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by Russia’s victorious new elites, who imagined Russia lead- ing the liberation of mankind. Then the goal of liberation was forgotten, but the idea of standing at the helm of half the world, if not the whole world, remained. As it seems to many present-day Russians, Stalin succeeded in achieving this; this was the outcome of the Second World 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 para- mount 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 opera- tion 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 Febru- ary 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 partici-
pation in a situation such as an interview with a representa- tive 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 reac- tions 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 success but the very fact that Russia stepped up, threw down the gauntlet, and the gauntlet was picked up. It is possible, of course, that in the future the cited figures will soar even more if the propagandists claim outstanding victories on the part of Russia, or they will go down if some discouraging news is widely disseminated. But for now, Russians are collectively experiencing a feeling of satisfac- tion that the world has been put into the order that they have long desired. In such a euphoric mood, no one thinks about the way the country or their family will survive, about their job or salary. People are happy and positive: everything will somehow work out, since Russia is such a tough cookie that the whole world trembles before it.
We cannot predict whether such a mental frame will last long. It seems very shaky despite its grandiosity. But let us not forget that a similar frame has ensured an approval rating of at least 60% for Putin’s actions as President of the Russian Federation for more than two decades. Over time, he has discovered how to effectively engage with Russians’ mass consciousness and has been building his foreign policy in line with certain mass perceptions and stereotypes. There are other semantic units in the mass consciousness which could serve as fundamentals for a very different policy. But Putin has used those which are also in line with the interests of the elites he has surrounded himself with.
Readers who are already aware of or have suspected all that has been said here will not find our story comforting. Well, Russian intellectuals have more than once had to grieve when they discovered that they were a ‘far cry from the people’. But we know for sure – both from history and from our research
– that the time will come when the mass consciousness will turn to those ideals which these underrepresented readers are now struggling to preserve.
Alexey Levinson is Head of Sociocultural Research at Levada Centre and a Professor at Moscow Higher School of Economics.
This article first appeared in Riddle. Riddle is an independent media outlet focusing on independent analysis of Russia and
a bne IntelliNews media partner. Follow on Twitter @RiddleRussia
www.bne.eu