42 Comments

I worked in Ukraine in the late 1990's, things were just starting to come alive. People in the west have no idea how terrible the transition was from the Soviet Union. This is a powerful trend and explains the rise of Napoleon and you know who in Germany. People can only cope with chaos for a while and then seek a redeemer and will put up with a lot to have a predictable life again

Expand full comment
Apr 19, 2022Liked by Konstantin Kisin

A very illuminating article, thanks Konstantin. I was 18 when I visited Moscow with my father in 1975. Being then the USSR our movements were restricted, but from what I was able to see it came across as a curious place; the cars, mainly black, and all looking the same, the dingy lights seeping from the windows of giant apartment blocks, the terrible food, 'tourist' shops with meagre gifts attempting to clothe otherwise empty shelves and old women shovelling snow off the pavements in temperatures of minus 28 degrees centigrade. I had been told to take packets of chewing gum to exchange for the beautiful metal badges that would be offered to me from kids on the street. And you tell me that compared to what was to come for ordinary Russians in the 90s these were 'the good times'.

So I find myself thinking of the young woman student who was assisting our guide. Being of similar age we chatted often, and she asked me about English bands and I asked about Russia. She later spotted frostbite on my ear outside Red Square and hurried me inside St Basil's Cathedral where the flesh painfully thawed out - not many people can say that! I had a crush on her and I like to think it was perhaps reciprocated. Be that as it may, she put the human heart into what I saw around me. I have a photograph of us standing together and there are a few flakes of snow in her hair. Bless her. And in the spirit of your article Konstantin, bless all Russians who are innocent of what is being done out there.

Expand full comment
Apr 19, 2022Liked by Konstantin Kisin

I used to be a subscriber to The Exile run by Mark Ames and Yasha Levine with contributions from the likes of Matt Taibbi and others. That paper was an interesting commentary that documented Russia of the Yeltsin years and it's slide into lawlessness. Eventually Ames and Levine had to escape under dark pressure from the FSB as the new Putin regime exerted itself - giving a voice to the likes of Limonov didn't go down well with the new regime.

What you explain here is in line with what I understood of the arc of Russian society as The Exile wrote about it. I know very few people who comprehend how that played out against the Russian psyche. Your articles and podcasts explaining that Putin is not mad, he's just Russian of a certain caste don't register with a lot of western people because they can't conceive that Russians aren't just like them. For others who have some inkling of the events of the last 30 years and knowing Russians, your explanations make a lot of sense and chime with experience.

Expand full comment

A very illuminating piece of writing. Thank you

Expand full comment

The problem for me is NATO and the West view Russia as a conquered State after the collapse of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. They only respect Russia because it has Nuclear weapons but even with them, the West pushes right up to its borders as more and more Warsaw Pact members join NATO. Of course the West don’t think this is provocative when of course it is. The Russian Bear has been pushed into a corner and bites back. Diplomacy has failed and we all pay the consequences.

Expand full comment
Apr 16, 2022Liked by Konstantin Kisin

Superb article. The British don't realise how lucky we are nor that we share so much with Russians who simply want the same things we want: a decently safe world for our kids with food, healthcare, education and freedom. Particularly happy that you are here making more Ukranians, Божий промысел you will make many who share your philosophy and humanity and who will connect our countries. All the very best to you and to Russia.

Expand full comment

Sounds a little like the degradation of urban America today.

Expand full comment
Apr 15, 2022Liked by Konstantin Kisin

Hi Konstantin, that’s a brilliant article and tells the story of how it was for so many Russians. I saw this for myself, first in Leningrad in 1991, and then throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s when I was living and working in Russia. I speak Russian well, my wife is Russian, and our only child is a beautiful mix. I hope we meet someday - so many stories, impressions and experiences to share. Желаю Вам успехов во всём. С уважением из Ирландии. Филип Петрович.

Expand full comment

The Russians sort help from the West to bring Capitalism and Democracy to Russia. Economically the West gave Russia economists (Freshwater Chicargo School) who experimented with the Russian system by advising having the old Communist system torn down rather than coopting the existing sytem so it would support the population while incrementally chamging it. The economists hypothesized that Capitalism would emerge from the rubble. This was the Russian experience and it soured them.

