia under the Czar-martyr Nicholas II and he shows that the Russian laws were much more socialist than the British ones.
This is one of the reasons why Russian revolutionaries hated Stolypin and Czar Nicholas so much: their reforms (contrary to “official” historiography, these reforms were at least as much the Czar’s as they were Stolypin’s) literally took the wind out of the revolutionary sails of the Marxists.
In my opinion, the intention, nature, and implementation of each stage of reform, MIlyutin, Witte, and Stolypin are pretty complex, as are the reactions to them. Some serfs were even opposed to emancipation. Slavophiles tended to praise the obshchina and see Stolypin’s reforms as westernizing. Some would say the Stolypin reforms led to 1905. I tend to trust the slavophiles, though that’s just my bias. Not necessarily arguing, none of this is cut and dry in nature or in how it was viewed at the time by various interest groups.
Except that factory size in Imperial Russia was far bigger in scale than in Western Europe. It is the unbalanced nature of Imperial Russia – with a conservative court, rapidly industrialising western regions at a pace which frightened Germany, and a huge agrarian economy, and foreign investment from Germany predominantly then Belgium and France.
The country was stretched in every direction and felled by WW1 with rapid mobilisation of troops it could not equip and dependent on foreign credit more limited after the Schiff Blacklisting of Russia in New York.
The Tolstoyan dream may have been “socialist” but it was the need to defend against German Military-Industrial-Complex that pushed Stalin into Industrial Socialism and WW2 that created the Soviet Military Industrial Complex
There are almost always two who are afraid of each other, and so was it in the German-Russian relations.
Russia and Germany were long time allies, until Bismark had to step down with the coming of the new Kaiser, Willhelm II. Different winds started blowing in the German Court and elites which considered the Slavs as unfit for anything except to serve. That was enough for the seeds of the German collonial thoughts in the east direction. What is more, Germany closed shoulders with Austria, formed a military alliance, and they started sabotaging most of the Russian diplomatic moves.
Now would that start fears in Russia, what do you think? If you think not, remember with whom Russia allied itself. The autocratic Russia and the the liberal France are two very strange bedfellows.
The reason for the German fears were projective psychologically, I think. They armed and equipped themselves for the war with other powers, Russia sharing the top of the list with France, for quite a long time before the WWI:
At the end, Germany started the WWI to forestall the Russian armament program which should end in 1917, and make German victory in such a war impossible.
This fact is shamelessly being concealed in the western historiography for a century already.
Dear Saker,
Thank you for your work, Russia lives thanks to its common folk, those who in the thousands of villages, in the dozens of Republics and Regions, Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism and Nazism. Congratulations to all Victors who ascended to Heaven in this Titanic effort.
And for those who are not familiar with the real Russia, a little bbit of its Folklore.
Russian National Folkloric Choir Pyatnitskogo.
Concert “От героев былых времён”, From the Heroes of Olden Time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmskTzesD28
Thank you for the link. You know, there is a number by the Pyatnitsky Choir which was possibly too light-hearted for this solemn occasion. I have seen this number at least 20 times, I don’t know how many times, actually.
It’s Калинка-Малинка, of course :) I am in love with that number.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prkPHTZC7lU
Thank you <3
I think your remarks are very interesting and true. It is difficult to draw a line between state capitalism and state socialism, for sure, and the very early societies did work just in the way you describe in your ‘purest definition’ of socialism.
Marx has based his socio-economic theory on two completely different and colliding ideas. On one hand, he promoted the Rousseauan ideas which suggest a return to the outlook of our forefather hunter-gatherers from the longest period of the human existence on Earth.
On the other hand, he was a materialist / rationalist to the hilt. Now, the hunter-gatherers certainly did not believe that the nature has no soul, and the human one, of course, neither.
These two paradigms are completely irreconcilable.
So is it really a wonder the 1917 revolution has been funded thru the foreign big finance, and that the Marx’s ideas in practice led to what they led to?
I think the history of the civilization is one long path to the times before it began, to the egalitarianism which is very deeply seated in the human nature. The contest between the humans is another thing seated in the human nature, as well. The civilization followed this second path mostly and this had a heavy price for us humans, but maybe it could not be avoided. The time is coming, the barbarism is going to be thrown out of the societies, but it may take a while.
Could capitalism have been sprung over, like Marx hoped? Well, the Russian traditional society does have the strong traits of the way of thinking of the oldest human societies. But can even the most gifted child enter the university, without getting schooled before? Even if that can last much shorter for the gifted kids?
So this springing over was just another of the Marx’s vain hopes. Still, I think, when the time for the egalitarianism really comes, this mentality is going to offer Russia a big advantage. Or at least I hope so, I dare to hope as well, not Mr. Marx only.
So let me name the most infamous of these 6th Columnists. Igor Strelkov, the Shooter, nee Girkin.
And let me name the philosopher who rides sidecar to Strelkov, Sergei Kurginyan leader of the leftist ultranationalist “Essence of Time”.
These two are the faces and voices of the movement.
Strelkov, in my opinion, defied Putin from the start in the Donbass, and launched the rebellion against Putin’s distinct public (that’s why I recall it) warning not to fight.
Kurginyan has from the first moment of the Donbass rebellion been criticizing Putin.
Bear this in mind: there came a moment in early 2014 when the famous boys of Donbass, Motorola, Givi, and Zakharchenko and many others had to choose: Putin/Kremlin or Strelkov. They chose Putin and Zakharchenko was put in charge.
This is a great primer on the 6th Column. I wish Saker had delineated the players. So I began the list.
Dear friend
The reason why I did not list names is because each case is different. Take, for example, Strelkov and Kurginian: the former really “lost it” and is very much an example of what I was talking about. Kurginian, who is a lot smarter and much better educated, is a much more complex case. If I had listed “my” list of 6th columnists this would end up triggering a discussion on the personalities and not on the issues at hand. So I decided not to do that.
Kind regards!
Very astute of you. I failed to see that option and reasoning.
Also, I despise Stelkov and the gnome at his side, Kurginyan. I am amazed they have not met a runaway truck at high speed.
The Saker
You stated that the Western tactical move of “accusing Putin of not being a patriot and declare that he is a puppet in the hands of the AngloZionist Empire. This was nothing short of brilliant, I have to admit that”. Well, not really. I have been following the West’s vilification of Putin for years, and what struck me was the low quality of the propaganda being used, a childish, infantile mentality from the First World War being applied.
Two basic methods were used. The first one was to accuse Putin of “corruption”, as ostensibly he embezzled 200 billion dollars, which he stashed in a Swiss bank, of all places. Even Western journalists admitted that this was utter nonsense and complete disinformation. Not even that silly accusation that Putin went covertly to Switzerland to see “his” illegitimate baby had any effect.
The second method was to accuse Putin of “treason”, of “not” being a patriot, and of being under Western “control”. Perfidious methods were applied, the same also being simplistic. Articles started appearing on the history of the masonic movement. Lists of well known freemasons were included. At the end of the lists, the name of Vladimir Putin appeared. Simple psychology was applied. The intent was for people to believe that Putin “was” a freemason, since all the other people listed were freemasons. Every time I read these articles, I laughed, as the intent was obvious.
