Putin's Russia is a degrading gray zone without a future. By absolutely all criteria and indicators in absolutely all spheres and activities of the economy and finance (even in the military-industrial complex), it is going backwards - rushing directly through the times of Stagnation and will inevitably collapse in the years of Stalinist terror and famine.
Not even a gray zone, but a black hole that swallows everything, and most of all itself.
But Putin has one practically inexhaustible resource: the obedience and cowardice of the entire Russian people. As a people, and otherwise here and there one finds the odd sane and disagreeable person.
There is no other people in Europe or bordering Europe that is so heartlessly patient.
In addition to the patience of an ox or a sheep, this people, ruled despotically and kept repressively in a passive and silent state, has another uniquely shocking feature:
Of all the peoples in Europe or bordering Europe
(and this has been proven by sociological studies even by scientists who are now Zetniks and support the War against Ukraine),
the Russian people are the most atomized, the most afraid of consolidation and mutual aid, i.e. with the least social capital. He most desires to live under a strong government and in a centralized state.
Sociological characteristics and imperatives today, in this dynamic and turbulent time of high uncertainty and uncertainty, are much stronger than the traditional measures of identity (e.g. language, religion, alphabet, collectivism - and this is proven, for example, by the Ukrainian people, who generally had the same objective specifics).
That is why not only Europe, but to a large extent also we, the Bulgarians, are alien to what the Russian people represent today. And we must reject our delusions that we have many common features with them. A total and harmful delusion!
In fact, alas - we still have things in common, but they are archaisms in their deep essence. Formal similarities, devoid of deep content.
We are a much more European people than the Asianness of what the Russian people have become after 70-75 years of totalitarian socialism and 25-30 years of totalitarian democracy. As a people. Not that there aren't any decent people there who haven't emigrated yet.
The Russian writer Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin describes a fictional-real town of Glupov as a collective image of Russia - with all its vices and shortcomings, absurdities and tragedies.
The writer gives a very accurate description of how the Russians "rebelled" against the absolute and hateful power:
"And the Glupovites stood on their knees and waited. They knew they were rebelling, but they couldn't help but kneel.
This is how they protest in Russia.
And since they said "on their knees", I can't help but say the following:
Our idiots in power are on their knees and waiting for Putin's Russia to turn us into its province.
And not only are they waiting for it, but they are also kissing its dirty and bloody hands.