As for Democracy, things were so dire in Russia that polls indicated that Yeltsin would lose to a Communist in the second only free election in Russian history. Clinton could not have that happen and moved his whole Election Team to Moscow, to the hotel across from Yeltsin's office and virtually ran his election campaign. Clinton pumped billions of dollars into the Russian economy to prop it up and US agencies bribed, cajouled and threatened Russian power brokers into supporting Yeltsin. This is what Russians refer to as US interference in their elections. After the election things went back to its chaotic normal for the Russians.

So in a sense this is on the West. Had the West taken more care and moved more circumspectly then today things might have been different.

Expand full comment

Next you need to do “Why the Western elite HATES Putin [and Russia]” - not that I trust Putin or Russian media but all I know is, EVERYTHING the Ukrainians say, and the western media-govts etc repeats without question, turns out to be a lie-propaganda that gets debunked in days-weeks!

Tales From the Great Reset: Inside a Ukraine Propaganda Brainstorming Session

- Ukrainian propaganda needs a Great Reset. I secretly sat in on a Ukrainian propaganda brainstorming session with Goebbelsky's new team as they try to come up with new ideas for starting World War III! ;)

https://covidsteria.substack.com/p/great-reset-tales-ukraine-propaganda

Expand full comment

Agreed. And the West helped the Russian economy disintergrate in the 1990s. Russia asked the US for help to form a Capitalist economy and they sent Fresh Water (Chicargo School) economists over with their theories of destructive creativism - basically destroy the system and see what emerges. The thinking being that capitalism would naturally come to the surface. What took Communism's place instead was klepto-cronism under the facade of Democracy. This soured Russians on both Capitalism and Democracy.

Expand full comment

Great article, but totally unreal to Americans who have never experienced hardship.

Expand full comment

Tx Very close to the description provided by Matt Taibbi. Explaining why many Russians feel/felt that the West (US) plundered the riches of Russia in the 90s. To solve a problem, you need to understand what each of the parties thinks and feels. Very helpful.

Expand full comment

I am only slightly older than Konstantin, and I grew up in Ukraine in the 90s, najor shock experience for me was the Putch in August 1991. But actually, for most people I knew the 90s werent that bad at all. Sure we were poor, but as everyone now knows, Ukraine was and is the food basket- throw a stick in the ground and it will grow. Food was cheap and plentiful on the markets, I remember the dread of the Soviet era shops, a bit like empty shelves of covid times, brought back memories lol. I did hear however really bad stories especially from the people who used to live near big cities in Russia, that lack of food was real issue, one person mentioning sharing snickers bar with a friend for dinner.

This might explain in part why Ukraine was faring slightly better on democracy front that Russia, people did see hope and werent starving and desperate, they were trying to do business. But yeah my school's headmaster, a distinguished teacher, became a market stall seller of perfumes to make ends meet.

Oh, anyone wants a quick and easy way to defeat Russia in war like, tomorrow? I guarantee success. It was a standing joke in the 90s, so it should still be familiar for those who are 40+ OK dont do that - but give them all free US or UK passport, and a chance to leave, and russia will be empty tomorrow, war over. Maybe just offer to soldiers in the frontline- they are still young they can learn the language and fill your factories with workers. After they spend some time in prison i guess, with english classes etc :)

If you read Russian historical literature from like 12th century- it is in russians blood to call a master to come and help govern them, as they asked vikings etc as they admit at being unable to self-govern (Повесть временных лет Tale of Bygone Years,). So I am afraid the world has to start discussing how this cloak get governed (sans nukes please) in the years after their defeat, as it is indeed true that native russian population does not have a slightest clue how to do democracy and not autocracy, any diversity of opinions or people got beaten out of them over the many many generations.

Expand full comment

I went on a date once with a woman who'd been a student in Tomsk in the 90's.

Her description of life there in winter as a student and her pitiful attempts to keep warm by hollowing out a raw potato and making a candle of it with old cooking oil will stay with me forever.

Expand full comment

Fascinating description of what Putin has done for Russia. As an Israeli, I can certainly understand the supremacy of security over almost anything else.

Sad, though, that Russians have no positive concept of Democracy.

Expand full comment