If you were to compare the internal political situations in Russia and Serbia (where I live), you would find both identical situations and also complete differences. The liberals in both Russia and Serbia are, of course, pro Western. The ones in Serbia are dreaming of joining the EU and NATO. They do not have a power base among the population, as the population cannot forget NATO’s aggression in 1999, nor the liberal policies that were applied after the ouster of President Milosevic in 2000, which led to great inequalities, as it did in Russia during Yeltsins reign. However, when it comes to the communists, their influence in Serbia is virtually zero. The bulk of the former communists had either joined the socialists, or else other political parties. In Russia they still have influence, not only because their members lost their former political positions, but also due to Yeltsin’s mismanagement of Russia. The West will, of course, try to use both the communists and liberals against Putin. It won’t work, especially now, when some 50 million Americans have lost their jobs due to liberal capitalism in the country, and when EU countries are facing similar problems.
It seems to be coordinated. Serbia’s President Vucic is distancing himself from Putin too. He allowed screening of Russophobic and Putin-hating doco called Putin’s Witnesses. It comes in the wake of the meeting Vucic had with butcher Tachi (he is an Albanian terrorist who’s so-called President of so-called Kosovo*) and Grenell former US ambassador to Germany and the current acting head of US secret services where rumour has it Vucic put the final touches to his betrayal of Kosovo and Metohija agreeing to recognise Kosovo* by not standing in the way of it applying for a seat in the UN. The US ordered Kosovo* remove the 100% tariffs for the Serbia’s “exports” it imposed some time ago. The US also ordered new Prime Minister of Kosovo*, Kurti, step down as he was firmly against the agreement with Vucic because Kosovo* is to hand over one municipality in the north of Kosovo* and Kurti was adamantly against it. It has been rumoured that Vucic is also to hand over more of Serbia proper and to take the same path Montenegrins (slur removed .. mod) took with rampant Russophobia.
Russia is against that hence the distancing. 11 Russian planeloads of material came to Serbia and Vucic not once came to the airport to welcome them which is weird because the guy is everywhere and take credit for everything.
Marko
A lot of theories have been been put forward when it comes to Vucic. Time will tell what is the truth. However, when it comes to Russian aid, it is a fact that Vucic did not show the same respect as he did to Chinese aid. He did not welcome the Russians in person, as he did the Chinese. He sent the Prime Minister instead. As for the Russians, not only did they send medicine and equipment, they also sent specialists who disinfected not only civilian objects, but also military bases, which is interesting, and which probably says plenty.
Milo Đukanović is like
“Vuk Brankovic,[63] O you shameful scoundrel,
was that the way to serve your fatherland?
Was that the way to uphold honesty?”
Njegos
Interesting… Difficult to exactly know what happens in closed meetings but It sounds likely true to me.
I know it’s not the topic ,but reading your comment and mentioning the famous boys of Donbass I couldn’t help thinking all of them are dead now .Was it because they made the choice you talk about ?
Why do you despise Kurginyan? Haven’t heard nothing too controversial from him. Strelkov the insurgent, was a hero for many Russians, but he is gone definitely mad. For f sake, I myself was thinking to join DNR/LNR… still hard to accept, that Ukrnazis are killing Russians almost every day – I know, I can see the big picture.
Great essay concerning the many power dynamics involved in the Russian political equation. I’m a neophyte when it comes to Russian internal politics, but I’ve long admired Putin, while also wondering how long he could keep all these disparate pie plates spinning in the air. I’m frankly amazed that the west hasn’t simply penetrated his defenses and assassinated him yet. Many have speculated, with considerable evidence to support their claim, that the MH17 affair was an attempt to do exactly that. Putin seems to be the linchpin holding the current world order in place, a fact the west appreciates to its chagrin all to well. So my questions are: who’s on the bench, how deep is it, and do they have at least similar public support from the Russian people? These might well be the most important questions on the world stage today, as the western evil empire is obviously completely incapable of reform, and China – as always – remains somewhat of an enigma.
Downing of MH 017: During a very recent discussion about this event I have put myself into the shoes of the individual ordering the launch of the Buk. I have asked my diskussion partners: WHY have I chosen this Malaysian B 777 to bring down? Who was on board this aircraft that I had to eliminate at this great political an even personal risk?
Empty faces and dead silence!
The target was NOT a B 777 but an Il 92. But the Ilushin was about 30 min. delayed.
It is always natural to have opposition and protest movements, especially when corruption in a country reaches a certain threshold. This is more or less inevitable, assuming you have some form of freedoms as is the case in Russia.
Maybe Putin needs to win these so called Neo-Communists over to his side, assuming they are at least criticizing Putin from a patriotic stand-point, by making some concessions in the form of reducing the financial classes’ power.
Now it is obvious that it is very challenging to replace an entire financial class even if you have the entire security and intelligence branches on your side. You would need to replace them with competent people who know how to run the country’s economy and monetary policy.
But this declaration of war from the financial class on Putin is an interesting one…..what kind of weapons could they hurt Putin with ?
Oligarch are mindful of Khodorkovsky’s misadventures.
Saker – well written. Much of what is detailed here is what many have been looking to put into words for some time.
What can you say about the origin for collectivism sought by the Neo Communists – is this simply asking for higher wages/standard of living?
Not living in Russia, it is difficult ascertain to what is sought by Russians. For all its faults, my understanding is that availability of high end consumer items in the US (you may think this is a silly example, but it may serve a point – I’ve heard home interior design in the US is better than in the East) still exceeds what is available East. Another example – high end coffee shops. Are these groups seeking similar consumer consumption choices to their Western peers? If not, what are they after exactly?
Dive into this channel, and there are plenty similar, if interior design is your point of interest.
It is a long running series on remodeling: dachas, flats. From NTV chanel. If you want to understand Russia, plunge into the rabbit hole and enter the Russian side of Internet, you will be wildly and pleasantly surprised. It is addictive. For one thing, you will be surprised that the joint with the golden arches is something of a high end restaurant in Russia, with high end decor on many cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KVfc2hj4Ys
“Putin has still not removed all of the 5th columnists (aka “Atlantic Integrationists” aka “Washington consensus” types) from power. Yes, he did ditch Medvedev, but others (Nabiulina, Siluanov, etc.) are still there.”
This reminds me of a piece that turned up in my FB page – and I apologise for not saving it or having any link.
What I do remember very clearly was what it said; it purported to be reporting that either some “group”, or representative of one, claimed to have announced that they had launched an action against certain people – and Nabiulina Siluanov were mentioned – charging them that they are working directly for the American and International Banks, taking orders from them, and ignoring orders from Putin and thus are traitors.
They claimed that the papers had been launched with the EEU and thus “they are international papers which cannot be just cast into the rubbish. This action will go ahead”.
On reading it I did remember having heard Vladimir Putin say, in public discussions, Q & A etc, a number of times that he “wanted the Bank to do such and such [one was lower interest rates], and had been asking for some time.”
It puzzled me then, as I had thought that, as President, surely whatever he wanted or directed, then his subordinates must carry out. It seemed not.
I wish I knew how to go back and find this – I wonder if Saker has heard anything of it.
OK. After much searching I found wha I was looking for.
First there was this:
≤i≥Russia’s liberal elite is working at the behest of Washington
https://zen.yandex.ru/…/liberalnaia-elita-rossii-rabotaet-p…
Russian liberal elites work in and is simply and indication of their overseas curators from the capital of the United States, a well-known economist Mikhail Khazin.
