Source: https://consortiumnews.com/2017/05/31/comprehending-todays-russia/
By Rick Sterling
For over two weeks this May, a delegation of 30
Americans visited seven regions and ten cities across Russia. Organized by
Sharon Tennison of the Center for Citizen Initiatives.
The participants began in Moscow with several days of meetings and visits, then
broke into smaller groups going to cities including Volgograd, Kazan
(Tatarstan), Krasnodar (near the Black Sea), Novosibirsk (Siberia), Yekaterinburg
and the Crimean cities Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol.
Red
Square in Moscow with a winter festival to the left and the Kremlin to the
right. (Photo by Robert Parry)
After these regional visits, delegates regrouped in
St Petersburg to share their experiences. Following is an informal review with
conclusions based on my observations in Kazan and what I heard from others.
–Western sanctions have hurt sectors of Russia’s
economy but encouraged agricultural production.
Exports and imports have been impacted by Western
sanctions imposed in 2014. The tourist sector has been hard hit and education
exchanges between Russia and the U.S. have been interrupted or ended. But the
sanctions have spurred investments and expansion in agricultural production. We
were told that farmers are saying “Don’t lift the sanctions!”
—Some Russian oligarchs are making major
infrastructure investments.
For example, billionaire Sergei Galitsky has
developed Russia’s largest retail outlet, the Magnit supermarket chain.
Galitsky has invested heavily in state-of-the-art drip irrigation green houses
producing massive quantities of high quality cucumbers, tomatoes and other
vegetables, which are distributed via the supermarkets throughout Russia.
–There has been a resurgence of religion in Russia.
Russian Orthodox Churches have been revitalized and
gold leaf glistens on the church domes. Muslim mosques have also been
refurbished and rebuilt. A brilliant new mosque is a prominent part of the
Kremlin in Kazan, Tatarstan. There are many Muslim in Russia. This research puts
the number at ten million though we heard estimates much higher. We saw
numerous examples of interfaith unity and cooperation, with Muslim Imams
working side by side with young Russian Orthodox priests. We also heard stories
of how churches had been used as prisons or food warehouses during the Stalin
era.
—Russia increasingly looks east.
The Russian emblem of a double-headed eagle looks
both east and west; it is a Eur-Asian country. While Europe is still important
politically and economically, Russia is increasingly looking to the east.
Russia’s “strategic partner” is China – economically, politically and
militarily. There are increasing numbers of Chinese tourists and education
exchanges with Russia. In the United Nations Security Council the two countries
tend to vote together. Huge investments are planned for the transportation
network dubbed the “Belt and Road
Initiative” connecting Asia with Europe.
–Russia is a capitalist country with a strong state
sector.
Government is influential or controls sectors of the
economy such as public transportation, military/defense industry, resource
extraction, education and health care. State-owned
enterprises account for nearly 40 percent of overall employment.
They have universal health care in parallel with private education and health
care facilities. Banking is a problem area with high interest rates and the
failure/bankruptcy of numerous banks in the past decade. We heard complaints
that foreign multinational companies can enter and control sectors of the
economy, drive out Russian competitors and take the profits home.
The
luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Moscow
–There is some nostalgia for the former Soviet Union
with its communist ideals.
We met numerous people who speak fondly of the days
when nobody was super-rich or horribly poor and when they believed there was a
higher goal for society. We heard this from people ranging from a successful
entrepreneur to an aging Soviet-era rock musician. That does not mean that
these people want to return to Soviet days, but that they recognize the changes
in Russia have both pluses and negatives. There is widespread disapproval of
the breakup of the Soviet Union and the economic chaos of the 1990s.
–There is a range of media supporting both government
and opposition parties.
There are three major TV stations controlled by and
supporting the government. Along with these, there are numerous private
stations criticizing the government and supporting various opposition parties.
In print media, the majority of newspapers and magazines are critical of the
government.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin answering questions from Russian citizens at his
annual Q&A event on April 14, 2016. (Russian government photo)
–Public transportation is impressive.
The streets of Moscow are jam packed with new cars.
Meanwhile, underground there is a fast, economical and efficient subway system.
which is the most heavily used in Europe. The Moscow metro carries 40 percent
more passengers than the New York subway system. On major routes the trains
arrive every 60 seconds. Some of the stations are over 240 feet underground
with the longest
escalator in Europe. Inter-city trains such as the Sapsan (Falcon)
take passengers between St. Petersburg and Moscow at 200 kilometers per hour.
Despite the speed, the train is smooth and quiet. It’s an interesting way to
view rural Russia as one passes ramshackle dachas, cute villages and abandoned
Soviet-era factories. A major new transportation project is the bridge between
Krasnodar and the Crimean peninsula. This short video portrays the design.
–Putin is popular.
Depending on who you ask, Putin’s popularity seems to
range between 60 and 80 percent. There are two reasons: First, since he became
leader the economy has stabilized, corrupt oligarchs were brought into check,
and the standard of living dramatically improved. Second, Putin is credited
with restoring international respect for Russia and national pride for Russian
citizens. Some say, “During the 1990s we were a beggar nation.” Russians have a
strong sense of national pride and Putin’s administration has restored that.
