He continues to investigate his Russian homeland in Moscow, even though Andrei Kolesnikov was recently declared a “foreign agent” – that is, a traitor. Kolesnikov explained to the American magazine ‘Foreign Affairs’ how Putin’s system works. How he controls the masses with money, patriotism, death cults and an unwritten social contract – and how Putin could lose power.
Swamp in the middle of society
Only 20 percent of Russian society would like to live in a democracy and would like more Western culture. Another 20 percent are fervent supporters of Putin and his idea of a great Russian empire. More importantly, in the middle lies a large ‘swamp or swamp’, to which 60 percent of the population belongs.
The people in this swamp do everything they can to live their peaceful lives. You stop thinking independently; do as Putin orders; repeat what he says. Not wanting to be on the side of evil, they distort good and evil and force themselves to believe that Putin will bring peace to Ukraine. “This is how they can survive.”
Huge welfare state
To dominate these groups, Putin is increasingly using the stick, but he is still using a lot of carrots. He has made millions of people completely dependent on the welfare state – and therefore on himself. One in three – 33 percent of the population – is economically dependent on social benefits, and another 25 percent is dependent on someone else.
Even though government statistics are less reliable these days, Kolesnikov finds these figures ‘shocking’. Social services are more important today than in the communist Soviet Union. Their share in the population’s income is larger today.
Putin wanted this to happen and spent money from oil and gas exports to maximize state influence. He pushed back the free market. The calculation behind this was clear: those who depend on the state are not against it, they are obedient.
Unwritten social contract
There are more roots. Putin has offered the people an unwritten social contract, which, according to Kolesnikov, reads as follows: “Be calm, be good citizens, be patriotic citizens, give me your vote in the elections. In return, you can live a quiet life and concentrate on your private problems.”
This deal seemed dead when Putin mobilized tens of thousands of citizens for war. But recently, ahead of the March presidential election, Putin said there would be no new mobilization and offered a new deal: “Some of you can go to war, we will pay for it and admit that you are great patriots. . But not everyone has to choose this option. You can stay at home, you can be people who work from home for our victory.”
Real jobs for real men
Actually, people in Russia are not fans of Putin’s imperialism. Before the outbreak of war, sociologists were able to demonstrate that for them the prestige of a country did not depend on military strength. For them, the size of the economy and prosperity were more important. The people wanted to live a good life and not storm the godforsaken hills in a hail of bullets.
Putin bridged this ideological gap with big money: higher wages for soldiers, generous benefits for relatives of the wounded or dead. Moscow is being plastered with advertisements that military service in Ukraine is a ‘real job’ for ‘real men’.
In the summer, Putin boasted that incomes would rise. But this money is not generated in the shrinking private sector. It comes from the state, from social benefits or wages for the security forces. Putin buys obedience.
A huge arsenal of repressive tools
The regime has an enormous arsenal of instruments. It controls the courts through which it sentences critics to Stalinist prison terms. It could declare them “foreign agents,” as Kolesnikov did last December, thereby exposing them to intimidation, threats and intimidation.
Nearly all independent media outlets have been closed or access blocked. And it has the unofficial label of “traitor to the nation” for anyone who doesn’t burst into a storm of enthusiasm over the war in Ukraine or Russia’s gradual transformation into a militaristic police state.
Cult of the fallen
Since the beginning of the war, the regime has promoted the idea of a heroic death for the homeland. Putin personally argues that a death on the battlefield means a full life – a life not lived in vain.
Putin told a group of mothers whose sons had died: “For some people it remains unclear why they died – from vodka or from something else… their lives passed unnoticed. But your son really lived, do you understand that? He achieved his goals.”
This idea has already penetrated Russian culture today. Kolesnikov cites the example of the pop star Shaman, whose Kremlin propaganda turned him into a mouthpiece for military expansion. In his hit song “Let’s Rise,” he sings that “God and the truth are on our side” and calls on us to praise the fallen – “those who have found themselves in heaven and are no longer with us.”
Trend towards total control
Silent obedience is no longer sufficient for Putin in many situations. People need to clearly show their support. Russian schools must teach ‘patriotism’. Textbooks explain how to understand Putin’s decisions. He forces the audience to attend his performances.
Putin’s system is changing, Kolesnikov believes. It moves away from an autocracy that allows freedom as long as people remain private. Control becomes more total. Whatever Putin says, no one can deny it; Whatever happens, only his interpretation of it matters. He decides what the Russians think.
Ideology and Kleptocracy
Putin has created a system of self-enrichment like no other; he could be the richest person in the world. Therefore, for a long time the West believed that it was only interested in money, villas and yachts. But for Kolesnikov, Putin was never a pure kleptocrat. The attack on Ukraine would not have happened if ideology had not prevailed over everything.
The West is therefore in moral decline. Replacing it and thereby defending Christian civilization is Russia’s historic mission. To do this, the country must revive the conservative principles of the Russian Orthodox Church and regain its empire, first in what is now Ukraine and Belarus.
The end of Putin
Putin will not fall easily, even if he loses in Ukraine. He will find the words to turn defeat into victory. And he will soon have less money to buy a loyal population. Oil money is declining due to Western sanctions; the economy misses the people who are fighting or have fallen in Ukraine; the military devours enormous sums of money. That could be dangerous for him.
But in the end, Putin will probably survive this too, Kolesnikov believes. If there is no money for the people, there is still enough for the police, the army or the secret services – and they then force people’s loyalty, if necessary with violence against rebellious people. “Putin is still in a stable position.” (aargauerzeitung.ch)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