In his new interview with journalist Maxim Shevchenko for his YouTube channel, the expert spoke about why most of the direct orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin are not being fulfilled.
According to Khazin, the main reason for sabotaging the orders of the head of the Russian state is the subordination of the liberal elite of our country to the authorities from Washington.
In other words, our top-level managers work under orders from overseas, and at best they don’t respond to Putin’s direct orders.
At worst, they do exactly the opposite. As an example, Khazin cited Putin’s initiatives to support the population and businesses in the crisis period associated with the regime of self-isolation.
The President has publicly announced measures of support, which in fact are practically not implemented precisely because their implementation is carried out by representatives of the same liberal elite.
Because of their purposeful and destructive activities, neither ordinary Russian citizens nor small and medium-sized businesses can receive the promised assistance.
There are such bureaucratic obstacles and obstacles in the field that it is easier for people not to even try to get declared financial support than to try to do it without success.
When asked why Putin continues to keep such people in the management system, Khazin said that the President cannot dismiss them because of the subsequent economic sanctions that will be imposed on Russia by various international organizations as soon as he does so.≤/i≥
And now this also this:
The Central Bank is a branch of the US Federal reserve and executes their orders, not Putin’s
3 days ago
Khazin, Shevchenko: the Central Bank is losing its banks!!!
VIDEO at the link
Mikhail Khazin gives clear explanations for Russian citizens. What influence and governance of Russia have international institutions. The rating agencies of the United States, which can lower the rating of the world’s countries. And as us consulting companies, they work in Russia and write laws for Russia. And the most interesting thing is Mikhail Khazin’s opinion that the United States does not have state sovereignty.
That the President of the United States is fighting for the state sovereignty of the United States. And the main thing is that academician Glazyev, the Minister of foreign economic relations of the Russian Federation, created a document that can become an accusation in the court over the Central Bank of Russia. Because this report is an official document that is attached to the documents of the Eurasian Economic Commission. An international document that can’t be thrown in the trash.
Therefore, the Central Bank of Russia is in such a panic, this is actually an accusation of a crime by the Central Bank of Russia, in collusion with international financial speculators.
https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5ea3378165645846ad9dbd1b/cb-filial-frs-ssha-i-vypolniaet-ih-ukazy-a-ne-putina-5ea6b3449fff8e37dacaca35?fbclid=IwAR23U0FGMQiG0H2E75LAEE0i_6jW9jTLlwHgda65bSEOe1Z5RdvmaJFp1LE
age demographics is also on putins side against both 5th and 6th columnists.
anyone born in the 1990’s or later has no experience living in a communist nation.
in another 5-10 years this group will constitute 35-45% of the population and arguably the most vibrant part.
time seems to be on putins side
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.21% (male 12,566,314 /female 11,896,416)
15-24 years: 9.41% (male 6,840,759 /female 6,530,991)
25-54 years: 44.21% (male 30,868,831 /female 31,960,407)
55-64 years: 14.51% (male 8,907,031 /female 11,709,921)
65 years and over: 14.66% (male 6,565,308 /female 14,276,798) (2018 est.)
Was there a failed coup against Putin recently? I’ve read that thanks to that Putin got rid of Medvedev.
Only in a Russophobes wet dream and some bad video game.
No, Medvedev and the Atlantic Integrationists don’t have any “muscle”.
But they do have a lot of money and influence.
But no, there was no coup.
Cheers
To expand on The Saker´s comment. Medvedev has a place at the Security Council, he is in on all the Top Secret security issues. He has been on errands to the Former Soviet Republics, whether on orders of the Supreme commander or on his own.
He has great influence on the High Tech incubators that he opened during his term as President, Skolkovo in Moscow oblast. And on the City of Innovation, -Innopolis- established in Tatarstan.
The top minds of Russia are working there to create the next High Tech discoveries.
It has served well for Boeing, for example. Russian Engineers created the 777, which is the one that is trouble free, contracted with Boeing received their salaries in Rubles. Boeing is an occupant of Skolkovo. Well, Skolkovo is under the influence of Anatoly Chubais, another remora from Yeltsin era, where he is the Boss of Rusnano, a “moneypit” or a blank check for the Yeltsinites. Feel free to check his wikipedia page.
Medvedev still has longings for the Presidency.
These incubators have served to feed the Brain Drain from Russia to the West
As they say: “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”
Putin is a political genius.
If anyone could pull this off, he could.
The Russian Federation just began the process of restructuring, and more fully nationalizing their own government (to include enshrining in their constitution the supremacy of Russian Law over foreign agreements and treaties, if I am not mistaken). The Russian Federation just nationalized its central bank. Immediately after that the Russian Federation acquired controlling interest in Sverbank at market value. That is what happened, just about guarantee it. I believe that all of these decisions are correct, and necessary for the sovereignty of the Russian People (even though I am American). I pray for the best for the Russian People, and for the Russian Federation as a whole.
Also, TAAS just reported that Mr. Mishustin tested positive for covid. Don’t quite know what to make of that one, but I wish him a speedy recovery, and hope for the best.
According to the latest March 2020 Leveda poll, about 75% of Russians are nostalgic for the USSR, an believe it was the greatest area in Russian history. Also, according to the WSWS website, about 90% of Russians are against the recent pension “reforms.” Obviously, not all such Russians, who make up the majority of the population want to get rid of Putin, the math simply doesn’t add up. However, Putin does indeed have to move to the “left” and utilize socialist measures to fix the increasingly faltering Russian economy. At the very least, Putin must: 1.) Tax the oligarchs. Putin has already recently proposed Taxing the oligarch’s off-shore accounts and holdings by 15%. This is a good start. 2.) Restore the pension ages back to where they were. Putin can do this with the money paid by taxing the oligarchs along with modernizing the weak healthcare system, infrastructure and
technology. 3.) Nationalize the Russian central bank, and strengthen the the entire public banking system. Frankly, I do not see any viable alternatives to socialism. Neoliberal capitalism has reached its global growth limitations, it is now in the process of cannibalizing itself and the planet with it
Putin could do ten times more than he has. I have always seen Putin as a (late and often inadequate) reacter to a crisis, whether in Ukraine in 2014 or Syria in 2015, not proactive in any way. Putin waitress until he has no choice and then does something that is only half as effective as it might have been if he had acted faster and more decisively. There is no reason to think he will do anything different now.
I cannot speak to the day in, day out realities of people living their lives in St. Petersburg or Moscow,
But, I can look at my own land and compare that to what I observe in others.
I have to tell you, I believe that Russia is on a much better path than is my land, right now.
No joke, dc is shi#ba% crazy.
Moscow, is clearly not.
Also, how has ‘El Presidente de Estadas Unidos’ been doing lately?
Has he straightened up yet?
How about all of his little friends?
Last I checked, every time someone caught a cold, his little nave just up and parked their little boats.
Need I continue?
Also,
Thank you, Saker, for this article.
I am truly grateful to have access to the information that you share with us. I hope that my somewhat unique insights are also helpful.
In addition I would add that I think there is a 6th column trying to subvert everywhere.
