Leonid Nevzlin: What values does this old man, framed in gilding, represent?
Putin is constantly (especially in the last year) repeating about traditional values, contrasting Russian crosses with the “soulless West. It would seem that Easter service is the best place to demonstrate to the world what these values are and how the ruler of the Russian world honors them.
The Kremlin press service reports: “The wonderful and beloved holiday of Easter gives believers hope, inspires good thoughts and deeds, and serves to affirm high moral ideals and values in society”.
And what do we see? A pompous church in the center of the city, cordoned off as never before. Streets blocked off. An abundance of guards inside, dressed in suits and red ties. An old dictator with a candle and Mayor Sobyanin by his side instead of his family. In the eyes – lifeless despondency.
What values does the old man represent, framed in gilt? The worship of wealth and power? The curse of loneliness? The decay of the soul before the body? Truly Mordor and the temple at its center.
Leonid Nevzlin
