Can’t we Tweet, with a hashtag, or light some candles or organize a walk or something?
Isn’t that Putin’s pro-war goal, to propagandize his violent nation into supporting his invasions, and getting enlistments to the level where they can drop their 1 year draftee dependence?
What concerns me is that he’s using the Orthodox Church.
Back at the after-school patriotic club, Stepan Zotov puts it more bluntly.
In his view, even the alliance against Hitler in World War Two was only a temporary arrangement, born out of mutual defence interests. Russia and the West were never on the same side.
"We understand very sharply the great and undeniable gap between Russian culture and Western culture," he says.
"For 60-70 years, there has been no fundamental change. Then or now, you are our enemy. And we have no illusions about this state ever changing. You are a different civilisation."
What is curious is that he manages to make this sound both chilling and somehow amicable at the same time, as though the aggressive ultra-nationalistic rhetoric against foreign enemies is on one level, and day to day dealings with individual foreigners is on another level altogether.
But when it comes to what these patriots call "national traitors"- Russia's enemies from within - the benevolence disappears.
How does firing blanks improve your aim?
“Patriotic fervour on the rise in Russia”
Among American democrats and elitists, expressions or displays of patriotism are looked down on as gauche behavior.
Russia going patriotic.
America going homo.
Does that makes them national socialists?
Thank you Candy Crowley.
This just shows the type of nation Russia is returning to under Putin; it’s the type of thing he wants.
Good for them.