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That's the way it works. I had a conversation with an older lady just a couple of weeks ago and just a minute or so into it I knew where it was going. She's been so conditioned in her life to see Russia/Soviet Union as bad she knows NOTHING else and will REFUSE anything to the contrary. Period, end of story. I was conditioned as a kid in this fashion but my experiences there and my knowledge of Russias history and culture told me something was wrong with what I was taught.
Propaganda is the creation of deceit and the perpetuation of ignorance for a purpose. That purpose is to control people.
The hate was real. Though there were some Russians, who lived there and they were friendly.
I lived in Pskov for a year and on weekends we were exploring Baltic states - Valga/ Valka (on a border of Estonia and Latvia), Klaipeda (Lithuania), etc. In a big towns it was OK. But, in a small village shop - OMG... that is where you will feel it. We would enter it and all people will turn around and we could feel negative pressure in air, so thick you can cut it with the knife...But, we were young, those shops were full of good things that one did not see in Russian stores and we kept coming...
Hey, he himself is a millionaire now (as in $$$). So, he is building capitalistichesky socialism.
I spent 2 hours watching his videos to figure him out - did not see fidgeting - only once when they asked him about closing his accounts in Western Europe.
I'd be fidgeting too - you see in what situation he is, and why he has to make so many explanations, instead of replying with one sentence.
If I'd have to go through all these explanations ( and there is NO way around it,) I'd be aware that Putin's spin doctors will try to twist and turn my every word.
( Which they do, of course. The Putin's media propaganda indeed already turned Grudinin into the much -hated "oligarch" with money kept in "offshore accounts." Which of course is one big lie, but hey, that's how propaganda machine works. And now it's in full swing, since Putin's camp is REALLY concerened about Grudinin's growing popularity.)
Here he is talking about his accounts and his salary ( in rubles.)
Now do these figures really make him "$$$ millionaire?"
I liked what I saw, seems to be a decent, confident, bold man - cares about his sovhoz children and pensioners. He has a sense of humor.
I liked his reply "If you think I am a thief who do you think Putin is?" and
"Is somebody looking into Putin's accounts?" I hope he has body guards.
It doesn't look like he has any body guards either.
He is saying that politicians shouldn't be afraid of their own constituents)))
Norway, Sweden and Finland pitched in by helping a lot of St Petersburg orphans. Between them they took in many thousands. I've never found anything on the internet about it but I read it in a book many years ago. Russia was in a bad state and many of these children were most likely saved on top of it.
Ari. Can you find anything on this? I know it happened.
The Sweden and Finland were in between 2 great powers and Hitler proposed invading Sweden at one point, They didn't want anything to do with the war and took the best course they coud see.
No man. Finland was totally aboard with Germany until Stalingrad when we realised that the we bet on the wrong horse. Finland did nothing to help or make the situation in Leningrad better or worse. The Finnish populace didn't like the nazis, but did like the soviets even less. Cold War historians say that Finnish forces didn't take part in the siege, but but contemporary historians say that we took part in the siege by doing nothing.
Stalin demanded that Finland has to pay as much war reparations as Italy, though Finland was 15 time smaller than Italy. Which quite clearly indicates that Finland took part in the Leningrad blocade.
The hate was real. Though there were some Russians, who lived there and they were friendly.
I lived in Pskov for a year and on weekends we were exploring Baltic states - Valga/ Valka (on a border of Estonia and Latvia), Klaipeda (Lithuania), etc. In a big towns it was OK. But, in a small village shop - OMG... that is where you will feel it. We would enter it and all people will turn around and we could feel negative pressure in air, so thick you can cut it with the knife...But, we were young, those shops were full of good things that one did not see in Russian stores and we kept coming...
Yeah you guys got it figured out. Eastern Europeans hate on Russia and the Soviet Union all because they were conditioned by the West to do so. It has absolutely nothing to do with them coming and stealing their freedom and literally their property/money/people. Its all made up and they secretly wish to return to that system. They join NATO out of fear of America but sincerely wish for Moscow to run them again....