It’s been working in the Anglo Euro nations for a few decades now, via the Universities mainly, through Humanities Departments, Liberal Arts, Philosophy, Education, Political “science” Media Studies et al.
It’s from them that the entire spectrum of ersatz-Liberal thought has come, to the subversion of family [I read a report from a British furniture manufacturer saying that they no longer make dining tables, as families dont’ eat together, they just drift in one at time, dig something out of fridge or get take away and sit in a lounge eating while watching TV] – the entire disintegration of gender, love and respect for others, religious thought – in fact everything that holds a society together .
Add in the mass immigration of totally disparate peoples with 180 degree difference in values, understanding, social ideas, to run rampant with their stabbings, burnings etc, and all sense of social discord is gone. National identity is destroying, so that people become straw dolls, blowing in any wind.
Such people are, of course, easy to control.
Whether they are making first steps to try and destroy Russia as they destroyed the AngloEuro I dont know. But after the comment made in the last cafe about the stupidity being said about Crimea, it wouldn’t surprise me.
They have disseminated these thoughts via Media in all it’s forms, education so that it’s now only brainwashing, and social controls via local Governments.
I doubt one can say that the AngloEuro nations are civilised anymore. They are communities of savages who have some technical know how.
And that does not make a civilisation!!
I have to agree with you, since Kennedy was killed it was all over in the states. From worse, to worse, to worse, since. Many good people were assasinated at that time in the states, too though.
Your words reminded me instantly of “Goodbye Miss American Pie”.
It’s thought that those words were written in response to JFK’s death – and they certainly fit your take “this will be the day that I die”
Both times were in the 1960’s, when post war euphoria was beginning to grow in UK, food rationing was stopped, jobs and salaries increased, and times were good – we thought.
We thought the “Carnaby Street kids” were a passing fad, a result of post war stresses on kids and the changing, lighting atmosphere.
How wrong, how very very wrong, we were.
We need another Putin to eventually replace the real patriot Putin.
By comparison, the Empire surrounds itself with onion layers of groups/people… to be virtually impenetrable – only a real revolution against the financial mafia can pose any real threat to their mantle. I don’t think Russia will do this.
I hope that Russia has a structure in place to thwart frequent attacks from the Empire and from these so called Russian based Russophobes so that it is not eaten from within.
I agree with Harry the Red’s observation: ‘it is very challenging to replace an entire financial class even if you have the entire security and intelligence agencies on your side. You would need to replace them with competent people who know how to run the countries economy and monetary policy.’ Exactly. What you have are neoliberal public servants but what is needed are real public servants, that is, officials who serve the public as a whole, and not just .. some of them. I’d like to put the matter in explicitly political terms: the problem is oligarchy and the solution is aristocracy. I know that this does not accord with common usage. But common usage draws no distinction between aristocracy and oligarchy and therefore no distinction between virtue and corruption or we might well say good and evil. If we cannot do that then we are stuck with liberalism and it’s balance of power dynamics that while seeking to check corruptions do so by institutionalising self interest (‘balances’). It should be no wonder that all liberal democratic constitutions are seriously corrupt and hardly able to rise to the challenges that presently grow thick and fast. We need to look at this ‘checks and balances’ theory more closely, and critically.
There’s much to discuss here but the main point is that Russia needs a cadre of patriotic public servants. Like China. As in capable people who graduate at the top of their class and are more then willing to dedicate their lives and livelihoods on public service. Again, there are those who live for profit and those who live for honour. These latter are content with what they need and eschew the ‘more more and more’ impetus that both philosophy and religion have always condemned. These people are around. They are not as rare as stars in daytime. There are lots of people who would be quite content to really serve the public good for a modest compensation. There are lots of people who live this way as a matter of course and this was ever the case, contrary to the dogma of fallen nature, the grand axiom of the libertarians. What’s most needed is an educational system that intensively trains them to really do the jobs that need doing while instilling the motivation that must necessarily drive the endeavour. Like China.
Arguably this state of affairs already exists to some degree with the security and military wing of governance. What I think is needed then, specifically, is a patriotic movement on campuses that would attract both communists on the left and nationalists on the right. Here I envision possibilities of class alliances. I take the view that what the Saker is getting at was succinctly summarised by Lenin: ‘the best way to manage the opposition is to lead them’.
what book titles by dmitry orlov? titles please saker. orlov is one of my favourite writers!
Here are four I’ve seen:
Dmitry Orlov (2008). Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects. New Society Publishers. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-86571-685-8.
Dmitry Orlov (2012). Absolutely Positive. Dmitry Orlov. p. 138. ASIN B008047OTS
Dmitry Orlov (2013). The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivors’ Toolkit. New Society Publishers. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-86571-736-7.
Dmitry Orlov (2016). Shrinking the Technosphere: Getting a Grip on Technologies That Limit Our Autonomy, Self-Sufficiency and Freedom. New Society Publishers.
ok thanks bob. yes i have read 3 of those titles. i thought saker was referring to a book by orlov about nuclear war. thanks for responding!
“Russia has been in a state of war against the US+EU+NATO since at least 2015” This is a joke. Russia has been in a state of war with the Empire since the Teutonic Knights and the Battle on the ice.
Even Thomas Piketty (not a Marxist) claims that one of Russia’s main economic failures since Yeltsin is not taxing the oligarchs. Putin has to do this in order to revive Russia’s economy.
Right now, the Neo-Communist opposition is, objectively, a threat to the stability and prosperity of Russia. That does NOT, however, mean that these folks are always wrong. They often are spot on, 100% correct.
I really wish you could elaborate on what they are 100% correct about.
I’d also like to know what these Neo-Communists think of Putin’s affection for the million plus Zionist Russians living in Israel and the Zionist Oligarchs Putin is close to with dual citizenship. You can’t have two masters. I would strip Zionists of their Russian citizenship.
Putin may be smart, but despite what you wrote about him messing with Israel’s plans; he’s got a Zionist problem and Zionism is always a good indicator of corruption.
If Neo-Communists would go as far as Revolution knowing the history of Russian Revolution then maybe you don’t see what they see wrong with Putin to be willing to take their criticism to the point of Revolution.
This is getting to be like one of those Russian dolls.
Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be one more, out pops another.
I hate Russian Dolls. They’re so full of themselves.
5 in 1 people are Russian nesting dolls.
also … in the US
Someone unsure of their commitment to eat dinner at a native american restaurant is a having a reservation reservation reservation.
and universally ….
My grandfather has the heart of a lion, and a lifetime ban at the zoo.
Is there a concept of “loyal opposition” in Russian parliament, the same way British-style parliaments have opposition parties with “shadow governments?”
