Is Russophobia Real?

What is Russophobia?

The most obvious answer is: Russophobia is the fear of Russia and Russians.

Unfortunately, in reality, the answer is way more complicated than that.

In this post we will examine whether Russophobia is real and, if it is, should people be afraid of Russia and Russians. 

More after the jump. 


Russians hate stereotypes about themselves. If you want to see a very angry Russian, all you have to do is ask in your most innocent voice, "So, do you have bears on the streets in Russia?" Don't forget to step back and enjoy the show. 

Russians hate to be portrayed as villains in video games and Hollywood movies. Because Russians think they are the good guys. Let me tell you something: everybody thinks they are the good guys because they want to be the good guys. However, in reality, Russians are not always the good guys they think they are, and no amount of Russian propaganda can fix that.

Russians were telling the world not to be afraid of them when they were killing their own people in GULAGs by the millions. Russians were claiming how peaceful they were while Stalin made a pact with Hitler to divide and conquer Poland.  Russians did not want the world to know what happened in Katyn and they blamed it on Germans. However, we all know the sad truth: 
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If you want to know more about Russian history, please ask Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Tatars, Finnish and many others, how do they view their closest neighbors. Or, better yet, read this article:
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Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968 experienced a warm Russian welcome first hand. 

However, this is not the point. Let bygones be bygones so let's talk about the present. 

We know that Russia is a country that is way behind the times, it has been a totalitarian state for over seventy years, and it has never been free. We also know that all biological systems have a tendency to replicate themselves. A fish cannot be born from a monkey and visa verse. Russians have replicated their system everywhere they went. Among countries they "set up" (to fail) were East Germany and North Korea. We all can see how well it all worked out.

Now, when Russia has basically annexed Crimea and waging a war in Ukraine, people see Russia for what it's worth. Even though Russian propaganda claims that it was all done according to people's wishes since they had a so-called "referendum" in Crimea, they forget to mention the simple fact that the referendum was illegitimate and looked exactly like the Sudetenland in 1938. Only a handful of countries recognized Crimea as a part of Russia, among them Cuba, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, and North Korea. 

Should neighboring countries be afraid of Russia? Yes, if you live in Latvia or Kazakhstan since there are way too many Russians living there and they are susceptible to Russian propaganda. No, if you live in France or Portugal - you are too far from Russian reach.

Russia is a country that is going backward while most countries are going forward. Here are the views of Russian influence by country, the year 2015.

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As you can see, only eleven countries have a favorable view of Russia. Actually, six out of those eleven countries favor Russia by not more than 10 percent. Let's list  some of those countries that see Russia favorably: Tanzania, Ghana, China, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. In fact, Vietnamese people are the friendliest people towards Russia right now. Maybe Putin can start planning his escape to Vietnam? 

One more thing you need to know about "Russophobia". Kremlin propaganda is using this word to label any negative comments from any critics no matter how legitimate those critics are. You think Russia annexed Crimea? This is just plain Russophobia! We are the good guys, we liberated Russians who live in Crimea from Ukrainian fascists. You believe the Russian state created a doping program for its Olympians? You are a Russophobe, we did no such thing. Every country has a doping program, we just got caught. You think that Russian television is full of propaganda? You are most definitely a Russophobe! Every country uses TV for propaganda. 

And many gullible Russians actually believe this.

So, to answer this question: is Russophobia real? 

Yes, it is, although it is extremely very rare. Most people are not afraid of Russia or Russians.They just do not like where the country is going. However, the countries that show some caution when dealing with Russia (such as Latvia, Estonia, etc.) have a very valid reason for doing so. The term "Russophobia" is often used by Kremlin propagandists to label and silence Putin's critics, that's all there is to it. 

If you see a mad dog that is foaming at the mouth, and you look at it with caution, this is not a phobia. It is just being reasonable and cautious. Labeling people as Russophobes just for criticizing Putin's Russia akin to telling people they have a pyrophobia when they tell you your house is on fire.

If Russians want the rest of the world to like them and not be afraid of them, they should not invest billions in propaganda. It might work in Russia, but it will fail everywhere else. The only sure way to eradicate Russophobia is to change the way the country is run.