Yeah you guys got it figured out. Eastern Europeans hate on Russia and the Soviet Union all because they were conditioned by the West to do so. It has absolutely nothing to do with them coming and stealing their freedom and literally their property/money/people. Its all made up and they secretly wish to return to that system. They join NATO out of fear of America but sincerely wish for Moscow to run them again....
Nuland, Obama, Bush, Bush2, CIA, FBI, Soros, Pu**y Riot, Nemtsov, Catholicism, Protestantism and all others paid money to every western neighbour to Russia in order to hate it. Russia has never done anything wrong, it's a virginal victim who only gets invaded. Did I already mention that Russia never does anything wrong?
What makes me think is that if Russians are so susceptible to foreign influence, doesn't it undermine the intelligence of the Russian populace? Like when the Soviet Union fell, the Russian people were just paid off by Soros and the CIA to make Russian oligarchs filthy rich and the people were ok with it? Even if it was true, what self-respecting country would allow that to itself? For example if Soros and the CIA would try to take over Sweden, the Swedes would say hell no and fight to the death.
If Russians are just "innocent victims" of the collapse of the USSR, doesn't this speak in favour of the nazi idea that the Russians are "untermensch" who can't even control their own country?
I'm from a small country, but I would find it deeply depressing and embarrassing if we would blame the US/USSR/Germany/Sweden for all misery we faced. But no, we are not Slavs who love to bathe in their own self-pity.
Nuland, Obama, Bush, Bush2, CIA, FBI, Soros, Pu**y Riot, Nemtsov, Catholicism, Protestantism and all others paid money to every western neighbour to Russia in order to hate it. Russia has never done anything wrong, it's a virginal victim who only gets invaded. Did I already mention that Russia never does anything wrong?
What makes me think is that if Russians are so susceptible to foreign influence, doesn't it undermine the intelligence of the Russian populace? Like when the Soviet Union fell, the Russian people were just paid off by Soros and the CIA to make Russian oligarchs filthy rich and the people were ok with it? Even if it was true, what self-respecting country would allow that to itself? For example if Soros and the CIA would try to take over Sweden, the Swedes would say hell no and fight to the death.
If I was Russian I would be offended by such allegations. Imagine someone coming up to you and telling you that you've been bought off by foreign agents. I don't think there is a greater insult.
Putin is just exploiting Russians by portraying himself as a strongman. Why is it wrong for Russians to go against him?
I have to ask. What's wrong with living a life like this? It's not for people who prefer the finer things in life that's for sure but I know of people who spurn the city and prefer something else. There was a guy I heard of who made large sums of money in Moscow started a family and moved out to live with the wolves. A family I know lives north of Smolensk in a rural village and have everything they need. That includes sattelite TV and last I knew a BMW.
To begin with - I have hard time grasping the concept of raising the animal from the baby stage and then slaughtering it for food. The way it's done in the village. I think I'd turn to fish and mushrooms, kinda
But that's beyond point.
The main point however is that there are a lot of the *locals* living in that village side by side with Russians. Bashkirs in this case - I was trying to figure out the language they spoke - it sounded unfamiliar to me, but then the narrators said they were Bashkirs. But when it comes to ETHNIC RUSSIANS - they seem to be moving to towns and Russian villages are actually dying out in droves.
Like that ethnic Russian girl whom they ask what she is planning to do after graduating school. She is planning to enter some University ( in some big city I would think,) so what are the chances she will come back to her village? Capitalism American style is destroying the original style of Russian life, its destroying the villagers/small town dwellers instead of improving their lot comparably to Soviet times. So Russia is becoming more and more depopulated and is selling its lands to China now.
Overall I'd say that capitalism American style is as destructive to Russia, as socialism Soviet style would have been destructive to America.
Yeah you guys got it figured out. Eastern Europeans hate on Russia and the Soviet Union all because they were conditioned by the West to do so. It has absolutely nothing to do with them coming and stealing their freedom and literally their property/money/people. Its all made up and they secretly wish to return to that system. They join NATO out of fear of America but sincerely wish for Moscow to run them again....
No, of course not.
East Europe was sacrificed for the security of Russian state.
With that been said however, SOME would still like to keep that flame of hatred burning.
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I think I'd turn to fish and mushrooms, kinda 