I am so much at the opposition of the Empire but I must admit that Putin has disappointed me recently, expecially in Syria. I understand that when the Empire decided to destroy countries like Iraq or Lybia very little could be done to prevent it (Russia could at least in the case of Lybia veto the UN resolution and expose their wrongdoing) but Syria, the only not former USSR country that allowed Russia to operate a military base, should have been protected much more since the beginning of the crisis. There were 2 pro Russian countries in Eastern Europe and MO, Serbia and Syria and both ended very badly. Few months ago there were reports in the news, soon denied, that Russia was about to open a new base in Central African Republic, I am sorry to say that but I think that the leaders of CAR made the right decision. Few weeks ago the SAA achieved a victory freeing Aleppo and the motorway M5 and few days later they faced a counterattack fully supported by Turkey that for days were able to hit with impunity the SAA units with their drones. My question is, would Erdogan have done anything like that against Greece expecially after that country has made an agreement with US to boost the American military presence over there? The obvious answer is not. The real challenger of the Empire, like the Saker also noticed in a recent article, is China.
saker,
You have written about this topic and it’s variations several times. You are correctly concerned that Putin is like a one man show, and the internal/external enemies of russia can just wait him out and then it will fall pray to drunk yeltsin’s days and the looting and destruction of russia will resume, from where the 7-8 jews who looted/pillaged it during yeltsin and then defected to israel and england when putin took power, by remaining under the radar jewish oligarchs and their russian third legs…
Do you know if in russian government decision making circles, or in intelligentsia, or other public opinion shaping important circles they read these articles and if your these articles have any tangible, actionable effect or results on russia’s government, society, and decision/policy making?
”Eventually, both the ’sellout Syria’ and the ’sellout Novorussia’ narratives lost their traction and the PSYOPS specialists in the West tried another good one: Putin became the obedient servant of Israel and, personally, Netanyahu.”
If the latter psyop originated in the West, given the West’s idiotic habit of trying the same messages everywhere, what’s conspicuous here is that Putin wasn’t slandered as an antisemite. The meme about Putin grovelling before Zionism is the standard kind of drivel of the Western Left, but Western Leftists very rarely put any serious effort into exporting their hogwash to non-Western countries and peoples.
So if the West tried this time around to promote a typical Western Leftist perspective for export, the prospects look even more unconvincing. Russia — people and state alike — doesn’t have any strong opinion on the subject of Israel, possibly with the exception of some people within Russia’s Muslim community, but I really don’t know.
So the question is: Who — in Russia — would try to slander Putin as a Zionist lackey? If this view has a genuine following (not a minuscule number like the liberals), then it’s a most interesting development.
I don’t like the way the word ‘liberal’ has changed its meaning over the last 40 years and I wonder if their’s a conspiracy to change the meaning of words.
I think Clinton, and especially his wife, the former Goldwater gal, pulled that off. Most of the liberals around me never even noticed. They were persuaded by the rhetoric to support wars of “liberation,” not paying any attention to the outcome of that strategy. Dumber than a box of rocks!
I was told when I was young that when you get old, you become a conservative Republican voter. I said, “Not me,” but look at me now! I’ll probably vote a straight Republican ticket in November, but not because I really like them.
That’s attributed to Churchill.
“When you’re young you think with your heart, when you’re older you think with your head” (the head on top of your body).
Similarly the corollary “In your 20’s and 30’s if you’re not a socialist you have no heart, in your 40’s 50’s if you’re not a capitalist, you have no head” (the head on top).
Is Vladimir Kvachkov, former Russian military officer, part of sixth column? He has spoken about Covid-19 from global strategic perspective recently. Looking at his profile, seems to be a controversial figure for sure.
I too watched it and wondered who he is.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/iTkSzhhiUyQ6/
Yes, Kvachkov would peddle absolutely any nonsense to make Putin look like the cause of all of the problems of Russia.
Thank you Saker for your reply. Your comment about Alexander Dugin came as surprise for me, as I am an admirer of him and consider him as a follower of Orthodox Christianity. I would be very much interested to know what his ideology is and why he is against Putin. In a recent video, he said that Putin is 50% liberal and 50% Patriot. And that Putin has done what he could do and the onus is on Russian people to choose the right leader after Putin.
@S, Obviously your title question should be turned into a statement. Your graph shows, contrary to what I have read that Putin enjoys steady support.
The lies, by the 5th-6th column are nothing new. May I repeat the words Goebbels said: “People are going to believe the lies, we say, if repeated number of times”.
BTW, May 1st has always been a day of celebration, long before commies took over it. Happy May 1st Day, as a day to celebrate the spring and life. Even long before the Christianity.
Very good article!!!
I too have noticed the attacks on Putin coming from the left ; the so-called left in the form of the new Communist party or Communist party supporters.
I would also like to add the change in the liberals approach
During the Moscow Local elections which became the target for contrived protests from the liberals; Navalny recommended his people vote for the Communist Party candidates.
When this happened I Immediately thought the fifth column have adopted a new tactic . He is being told by his handlers – to align with the left because it’s easy to promise to give things to people – works better than ideas!!!!
Now during the Covid crisis we have seen the liberals presents “socialist like plans” which amount to giving everyone money!!!
The left/ the communists/ are the reason why Russia got Gorbachev and Yeltsin – they came up in the party system!!!!
And they are making the same mistake again to regain power.
Communists are about ideas, they never have a clue how to run successful economies. (China is not communist)
(Also with regards to Putin he is what I would describe as a old fashioned conservative in terms of his economic policies. Look at the savings in the bank reserves – that is not what typical
Neo-liberal governments do. Now they can spend their way out of this crisis brought by covid19)
Great article, very insightful. Classic Saker gold, I really enjoyed reading it.
It might seem surprising how the Saker agrees in parts with the 6th column and also stresses the need that the 6th column must be dealt with effectively, but I think that it just goes to show how much of on “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” Russia really is. This has to be appreciated, and only individuals deeply involved and invested in understanding it can credulously offer any solution. It is not click bait, and it gives no plain course of action and this is why it is so precious.
I am nothing like that :)
I have since the 90’s and ever since been a huge Zhirinovski fan, and I think that I will be ’till the day I die. This is because I’m a simple man and I like simple solutions, but honestly if his ideas were applied faithfully Russia would today be a much less desirable place. Zhirinovski is a hawk, and there is much justice that needs to be dealt out, but if you burn out in any “victory” then it isn’t worth it – I guess. Still I would give it all just to witness a few months of military greatness where Russia’s continental enemies get put in their place.
Putin has always been too tame for my taste, but his results are indisputable. If he could only drop the “partner” talk and be way less diplomatic it would be great.
Very interesting.
I would like to offer the possibile case that the more positive powers in play look at the nation as a living organism,
and that perhaps chopping off arms and legs is not the most healthy way to remove maladies, or correct imbalances?
This review of internal politics in Russia and the chances for a revolution (by a 6 collumn guard, of all possible candidates) is interesting. In The Netherlands I receive so-called opposition briefings from Raam op Rusland (a windowon Russia), an NRC newspaper sponsored anti-Russia site, just to keep up with their wriggling around and support of Russia opposition (liberal 5th collum, mainly): https://www.raamoprusland.nl/
Two of their editors (Rottenberg and Starink) are adhering to a Jewish identy.
In that regard, I would have a small comment concerning this statement:
“Now let me be clear: I am absolutely convinced that NO revolution (Neo-Communist or other) is possible in Russia.” I am happy to share your optimism, but only as long I am assured that your 6th collum is not already infiltrated by people adhering to Jewish identity such as the RoR folks.
