Relatives of the soldiers gathered to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, outside the Kremlin walls in the Alexander Garden. The demonstration marked 500 days since President Vladimir Putin in September 2022 ordered the “partial mobilisation” of up to 300,000 military reservists in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.
The call-up prompted more than 260,000 men to flee the nation, with Moscow reportedly setting up drafting offices at borders to intercept fleeing reservists.
They were also the two leaders that came after Mikhail Gorbachevs Glasnost Politics of (besides other things) dismantling the personal cult that russians followed for centuries. The West developed with democracy a form of replaceable power figures, where the train can still run the same and you just switch the conductor. Russians love the personification of power in one person and cultishly follow him. Putin actively revived the Stalin image to revive that persona cult thinking in a leader that led them into the abyss the last centuries. Those who left, left behind a very dense group of singularity mindset of leadership. And they never questioned that. They never reworked that. They never came to a coherent narration about these times. They apply the asian concept of “never talking about weakness” as russia is the brackish gradient to asian society. They could have embraced that fact with creativity and ingenuity. But there is no ingenuity in russia today. If only they could reflect themself, embrace their heritage, become a vocal public republic with tendencies to arrive in a democracy in the future. But they are not on their way. They dismantle the connection to the outside internet, like they disconnect their citizens from the public discourse.
I hope one day former Russians, who found their second citizenchip somehwere else, can go back and be proud to work on the real “Novorossiya” in the Ural region, formerly known as Moscovya. Imagine getting spawn as a progressive Leadership figure in the current landstate of russia. Putin really did not played his cards in a winning matter given that spawn potential: Resourcefull, sprawling masses of Land ready to be developed to attract minds and hearts of people by giving them a above average share of economic gain with minimal corruption and massive innovative potential by attracting bright minds into the country. A pro-west powerhouse. A European Canada. But: Nyet.
One day it can work. Its a long way to go but we are not even wearing socks yet. Getting Russia into a working Democracy is like helping your drunk friend getting into his pants and jacket so he can go to work. Literally