Some people think Putin deserves a break from the
intense pressure and workload. That does not mean everyone likes him or is
afraid to say that. Our official Moscow guide took delight in showing us the
exact spot on the bridge outside the Kremlin where she believes Putin had one
of his enemies assassinated. Other Russians we spoke with mock these
accusations, which are widely believed in the West. As to the accusations that
Putin is a “dictator,” about 75 students in Crimea openly laughed when they
were asked about this Western belief.
Current Political Tension
–Russians are highly skeptical of accusations about
Russian “meddling” in the U.S. election.
One foreign policy expert, Vladimir Kozin, said “It’s
a fairy tale that Russia influenced the U.S. election.” They contrast the
unverified accusations with clear evidence of U.S. interference in past Russian
elections, especially in the 1990s when the economy was privatized and crime,
unemployment and chaos overwhelmed the country. The role of the U.S.
in “managing” the election of Boris Yeltsin in 1995 is widely known
in Russia, as is the U.S. funding of hundreds of “non-governmental
organizations” in Ukraine prior to the 2013-2014 violence and coup.
Time
magazine cover recounting how the U.S. enabled Boris Yeltsin’s reelection as
Russian president in 1996.
–There is a strong desire to improve relations with
the U.S..
We met numerous Russians who had participated in
citizen exchanges with the U.S. in the 1990s. Almost universally these Russians
had fond memories of their visits and hosts in the U.S. In other places we met
people who had never met an American or English-speaking person before.
Typically they were cautious but very pleased to hear from American citizens
who also wish to improve relations and reduce tensions.
–Western media reports about Crimea are hugely
distorted.
CCI delegates who visited Crimea met with a broad
range of citizens and elected leaders. The geography is “stunningly beautiful”
with mountains dropping to beaches on the Black Sea. Not reported in the West,
Crimea was part of Russia since 1783. When Crimea was administratively
transferred to Ukraine in 1954, it was all part of the Soviet Union. Crimeans
told the CCI delegates they were repelled by the violence and fascist elements
involved in the Kiev coup. Bus convoys from Crimea were attacked
with injuries and deaths following the Kiev coup.
The new coup government said Russian was no longer an
official language. Crimeans quickly organized and held a referendum to
secede from Ukraine and “re-unify” with Russia. With 80 percent of registered
voters participating, 96 percent voted to join Russia. One Crimean stated to
the CCI delegates, “We would have gone to war to separate from Ukraine.” Others
noted the hypocrisy of the West which allows secession votes in Scotland and
Catalonia, and which encouraged the secession of Croatia, but then rejects the
overwhelming vote and choice of the Crimean people.
A map
showing Crimea (in beige) and its proximity to both the Ukrainian mainland and
Russia.
Sanctions against tourism are hurting the economy of
Crimea yet the public is confident in its decision. The Americans who visited
Crimea were overwhelmed with the warm welcome and friendliness they received.
Because of the sanctions, few Americans visit Crimea and they also received
substantial media coverage. In reaction, political officials in Ukraine accused
the delegates of being “enemies of the Ukrainian state” and put their names on
a blacklist.
–Russians know and fear war.
Twenty-seven million Russians died in World War II
and that experience is seared into the Russian memory. The Nazi siege of
Leningrad (now called St. Petersburg) reduced the population from 3 million to
500,000. Walking through the cemetery of mass graves brings home the depth of
suffering and resilience of Russians who somehow survived a 872-day siege on
the city. Memory of the war is kept alive through commemorations with huge
public participation. Citizens carry poster-size photographs of their relatives
who fought or died in World War II, known as the “Immortal
Regiment.” In Kazan, the march involved 120,000 persons – 10 percent
of the entire city population – beginning at 10 a.m. and concluding at 9 p.m..
Across Russia, millions of citizens actively participate. The marches and
parades marking “Victory Day” are more solemn than celebratory.
–Russians see themselves being threatened.
While Western media portrays Russia as “aggressive,”
most Russians perceive the reverse. They see the
U.S. and NATO increasing military budgets, steadily expanding, moving up to the
Russian border, withdrawing from or violating past treaties and conducting
provocative military exercises. This map shows the situation.
Some
of the estimated 12 million Russians who took part in Immortal Regiment parades
across the country over three days in May 2016. (RT photo)
–Russians want to de-escalate international tensions.
Former President Mikhail Gorbachev said to our group,
“Does America want Russia to just submit? This is a country that can never
submit.” These words carry extra significance because it was Gorbachev who
initiated the foreign policy of Perestroika which led to his own sidelining and
the collapse of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev has written about Perestroika as
follows: “Its main outcome was the end of the Cold War. A long and potentially
deadly period in world history, when the whole humankind lived under the
constant threat of a nuclear disaster, came to an end.” Yet we are clearly in a
new Cold War and the threat has re-emerged.
Despite three years of economic sanctions, low oil
prices and an intense information war in the West, Russian society appears to
be doing reasonably well. Russians across the spectrum express a strong desire
to build friendship and partnership with the U.S. At the same time, it seems
Russians will not be intimidated. They don’t want war and won’t initiate it,
but if attacked they will defend themselves as they have in the past.