The resurrection of the USSR is the last thing Russia needs
To re-feed all those republics and nations that hate Russia from the bottom of their souls
The only problem is that the Bolsheviks have divided too many Russian territories into these other republics. All of Belarus and at least half of Ukraine, maybe even everything except Galicia and Northern Kazakhstan, Transistria …
That’s what Russia needs to bring back
It is, or should be, a matter of common knowledge that every properly functioning state should contain a healthy opposition. Unfortunately at the present conjuncture this is sadly not the case. Such opposition which might have previously existed is now defunct particularly in the western world. This is not an idle statement given the situation regarding Assange, Manning and Snowden and a mass media that is basically a fog-horn for an entrenched and corrupt oligarchy which is firmly established in the present in the political, economic and cultural institutions.
Okay, I can perfectly understand that there is a 5th neo-liberal column ensconced in the Russia’s political and social structures and who play a totally destructive and western-supported role in contemporary Russia; these cannot therefore be described as a patriotic opposition. But now we are informed of the existence of a more subversive 6th column who are reputedly plotting to undermine the Russian state.
One wonders what sort of opposition would exist and be allowed to play a positive role in Russia. Or do you think that oppositions are by their nature destructive and dysfunctional?
What I am saying is not specific to Russia but it has become an increasingly ingrained characteristic of all mass industrial societies. Oppositions are necessary irritants in our heavily bureaucratised systems of rule and should be tolerated and even encouraged unless the PTB are totally omniscient, wise and merciful. Ok, so it’s a messy arrangement, but the others are so much worse.
Sounds just about like the arbitrary borders drawn up in the ME after world wars 1&2, which purposefully contained differing ethnicities within the same national borders (so as to forment instability, and easier manipulation), does it not?
In Mexico, President Lopez Obrador is opening state owned banks all over the country. This is an open confrontation against the .0001% neocons who own banks and enjoy the wealth and ownership of Mexican natural resources and are not even Mexican (maybe with a few exceptions). With this approach, Mexico is on the road to recuperate its resources, proceed to kick out the USA and become an independent country. Putin needs to put on the globes and let the rumble begin. I think that’s what Putin has in mind.
Where are these Banks that you mention?
” Mexico is on the road to recuperate its resources, proceed to kick out the USA and become an independent country.” Yeah, like he already has recovered all the gold mines that the Canadians and Muricans are exploting for Mexican cents on the ounce of gold (and associated minerals) , Yeah, like he has repudiated the odious debt of the FOBAPROA bank bailout; Yeah like he is kicking out the Chicago Boys, the Harvard Boys, The John Hopkins Boys, and like he is deferring major decisions to the UN, and WHO, including the soon to come vaccination programs and Big Pharma medications, bowing low to Bill Gates for his promises of a High Tech University; like he has already surrendered to the LGBTQ shock troops; and like he has already surrendered the Education sector to Soros and his acolytes: Scheinbaum and Moctezuma, curators of the LGBTQ. Oh yes, boys can dress like girls and girls like boys from Kindergarden to Preparatory school. Greeaaaat progress and accomplishments!!
“ended up with a real buffoon as President (Zelenskii just appointed, I kid you not, Saakashvili as Vice Prime Minister of the Ukrainef”
But Zelenskii is a comedian …….is he not ??
He is indeed (I refer to him as ”Mr. Greenclown”). Just like the Georgian imbecile and the domestic Nazi dregs, he can be fond of his ”country” which has become a deindustrialized and depopulating cesspit from having been the most developed industrialized powerhouse of the erstwhile USSR. Way to go, Ukraine!
”There is a solid ’anti-Maidan’ movement in Russia (including in Moscow!) which is ready to ’pounce’ (politically) in case of any Maidan-like movement in Russia.”
Excellent resolve. Keeps the rabble-rousers at bay which, in turn, dissuades their Western sponsors from making use of them. The Ukronazis did succeed because Yanukovych was weak and vacillating hoping, like Beneš in Czechoslovakia, that the fascists of the West and their local quislings would settle for anything less than open terroristic dictatorship. But since the Ukronazis failed abysmally with the task which was their key assignment (Crimea), they now amount to little more than dingleberries despite their awesome, heartfelt commitment to European values.
https://tass.com/economy/1152389
Cutting off western influence?
1 MAY, 17:25
Cabinet of Ministers restricts purchases of manufactured goods from abroad for state needs
The document states that the prohibition does not apply if there is no production of goods on the territory of the Russian Federation
MOSCOW, May 1. / TASS /. The Russian government has limited the purchase of foreign industrial goods for state needs, with the exception of countries within the Eurasian Economic Union, according to the decree published on Friday on the Cabinet web site on Friday.
“To establish a ban on the admission of industrial goods originating from foreign states (with the exception of member states of the Eurasian Economic Union), for the purpose of procurement for state and municipal needs,” the document says. A similar measure applies to procurement for the needs of the country’s defense.
Moreover, the document states that the prohibition does not apply if there is no production of goods on the territory of the Russian Federation. Also, the document does not cover purchases of one unit of goods worth no more than 100,000 rubles, aggregates of goods with a total value of less than 1 mln rubles, purchases in the interests of the FSO, FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Office of the President of the Russian Federation (the restriction will, among other things be in effect for the purchase of clothes and shoes, cars). Also, the restriction will not apply to purchases by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of vehicles that are made to “ensure the security of state security facilities.”
At the same time, the document notes that bans on government purchases of cars, vehicles for the transport of 10 or more people, trucks, ambulances, railway equipment will come into force on June 1, 2020.
What foreign products are subject to restrictions
There are 125 items in the list of products subject to the restriction. It includes clothes, shoes, paper and cardboard, some materials (stone, glass, concrete, etc.), some telecommunications devices, cranes, machine tools, industrial equipment, industrial dishwashers, agricultural and forestry machines, bulldozers, vehicles for servicing oil and gas wells, several types of vehicles, trailers, several types of ships and aircraft, helicopters, rolling stock and some types of furniture.
I see all this rather differently. Yes, socialism was and is the only way forward to a better world. But what history has shown is that it can’t develop to what it is supposed to be while under constant attack by capitalist (super) powers. As long as it is like a beleaguered castle with it’s walls constantly undermined it develops in ways which lead away from and not towards it’s goals. One example: If you hand over power to the workers (Lenin!) they have to have the time to learn, make mistakes, correct them … until the “new regime” has developed a working practice. Can you do that in a beleaguered castle? You can’t. What do we have instead worldwide today? The 1% enslaves the 99% and – as always – it would be time to turn this around – EXCEPT that the Empire must fall first as must it’s vassals which, by the way, are putting the wrecking ball to the planet as we speak. So… once this self-distruct has worked itself out only THEN is it time to turn (what is left) this planet around, suppress the 1% and free the 99% – not to mention organize everything in way which gives live a chance on a limited planet which cannot be exploited (extractivism!) in an unlimited fashion. So there… here is my vision of the future :-)
A very astute analysis of the Russian situation. The same propaganda general staff has initiated a similar process in the Republic of Srpska, directed against President Dodik (now Srpska representative in the Bosnian Presidency). The scenario is exactly the same. Dodik had his Bolotnaya color revolution attempt in 2014, and obviously it failed as it did in Russia. Now in the Republic of Srpska also a more sophisticated approach is being tried, on the same pattern as in Russia. From a loathsome nationalist extremist, Dodik is now increasngly portrayed by Western financed outfits as a traitor to national interests. A theme that has been featured lately is his delivery of Jasenovac concentration camp archives to foreign interests, resulting in the entire batch of historically invaluable evidence of Croat Ustashi crimes dueing World War II crimes ending up — in Croatian hands. The charge is true, by the way, and he must be held accountable for this action, but his detractors would have done the same thing, and even faster. But the point is that we see the same methodology being used in widely distant countries by agents of the same foreign interests. What a coincidence!
