Russia: What is Going on Right Now? (Part 1)

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The situation is very clear to everyone who has some initial critical thinking skills. Russian society is split over Putin's rule. The split is quite dramatic, but it is not even. More than 50% of Russians want to live under Putin, while the other, a much smaller yet quite vocal part of the population, is not happy with where the country is going under Putin's rule.

More after the jump...



People who are content or support the current regime belong to several very broad categories:

1. FSB, the higher echelon of military forces, and others, affiliated with the security forces, the special forces, and the military. 
They have all the power in Putin's Russia since they are the primary beneficiary and the backbone of his rule. Since Putin is the absolute ruler, their power is also practically absolute. It spreads far beyond the regular scope of any countries' security forces except for the one in North Korea, of course.

2. Oligarchs that own oil, gas, aluminum, steel, and other companies, involved in the distribution of natural resources. People who are dependent on them (i.e. their employees, etc.)
Yes, they have to share their wealth with the state, but they still get their piece of the pie so there is no contempt on their behalf. Any businessman who shows the slightest hint of disloyalty gets trampled by the omnipresent government. The way the laws can be used against the victims, it is virtually impossible not to be guilty of something.

3. People who work for the government, federal employees, etc. 
Since Russia is the country of bureaucracy and the bureaucratic machine is overstaffed, well-oiled, and well-designed to extort money and exert power, one cannot work for the government yet at the same time not support the very regime that feeds them. Even the little guys, like teachers and doctors, who get their paychecks from the government, have to prove their loyalty to the regime on a regular basis.

4. Ordinary people, brainwashed by the government-controlled media.  
Since all of the Russian media produces nothing but 100% pro-Kremlin propaganda, most people who routinely watch TV (such as pensioners, disabled, and stay-at-home moms) gobble up even the least insidious lies. The propaganda machine is ruthless. Just like a hungry awaken bear, it mauls every living thing it meets along its way. Some categories of viewers are more gullible than others. In the complete absence of alternative news sources, they fall victim of this propaganda machine.

5. Marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Virtually all people with a very low I.Q, marginalized and vulnerable groups. or those with the lack of exposure fall under this very broad category. This group includes but not limited to alcoholics, criminals, and mentally disabled. If you ever meet a person who is mentally disabled and who does not believe in "CrimeaIsOurs" or #Крымнаш, please let us know and we will retract this statement.

6. "Dark matter" or a large part of amorphous, politically neutral population.  
Even though this force seems neutral, it provides the necessary stability to all regimes in the world. All they want is for the country to be stable, no matter who is in charge. These people provided silent support to Hitler, Stalin and such.

Just to illustrate this matter further, let's examine animal behavior. When it comes to choosing their water holes, all the animals in Africa follow a peculiar and "unwritten" rule. As soon as the number of animals surpasses the magical 50%, even by one creature, all the animals suddenly start to move and change their water hole so they can join the rest. The same rule applies to people. As soon as this dark matter tips the political preference scale, the regime is doomed. This happened in Russia in 1917, when the Bolsheviks, a minor emerging power that nobody took seriously, gained some support from the largely ignorant masses. This enabled the communist party to secure their rule of terror and set Russia on a doomed course to stay behind the rest of Europe for the next seventy years.