Russia as an Antonym of Democracy
A warning for those who believe in the possibility of a democratic russia within imperial borders.
Many in the West still believe that a democratic russia can exist. They see russia as a like-minded and as a partner. Over the centuries, russia has consistently contradicted this notion with its actions, but dreamers remain unconvinced.
Let's face the truth: a democratic russia is impossible.
The crux of the matter is that democracy would be a lethal dose of justice for an empire. And russia is an empire to the core. Where everything is based on lies and coercion.
Russia cannot democratize without ceasing to be an empire, and therefore, would cease to be russia within the borders to which we are accustomed.
Those who call for preserving the russia we know at all costs are, in fact, proposing to preserve all the injustice and lies it is based on. Essentially, they call for preserving the empire. An empire that declares war on the European civilization every time it has the strength to do so.
Why again save those who seek to kill you?
The compromise-seekers are also mistaken. Compromises only benefit the empire. Limited democracy is not democracy.
The experiences of the 1990s proved that a cautious democratization is just a respite for imperial forces. By investing too hesitantly in the "slow democratic progress of russia," the West allowed new, even more stubborn imperialists to come to power. Now, the world is reaping the fruits of this approach, teetering on the edge of a precipice.
Don't be deceived; you can't make a wolf eat vegetables. Sure, decades of selection could significantly increase the proportion of plant-based food in the diet of these animals and alter their behavioral patterns, but they would then no longer be wolves.
Similarly, clinging to the utopia of a democratized russia within its current borders is futile; they will be different.
Injustice forms the foundation of russian imperial ideology and political practice.
The ruling class of russia has always regarded honesty as a weakness and meanness as a virtue, fully exploiting and continuing to exploit these "competitive advantages." This is how russia gained control over most of its current territories.
Over the past five centuries, russia increased its size by 52 times by conquering neighboring countries. For those who are used to believing russian officials who loudly deny Moscow's bloody colonization, let's look at the timeline.
In the 16th century, russia conquered the Khanate of Kazan, Chuvashia, Mordovia, Udmurtia, Mari El, Bashkiria, the Astrakhan Khanate, the Nogai Horde, the Siberian Khanate, and six states in Siberia.
In the 17th century, the empire captured Buryatia, the rest of Siberia and the Far East of russia, and Left-Bank Ukraine.
In the 18th century, russia took over part of present-day Kazakhstan, Altai, Ingria, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Southern, Central, and a part of Western Ukraine, the Crimean Khanate, the Aleutian Islands, and Alaska.
In the 19th century, it seized Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Circassia, Dagestan, Chechnya, the rest of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bessarabia, Finland, and parts of Poland.
In the 20th century, it captured the rest of Ukraine, Belarus, and East Prussia. These conquests were usually brutal, flooding the "new territories" in blood and burning all those who disagreed.
They conquered not only with weapons, but also with "cunning", making advantageous deals with "allies" which were soon brutally violated by the russians, and the other side of the agreement suddenly became the property of the empire.
The resources of the conquered territories were mercilessly exploited and to this day allow the metropolis Moscow to live at its pleasure and the ruling class to maintain its dominant position.
Inside the country, things are just as bad. russia does not belong to the russians, in the sense that the overwhelming majority of them are deceived by the ruling elite and forced to toil for them "for a bowl of soup".
Free elections do not exist in russia, and the government does not serve the interests of the people. Rights and freedoms are abolished. And it is forbidden for russians to participate in governance, influence policies, or even criticize the actions of the government. The few in power are exploiting all the country's resources in their own interests.
This is not about inherent traits. Russians do not possess biological characteristics that force them to endure humiliation from the "boyars" and participate in the empire's crimes. It is about the environment created by the government to control society across this vast and diverse territory.
All the shocking and terrifying acts committed by russians in recent years are a result of the qualities created by this environment - state violence and deceit. It seems that due to cultural, religious, and economic contradictions within the various territories of the empire, this is the only effective governing tool. Only through brute force and deceit can the centrifugal forces inherent in the empire be held together.