An example here
“The latest of such attempts is a report circulated widely by a number of western and regional mainstream media outlets quoting three Russian analysts of a Russian change of stance towards Syria and in particular towards President Assad. Western mainstream media outlets are depending on literally three analysts, who have no official capacity in the Russian state, one of them is President Putin’s chef, or that’s how he’s called, and the others are former diplomats. The same outlets ignore dozens of statements issued periodically by formal Russian officials and turn a blind eye to the actual Russian military presence in Syria, bleeding with the Syrian Arab Army, yet this latest frenzy got its share and some small-brained Sheeple fell for it, could be the effect of long days of quarantine or social distancing causing social dumbness.
In the wake of the non-stop attempts of the Western MSM, the Russian Embassy in Beirut issued a statement refuting all of the information circulated. Minister Plenipotentiary and Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin also appeared in an interview with the Lebanese-based Al Mayadeen news channel on 28 April evening discussing the topic, the Russian embassy’s statement and affirming the Russian position towards the US-led War of Terror waged against Syria. We’ve added the English translation, the transcript of which follows the below video:
The video is also available on BitChute and Dailymotion.”
https://www.syrianews.cc/russia-ridicules-western-msm-claims-of-change-in-position-toward-syria/
Even RT is starting to publish “Anti Putin” essays! What’s going on? Read this (May 3rd on RT)
Once he recovers from Covid-19, PM Mishustin faces new ordeal – reviving economy & Kremlin’s popularity with thinning oil kitty
Strange times…
News has come out that German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has demanded that the EU rescind its sanctions against Russia. On the Yandex News page there were comments that showed disapproval. Some comments said that the sanctions have benefited Russia more than it harmed, and Schroeder would be a Dummkopf to demand that they be lifted. Others have shown their disdain towards Putin. If Putin is working against those sanctions, then would this explain said commentators’ ire?
Months ago I had an argument with some Russian guy on Disqus who, for some odd reason, believed that the [non-agreement-capable] USA would be a better trading partner with Russia than [the USian vassals in] Europe. He then claimed that Putin is the head of a gang of parasites. I asked him if he had any evidence to back that one up, and all he had to say was to look up for myself the amount of “stolen” wealth exported from Russia to the West since Putin came to power. What kind of response is that?!
(Around the time of the constitutional amendment earlier this year, I asked Natylie Baldwin about it, and here’s her response.)
One day I discovered a video titled “the difference between Russia and Belarus in 50 seconds” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rELhL_g1CA , linked to https://auto.onliner.by/2015/10/28/granica-169 ) in which the uploader travels from a bumpy road in the Krasnogorsky district of Bryansk oblast to a relatively smoother one in Gomel region. At least one comment on the YouTube video blamed this on Putin. Whatever reasons there are for roads in the Krasnogorsky district, if not Russia in general, to be this tattered, what does Putin have to do with them?
It’s time he returns to the same pragmatism in economic affairs, that which he has deftly handled the geopolitics of Russia’s adversaries. There is not much left in neo liberalism and he must give it up and do what is right for his country men’s welfare.
Appreciate many of the observations in this piece as I live in the current United States. When it comes to the dissolution of the U.S.S.R., many of Putin’s comments on this matter sound ambivalent, or couched is the gentle term. He said it was a major tragedy of the 20th Century but puts the solution for the Russian population in economic, I guess one could say capitalistic terms. There are reasons besides serendipity (Lenin getting on a train) for the Bolsheviks getting into power, one of which was the institution of serfdom. Land for all was something people could relate to – as well as other things such as religion which I don’t want to get into. The word “socialism” is being bandied about but not the term “communism” which I find interesting. My question would be:
“Was communism foisted on people too soon?”
Hi – thanks…I have just discovered Saker properly, having been sent articles sporadically from a devoted friend over the years.
Could someone please help me understand these results better? https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/04/28/russians-trust-in-putin-hits-14-year-low-state-poll-a70128
For a start > The Moscow Times is full of pro-western Russian journalists as well as foreign journalists that have a specific anti-Russian agenda. I know one British journalist who joined The Moscow Times expecting to be able to report factually – but he resigned after a short while when he understood the editorial policy…
Secondly, i work in Industrial Market Research. When you ask people questions, you can lead them to give you the answer that you want them to give to you, whilst pretending to ask their valued, independent opinion… The outcome of such methods is fraught with deception and misconception and seldom handled ethically when on political topics, if the client has a specific agenda.
I would not trust anything that The Moscow Times says…
Thanks very much, Analyst! Sorry I just saw your reply now!
Saker, both revolutions of 1917 and 1991 have a certain tribe that hates Slavs at its heart. Said tribe now consumes the west completely. Russia does not have sovereignty to act. If it acts against them the global tribe will react.
Your premise is true I think. Your conclusion may be true, as well.. In how much, I cannot know, I can only guess.
Saker, I invited you to engage in thinking differently about Bernie Sanders, a subject about which I know a lot. Now I’m going to presume to invite you to try thinking differently about something which you probably have far more factual knowledge than I do, Russia’s Communists, “new” and otherwise, and how to understand their warnings about a revolution. There is very little news being exchanged around the world, in English anyway, about the internal world of communist parties, but the class struggle that they are a part of is still there, and I know something about that.
Real revolutions are made by the people, not by revolutionaries, and they tend to happen unexpectedly and irresistibly. The matter is complex, the ideas put forward by revolutionaries play their part, but a century of very intelligent and committed people trying to “make a revolution” and failing testifies to this truth. How far they go and how long the revolutionary process lasts however has a lot to do with the ideas and mettle of their leadership.
Consider the Russian Revolution. It didn’t start in November. You could say it really started in 1905, but lots of crises like that in one country or another didn’t result in a successful revolution. It would be more correct to say it started in March, or perhaps the preceding months, at a time when the Bolsheviks had only a few thousand members. Its characteristic features, workers’, soldiers’, neighborhood and city councils, were like a phase change, a recrystallization of society in a manner of speaking, and are very characteristic of real revolutions everywhere. They were in a sense free creations of the people, practical responses to urgent, immediate problems. The Bolsheviks went on to take leadership in these councils, create connections between them, give them a voice and an ideology and finally take power away from the Provisional Government and assume formal leadership, but that doesn’t change the fact that they did not create this revolution.
I don’t know how the Communists are organized now in Russia. But everywhere that I have known about they were organized in neighborhood, professional and factory clubs, leading their neighbors and fellow workers in local struggles over immediate and everyday issues, organizing or building and defending movements and unions and organizing support around national demands, while promoting their world view. Communists in the US now are for the first time since the 1930’s talking about revolution being on the agenda, not because they are in any way ready to cause or lead one but because they see the signs that our people are reaching their limit, the ruling class has lost its mandate, and we are soon going to be placed in an impossible position where our very survival will demand collective action, breaking old rules and self-organization.
If you suspect this might describe the unfolding situation in Russia it might be worthwhile to listen very closely to them and try to hear what they’re really saying.
