The Return of Soviet Fear In Russia
Imagine eating dinner at a restaurant in Russia with family or friends. The topic of Ukraine comes up. You criticize the war as unprovoked Russian aggression. Other diners hear you. They report you to the Federal Security Service (FSB), formerly known as the KGB.
In Russia, you could be sent to prison for merely uttering those criticisms. Or worse. You could simply disappear.
It is hard to fathom that reality in western culture, but it has increasingly become commonplace for Russians.
Following new laws that have outlawed public dissent against Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, recent reports have described Russians turning against each other. Students against teachers, neighbors against neighbors, passers-by against shop owners.
Many fear that not reporting dissent to the state could lead to trouble for themselves. As Putin said in a recent speech, Russian society needs a “self-purification.”
“[We need to] distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths.”
Vladimir Putin
Sounds like a return of political prisoners and maybe even the gulag. Sounds like a return of Soviet fear in Russia. It is polarizing Russian society and silencing many Russians who might otherwise protest Putin’s inhumane actions.
As we have stressed recently, the key to stopping Putin is not through sanctions, military action, or diplomacy.
The key is turning the Russian people against him.
A Tipping Point For Liberal Democracy
Ukrainians have shown and reminded the world that people are willing to die for the principles of self-government. True freedom, where a country and its people are not forced to operate as a colony for an overbearing neighbor, is desirable.
Current generations in America and throughout much of the west have always had this freedom. No American alive today had to pay taxes to King George without representation in government. Many of us, therefore, take freedom for granted.
It is easy to forget that people had to fight and die, not only to realize freedom, but to keep it. Liberal democracy is fragile. As we’ve seen today, it is easy for strongmen like Putin to exploit its soft spots, especially the open flow and movement of information. It is easy to manipulate. And therefore, the people in these societies are relatively easy to manipulate too.
If Putin is able to influence information outside of Russia, imagine what he can do inside it. The propaganda would be next to impossible to ignore. Which is why it is hard to hold Russians fully accountable. Given the new censorship laws, every person is empowered and incentivized to rat on their fellow citizens, even their friends and family. It has created a culture of fear not seen since Stalin’s Soviet Union.
Russians are not without power though. Collectively, they have the ability to realize liberal democratic principles. Easier said than done, sure. But they would not be the first society to overthrow a tyrant. They just need the will.
But first, they need accurate information. State sponsored media that has amped up Russian nationalism and a zero-sum game mentality cannot be trusted. But it may not be that obvious from the inside. In order for Russians to even have the idea, let alone the will, of taking down Putin, they must have the truth.
Many might hear it from friends or family abroad, but most likely ignore it or throw their hands up as if to say, “What can I do about it?”
If the world is to stop this war without starting World War III, the Russian people should be the primary focal point. They give Putin his power and authority. They don’t even realize it.
This is a tipping point for liberal democracy everywhere. Should Putin succeed, even in winning parts of Ukraine like the Donbas region, it will only empower him further. Russian people will never have the option to self-govern their lives. And the ability of Russia’s neighbors to do so will be significantly threatened by a nationalistic Putin.
The Soviet Fear Extends to Russian Speakers Globally
One reality that continues to baffle me (as a westerner) is how many native Russian speakers outside Russia appear to share the worldview of many Russian citizens. As if they are also under a spell of Soviet-style propaganda, despite having unlimited access to other forms of credible information.
This tweet thread summed it up nicely:
The “deceived generation”, as Professor Olga Chyzh described, feels oppressed. This feeling is reinforced by the Kremlin. So in effect, Putin has millions of native Russian speakers globally at his command. He has expertly used Russian nationalism to instill fear in the minds of Russians everywhere. As if every non-Russian, from Ukrainians to Americans, are out to get them.
It is difficult to combat this type of mentality. Especially in someone like “Tanya”, as described by Professor Chyzh. She is an older generation of Russians, many of whom have strong nostalgia for Communism and the Soviet Union. It is unlikely that the minds of Tanya and others like her will ever change.
But that does not mean the international community should not try.
The Tanyas of the world are one extreme, but there are many others inside Russia who would speak out, who would protest, but refuse to do so out of fear. There are others who do not have all of the facts and information in order to make an informed decision. The world may not change Tanya’s mind, but it could do some good by trying through any and all (nonviolent) means to empower others to fight back against modern day totalitarianism.
Empowered with truth, Russians may be uniting against a tyrant instead of reporting on each other. They may be overcoming Soviet fear tactics and fighting for peace in Ukraine instead of war.
Putin’s power starts and ends with the Russian people.