Those who plan to democratize russia from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok are dreamers.
To save russia from disintegration means preserving all the injustice and lies on which it is based.
Democracy is the antonym of imperial russia. Democracy dissolves and washes away the glue of lies which holds the building of the empire together, causing it to crumble into pieces.
If you are worried about the loss of control over the world's largest nuclear arsenal, ask yourself: do you really have control over it now?
Whom is it easier to influence: a few leaders of small countries without imperial ambitions, who have a negligible number of nuclear weapons carriers? Or one, but crazy, megalomaniac "emperor", with nearly six and a half thousand nuclear warheads in his hands? And who, if he completely loses his grip on reality, will be able to use them all in a planned manner and simultaneously.
But let's return to the russian present and future. A better synonym for the word "injustice" is hard to find.
Today’s russia is a concentrated injustice. The lawlessness and impunity of the powerful ones, coupled with submissiveness of the weak ones, form the main patterns of its culture.
Any nonsense can be drawn on the facade - "orthodoxy, autocracy, peoplehood," "building communism in a particular country," or the already senseless "russian world." However, the essence remains unchanged since the medieval times - injustice in favor of the rulers, upheld by brute force.
As soon as this sadomasochistic societal consensus starts to waver, russia immediately shrinks, as we saw in the late 1910s and early 1990s. Conversely, when the imperial power manages to strengthen this consensus, russia begins to expand with the lands of its neighbors.
Injustice is the means of russia’s existence. The metropolis robs the resources of the provinces, condemning them to poverty. The empire elevates injustice to a cult, which shields the metropolis from the anger of the provinces and the ruling class from the wrath of the people.
The empire asserts that injustice is beneficial, that it comes from God, that it serves a high historical purpose, and so on, without even offering any convincing rational arguments. For those who dare to disagree, there are torture, prisons, and weapons.
The culture of agreeing to injustice, the culture of accepting oppression – this is the main "brace" that holds together the bulky structure of the empire.
The russian government invests enormous resources in cultivating and supporting this culture. As soon as these investments cease, everything will collapse.
What can russia offer to, say, Tatarstan or any other region whose resources allow for russia’s existence? Language, writing, culture? They have their own.
Science, technological progress? In russia, most of it is borrowed, primarily from China.
Greatness? It is denied by everything the provinces see around them.
Security? Don't make me laugh. What kind of security can there be when an obsessed tyrant who prefers to start a nuclear war is at the helm of the country?
Russia, like a hooligan, only picks the pockets of the provinces, leaving them with just a little change "for a piece of bread". The provinces do not leave because they fear the metropolis' anger and because they have grown accustomed to carrying the weight. They have no other reason to remain subjects of Moscow.
Of course, democracy is not a panacea; it has its flaws. The mold of injustice thrives even in countries with established democracies. But there, injustice is perceived as a disease that needs to be overcome, not as the main pillar of statehood, as it is in russia.
However, democracy is still the natural enemy of injustice. It creates space for reflection and public discussion, which inevitably raises questions that the imperial power cannot answer.
Democracy dissolves the "philosophical braces" of tolerating injustice. The more the substance of democracy penetrates russia, the weaker the solution that cements the construction becomes.
True democracy will kill russia, the russia we are used to. A powerful injection of democracy may well return russia to the borders of 1478 and free all the people enslaved by it. It will be painful, like any medical intervention at the late stages of a disease, but it is a chance for salvation. This will be a great relief for both russians themselves, their neighbors, and the world as a whole.
The West must acknowledge that any attempts to maintain the integrity of russia now is an investment in saving the empire. With all the "side effects" – megalomania, militarism, expansionism, oppression, and plundering of subjugated nations.
Western politicians face an either-or choice: support the empire or support democracy. No more, no less.
This choice may seem simple only to an idealist. But despite the whispers of realpolitik logic, they should remember that the responsibility for new victims of a pardoned maniac will lie on each of the jurors who feared the severity of a just decision. Moreover, each of them greatly risks becoming the new victim.
Kostiantyn Rieutskyi