Consider the current crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia’s financial system may not be nearly as fragile as that of the West, but it is a primarily capitalist system now, it is as you point out run by people driven by greed not the general good, and it will inevitably suffer major damage from an interruption of employment, rents and payments. For the lockdown to work, the way it did in China, will require cooperation from the people, which will require a high degree of trust between the people and their local and regional governments, employers, landlords and creditors. Without that you could end up with a situation such as that in the US where the fight against the virus is inefficient, inconclusive, turned into a political football, and where the pandemic is doomed to drag on, with accumulating economic and financial damage, eventually even leading to widespread hunger.
A Communist Party embedded in the people could play a major part in organizing a disciplined and effective response of the people to the calls for cooperation with the lockdown. But they cannot play this role without a quid pro quo: the government giving the working people a voice in the process and demonstrating its concern for and commitment to their issues and immediate needs.
I don’t know if this describes Russia’s Communist Party today. And I don’t know if Putin has it in himself – or if he has the political freedom – to turn to the Communists for support and cooperation and to include them in an emergency coalition. My guess is that if he did they could help bring Russia through this crisis much stronger than it will otherwise be, but the forces he leads and the rulers of Western Europe who he hopes to win over would regard him as a class traitor.
As for support from the Communists for Russia’s struggle to remain independent of the Empire, their tradition and ideology certainly should leave them open to this, but slogans and arguments about what’s “good for Russia” won’t fly unless the working people they represent feel some ownership of their economic fate- such as “bailing out the people” and end to and reversal of the privatization process.
Again I know I am writing from a position of profound ignorance of the actual “facts on the ground” in Russia. But I can tell you that the educated people around me, the business owners, professionals, academics and administrators, the ones who are rallying around Joe Biden now, even the ones who studied revolutions at the university and consider themselves experts, are mostly just as ignorant of the facts on the ground in our own country, the revolution that is starting to unfold right under their feet. I am merely supposing that the same might be true of Russia, which despite its vastly different history now has an increasingly similar economy and is therefore a part of the same world crisis.
I would like to invite you to let go of believing that you know, reach out to some Russian communists that you know, “new” and “old”, question them deeply with an open mind about what they see happening, and listen closely. You might want to repeat what you think you heard them say back to them until you’re satisfied that what you think you heard them say is actually what they thought they were saying. And then please share what you learn with us.
With respect and admiration
“C”
There may be a 6th column to overthrow 5th columnist like Anton Siluanov and Elvira Nabiullina with their entourage in which I hope so. This scenario I although have my every doubt so. These neoliberals and Atlanticists are appointed by Putin and so protected by Putin. Putin pretend to care about the russian peoples welfare and in these corona crises have issued financial support to small and medium businesses and support employees sent home with wages. These supports to the russian people issued by Putin are not materialized thanks to Siluanov and Nabiullina. They simply obstructed the presidential orders and Putin may know it and he tolerated it.
In these circumstances and even before corona crisis there have been built a quiet and growing opposition to the Atlanticist government and in the end Putin.
Russia have all opportunities to blossom their economy both agrarian (have been almost to reality), industrial and in high tech sphere, but have been greatly hampered by the neoliberals. In the end Russia is not allowed to do so by, as you call ‘anglozionists’. The Russian constitution was written by advice of ‘advicers’ from Washington and even the Russian Central Bank is owned by IMF with moore than 51% of the stakes.
As long as Putin tolerate these circumstances Russia will not become a fully sovereign country.
If not these ‘6th columnists’ overthrow the ‘5th columnists’ Russia will stay in economic stagnation with no sights to ged rid of the widespread poverty in Russia, already today Putin’s reign in Russia has surpassed
the ‘stagnation period’ you severally have mentioned in Brezhnev’s soviet reign in your essays/blogs.
In russian medias every day are exposed of those actions of the russian government in which can be considered as negative attitude to the russian people and russian economic state.
The russian people only need a credibel political leader of eurasian soveignites/communists orientation, then we will be happy to say goodbye to Putin and his neoliberals. At this moment I can’t name anyone who can take this role. Unfortunately, and I agree with you The Saker, the russian government always had relied in one person versus a system at least since Lenin
I have held the opinion that the economy is Putin´s weak point, perhaps because he is a liberal at heart or because he does not have the power to reign in the Financial and Economic structures. Russia in the 90´s spawned hundreds of Banks, and one by one theey have fallen due to mismanagement or outright fraud and theft. It is commonplace still.
The central Bank simply goes to te rescue and spends the people´s money to keep them afloat, sounds familiar?. Even if they are puny in size. Putin has tightened the rules on this but it still happens. The goverment programs benefit the big businesses and the oligarchic class. The great success of the Agricultural sector is the bright spot in the Russian economy. But, there are thousands of hard working small farmers out of the loop of this success. Sure they are working and benefit to some extent. The weak link is financing, a bank would rather work with one big account then 10 small ones, they are lazy that way. And the subsidies that the government has provided for the most part have been going to mega farms that in reality do not need it, the owners of course are the oligarchs that have diversified.
Another weak point remains the Muslim issue. The republics where there are majorities of muslim population have been greatly influenced by the wahabi madrasas that the gulf states sponsor. Bashkortastan, Tatarstan have great influence from young muftis who have been raised on that ideology, and some have shown public displeasement with some of the Constitutional reforms that Putin proposed. These republics are the ones with the highest birth rates in the Russian Federation. Especially in Tatarstan, there are Nationalist movements, can´t overlook this issue perhaps more explosive.
On separatism the Brits and the Muricans are highly active, and those separatists sponsored by the Western consulates are highly vocal but mostly controlled by the Russian security agencies. The activities of the NGOs are regulated but the Embassies and Consulates are finding ways to circumvent the rules that have been imposed on their activities. One example that recently was exposed, thanks to Covid-19, is the export of young Russian students, high school age. They leave Russia without knowledge of the Education authorities or government agencies that regulate exchange programs. Those programs with the USA were discontinued, practically forbiden. But they found a way around the regulations, thumbed their nose at them. It was discovered because over 400 children were kicked out of their hosts home when the Covid 19 lockdown started in the USA. Big surprise for the Russian authorities.
Very informative, excellent, thank you.
The article is very informative and very good, but it still leaves an open question in my mind. Is Putin a liberal simply because he believes in this socio-economic ideology so deeply, or are there external power factors of neo-liberalism which are squeezing his decisions in that direction?
I think there has been (almost) no one in soviet closing stages with the money to buy, or privatize even a single factory, with the possible exception of some embezzlers high in the nomenklatura with the control of the secret funds abroad.
That means, the enormous Soviet economy has been bought off with the big foreign money, even if the prices have been laughable.
Now, I suspect this same big foreign money was and is behind Chodorkovskis and Deripaskas and all the rest. So going against the liberals in Russia would be going not only against the tycoons but against their foreign marioneteers, or upholders, if you like that better, as well. And they seem to be from the very top row of the financial old money in the west.
So, my question to you, Saker is, is Putin a liberal at heart, or is he one only as much as he cannot avoid?
I just hope you get a chance to hang out with some of those Neo-Communists. They are not that much against Putin. And they are not for (or against) the revolution. They just see it coming and are trying to educate (indoctrinate, whatever) as many people as they can reach. I’m talking about guys like Remi Meisner.