Understanding why Russians approve of Putin

[Anonymous]

I am not Russian but I lived four years in Russia. I am not sharing Russian propaganda, merely how average, everyday, work-a-day “normie” Russians in mid-sized provincial cities generally approve of Putin.

To put it simply, it comes down to stability vs. chaos. Older Russians who have nostalgia for the Soviet Union are not necessarily ideologically communist, they just miss how stable and predictable things were. Others who are not old enough to remember the USSR in that way, but remember the 90s, generally support any type of government that would avoid that level of chaos. The 90s were horrible in Russia and all former USSR countries. And then some people only know the Putin era. So for most nonpolitical, non-ideological people, Putin is the devil you know.

The other thing to understand is that Western liberal democracy just doesn’t always sell that well. Most people have a strong distrust of civic institutions since during the 90s they were hijacked by kleptocrats. Being an activist is not so laudable.
There’s also the truth that people in Russia are just conservative. Many are religious, including an exponentially increasing number of Muslims, although even non religious people tend to be socially and culturally conservative. American and Western culture is appreciated in small doses and from my experience people didn’t have a problem with Americans. It was similar to how Americans typically view Chinese… yes they are economic and political adversaries but Americans use Chinese products, eat “Chinese” food etc and don’t typically have a problem with Chinese people. That’s how Russians were about Americans. Not everything is about politics…BUT they have THEIR culture and resent excessive efforts to impose Western culture on them.
Gender roles are accepted and feminism is not valued. People with views like Andrew Tate are pretty typical and it’s considered normal. You may not like it, coming from a Western perspective, but it’s just the way it is.

Those with dissenting views that are more liberal and western-oriented found their own communities in cities but your average everyday Russian doesn’t concern themselves with them, they just want to put food on the table, heat their homes with gas, keep their families close and collect their pensions. It just isn’t worth the risk to get too politically involved.

[Anonymous]

it is hard to gauge how much Russians approve of Putin since there is no free election or reliable poll. the fact that he has to rule with an iron fist, arresting children just carrying a sign for Ukraine suggests that the approval is not that high, murdering journalists, having oil execs fall off windows and so on. sending over 300,000 young Russians from the countryside to death/injury in Ukraine has likely soured support on those areas as well.

also Russians never had democracy, dont have a free press to get information and form opinions.

[Anonymous]

Having spent some time in a country with an oppressive form of government, I suspect the Russian people keep their heads and don't speak up. It's not prudent to do that.

You will never know what they're really thinking, because they will not share their political views.

[Anonymous]

This is very similar to what I hear about China. People who still remember Mao and his abuses and the famines and chaos of China before communism prefer the stability to the chaos. I'm all for a democratic China but understand the deep desire for stability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having spent some time in a country with an oppressive form of government, I suspect the Russian people keep their heads and don't speak up. It's not prudent to do that.

You will never know what they're really thinking, because they will not share their political views.

They probably all have to post on anonymous forums to share their true opinions of anything without facing life-destroying repercussions.

[Anonymous]

Why all the pro-Putin threads?

[Anonymous]

I don't think the West really cares whether Russia is a functional liberal democracy or not. For decades, the West has been happily trading with autocracies around the world - from China to the Persian Gulf. In fact, until very recently, the EU was seeking closer economic ties to Russia. And most people understand why Russians or Chinese may prefer knowable order over unknowable chaos. The anarchy that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the terror of the Cultural Revolution are not that long ago.

The problem with Russia is imperialism. It's like the 19th Century never ended for them. Their invasion of Ukraine is incredibly destabilizing. It's completely changed the security situation in Europe. Poland and the Baltics - Nato countries - as well as the Caucusas are very much on edge. France is now openly discussing sending troops to Ukraine. Not to mention the carry-on effects of the invasion elsewhere in the world. Ukraine is effectively the breadbasket of Africa. Higher grain prices have a way of destabilizing underdeveloped countries.

What is perplexing is the Russian willingness to die. By US and UK estimates, Russia has suffered more than 350,000 casualties since its invasion of Ukraine. That is breathtaking. No nation on earth would tolerate such a catastrophe, particularly for an unwinnable war. And there's no end in sight. Even if they get to Kyiv, they're looking at decades of guerrilla warfare and international isolation. That's the mystifying thing about Russians. They are irrational and they clearly don't care about life - including the lives of their own countrymen. It makes them both pathetic and very dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why all the pro-Putin threads?

Booming economy, low unemployment, national unity, and soon a victory over NATO. America loves a winner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why all the pro-Putin threads?

Booming economy, low unemployment, national unity, and soon a victory over NATO. America loves a winner.

A victory over NATO? They can't beat a third rate army in the field. If they somehow manage to win, their prize is years of insurgency

[Anonymous]

The masses of Russians do not "approve" Putin.

They don't have a choice. They didn't under the USSR and they didn't under the Czars.

When they had a chance for freedom, they took it, and then it was stolen by the Russian mafia, who are now in the process of stealing the USA as well.

[Anonymous]

I am Russian (but haven’t lived there in over a decade) and the OP offers a pretty accurate understanding.
The poster who says that people don’t have much choice is also spot on.
As for the “willingness to die”, it’s mostly the payments that seem huge to those people sent to die. Even if you are conscripted and sent to the warfield (not a regular conscript inside the country) you get sizeable payments. It’s a lot of money for people from the boonies.
Y’all can love or hate the Russians but things are pretty much going to stay the way they are. My understanding is that the goal of the “West” right now is to weaken the country as much as possible. It’s sad but unfortunately Russia has made its own bed to a large extent.
Invasion of Ukraine was a huge mistake and will be felt for generations.
A reminder to us all how destruction is always easy but the restoration may even be impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having spent some time in a country with an oppressive form of government, I suspect the Russian people keep their heads and don't speak up. It's not prudent to do that.

You will never know what they're really thinking, because they will not share their political views.

They probably all have to post on anonymous forums to share their true opinions of anything without facing life-destroying repercussions.

Indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why all the pro-Putin threads?

Booming economy, low unemployment, national unity, and soon a victory over NATO. America loves a winner.

Ha! Thanks I needed a laugh this morning. Russia is a f**king sh**hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Russian (but haven’t lived there in over a decade) and the OP offers a pretty accurate understanding.
The poster who says that people don’t have much choice is also spot on.
As for the “willingness to die”, it’s mostly the payments that seem huge to those people sent to die. Even if you are conscripted and sent to the warfield (not a regular conscript inside the country) you get sizeable payments. It’s a lot of money for people from the boonies.
Y’all can love or hate the Russians but things are pretty much going to stay the way they are. My understanding is that the goal of the “West” right now is to weaken the country as much as possible. It’s sad but unfortunately Russia has made its own bed to a large extent.
Invasion of Ukraine was a huge mistake and will be felt for generations.
A reminder to us all how destruction is always easy but the restoration may even be impossible.

The West would prefer to ignore Russia.

[Anonymous]

Spot on assessment of Russia and MAGA.

It’s clear to me with all the recent pro-Putin and pro-Russia threads here recently that propaganda has really rooted into conservatives.