Three Kinds of ‘Russians’
- VITALY PORTNIKOV, KRYM.REALII
- 11.01.2024, 11:20
Putin revealed his cards after the attack on Belgorod.
The reaction of Russian leaders and the media after the attack on Belgorod became, I think, perhaps the best evidence of the existence of "three kinds of Russians".
The "first class" of Russians are the inhabitants of the sovereign territory of Russia. There are significant differences in the attitude towards those who live in Moscow and all other regions, but this is rather a distinctive feature of any totalitarian state. The capital is in the spotlight of the authorities. In North Korea, living in Pyongyang is also not the same as living anywhere else in the country. And yet in this situation, there is a clear – since the time of the Chechen wars – attitude towards the inhabitants of the North Caucasus and the rest of Russia. It is no coincidence that the republics of the North Caucasus have long been separated from the rest of the country by an actual border with document verification. So these are, one might say, the "second class" of Russians.
And, finally, there are "Russians" of the "third class" – residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine. Formally, Vladimir Putin included Crimea and other regions of Ukraine in the Russian Constitution. He coldbloodedly observes the war in these territories, although the official purpose of his "special operation" was precisely "peace for Donbas". After the attack on Belgorod, Putin told the Russian military that he was extremely worried.
It would be interesting to know why he was not so worried after the strikes on Sevastopol. After all, this is the same "sacred" Crimea, the occupation of which has become almost the main event in the political career of the Russian president! Not to mention the fact that the strikes on Sevastopol have a much greater military effect on Russia than the strikes on Belgorod. They significantly limited the activity of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and forced the Russian naval command to begin restoring the abandoned base in Ochamchira and relocate ships to Novorossiysk Bay. But Putin is looking on what is happening in Crimea and other regions of Ukraine without much emotion, apparently precisely because for him and his compatriots this annexed territory, of course, is not Russia. It's just a bridgehead for the war with Ukraine. And, of course, the people who live on this bridgehead are just “consumables” in this brutal war.
I will not argue that Putin really cares about “ordinary Russians” and their security. I am sure that the Russian president has never been distinguished by philanthropy, this became clear already in the first months of his office, when he continued to enjoy his vacation in the days of the tragedy of the submarine "Kursk", and then neglected to talk with the relatives of the dead navy man. But Putin, at least, should portray emotions when it comes to “first-class Russians.” The residents of the occupied territories do not even seem to expect such pretence from the Russian president.
VIitaly Portnikov, Krym.Realii