There will be no consensus in Russian society about the war. Even after the war is over. There will still be people who will think: look, we would have shown everyone if our Kremlin thieves hadn’t interfered! But a different consensus is taking shape: the formula is changing.
We used to see what is known as Volodin’s formula, which he announced a long time ago. There is Putin – there is Russia. No Putin – no Russia. A simple mathematical formula in politics, according to which Russia in all its actions was bound by barbed wire – and together with Putin fell into this abyss.
It seems to me that a different consensus is about to emerge. A different formula. It could sound like this: “There is Putin, there is no Russia. No Putin – there is a chance.” And here, in a paradoxical way (although from the point of view of history experts it may not be so paradoxical), the attitude towards Putin will cause a consensus of two absolutely opposite strata of Russian society. On the one hand, it is about protesters, anti-fascists, anti-Putinists, whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t matter. This is about us, for whom Putin has been and remains a criminal, and we believe that as long as he is at the head of Russia, Russia has no chance. As long as Volodin’s formula is implemented.
On the other hand, this is a party that for some reason is called ultra-fascists or turbo-patriots, although it seems to me that if they are patriots of anything, it is only of their own skin. Like Prigozhin. But this party is ideologically formed, grew up on blood and war, and its members sincerely believe and directly call Putin a loser. And this formula “the loser is a criminal” will secure the consensus of the ideologically active, motivated parts of Russian society.
I can’t say about the whole of Russia, but I know St. Petersburg quite well, and it seems to me that the former, the protesters, certainly outnumber the ultra-fascists. Why the latter are heard much better – I think it’s also clear, if you don’t base it on emotion, but on an understanding of how this system works. It creates the necessary environment, where the ghouls feel organically – in this hydrochloric acid. Like a fish in water or like a man in comfortable conditions. That’s why ghouls are visible and rule the ball today.
