Page 26 - RusRPTSept22

War. And it was this outcome that, as it seems to many present-day Russians, was ruined, zeroed out by Gorbachev.
In the minds of some Russians, the idea of Russia as the paramount leader of half of the planet exists as a romantic national myth, nothing more, but there are those who thought the idea could be materialised right now when force is combined with slick politics. Regardless of the objective of the special operation voiced by propaganda, they believed the cause launched on 24 February 2022 (or even earlier, in the spring of 2014) to be the accomplishment of this historical mission.
It is noteworthy that in March, when Russian respondents described their feelings about the military action in Ukraine, the most frequent answer (51%) was that of a feeling of ‘pride in Russia’. There were no reports about victories at that point. What were Russian compatriots proud of? According to polls, respondents felt proud that on 24 February Russia challenged its main rival and adversary (the US, NATO and the West are synonyms in this case). Once again, this is the same collective response that we saw in 2008 and in 2014. Russians were proud then and are proud now that their country is acting in defiance of international rules and laws (established, as they believe, by the West). And they are proud because, in their eyes, it means that Russia is once again behaving as a great power. The fact that it is a great power that can flout international law with impunity is deduced from the ‘America bombed Yugoslavia’ case. And America is clearly a great power, Russians believe.
Again, the special operation is considered, in essence, not a conflict with Ukraine but with the great power of the United States. This confrontation is not about defeating America and then conquering or destroying it. The goal, as many Russians believe, is different. In this clash, America needs to feel and recognise that Russia is its equal. Equal in military strength, but, most importantly, equal in its status as a major world power. Russians further envision a beautiful new world, divided forever in two by America and Russia. (China is left out of this picture.) The way America is behaving is in line with Russians’ expectations. It has picked up the gauntlet, which is good; it is behaving with restraint in this conflict because it fears ‘us’ (Russia, Putin); hence, it respects us, sees us as equals. The self-perception of Russians as subjects of a great power headed by an internationally recognised leader has been reinforced.
We must bear in mind that we are not discussing the whole mass consciousness of Russians in its entirety but rather the state of it which has been activated and mobilised by participation in a situation such as an interview with a representative of a sociological agency. Let us say straight away that the point is not that people are afraid that the interviewer is a possible informant or provocateur. Nor is the interviewer perceived as a representative of the authorities. An interview is a situation in which an ordinary person does not feel at ease, responding to questions as a citizen/subject of the state, a great power. This is why respondents’ reactions to symbolic events belonging to this sublime category affect their reactions to mundane aspects of everyday life, of ordinary life with its economic, everyday problems. In such a situation, a paradoxical mechanism is triggered: the worse the situation on the ground, the greater the desire to console oneself with successes up there. As we have noted, the main thing here is not military
26 RUSSIA Country Report September 2022 www.intellinews.com