Of hate

Lately, Dmitri Anatolievich Medvedev, an old statesman of Russian politics, has begun to publish brief encyclicals, a kind of urbi et orbi, which are really interesting since they allow us to see the mentality that is currently shared by a large majority of Russians, especially at the Taller. Since this mindset clashes with the dominant narrative endlessly repeated by all public figures in the West, it is deemed unacceptable and firmly ignored. Is there safety in this? I doubt it. Those who insist on trading with incomplete and faulty information make wrong decisions and arrive at unhealthy results. But things get even worse: as they wallow in the putrid bath of self-created predicaments, they discover that they have earned the Russians' hatred and that they plan to take revenge on them.

Medvedev's words are like a sub-zero arctic gale blowing towards you from the boundless frozen tundra of Russian thought. While toying with Putin - swapping places as president and head of government - Medvedev positioned himself as a pro-Western liberal. We will never know how much of it was real (his views of him may have evolved over time as new information was presented to him) and how much was faked (his task was to portray Russia as weak, helpless and dependent while furiously rebuilding and rearming itself). ). But what we know for sure is that he is no longer, by any means, a pro-Western liberal.

His latest encyclical is presented below. The translation is mine.

ABOUT HATE

In the endless tango of economic sanctions against Russia, an important question has been somewhat lost: against whom are they directed? Who do the authors of these sanctions intend to punish?
To the president and the political and military leaders of the country? Obviously not, and the authors acknowledge this fact. None of us own foreign property or significant foreign interests. We do not travel abroad for recreation or work.

Big business in Russia? Yes, they have suffered some damage. They have been deprived of property abroad. But honestly, these confiscations have been far from fatal for them. They will survive. They have a lot left in Russia, enough to last them and their descendants. So, against whom are these sanctions directed?

The foregone conclusion is disgusting: these sanctions are directed against the people of Russia. Regardless of the platitudes mumbled by American and European grandmothers and grandfathers [of top executives] - punishing our leaders while loving ordinary citizens - it is clearly a complete lie. What is the purpose of detaining the assets of the Central Bank of Russia and other government assets? It's simple: the goal is to damage the economy, drive down the ruble, increase inflation, drive up prices in stores, and thereby lower the quality of life for the average Russian. What are the embargoes against Russian oil and gas for? Same thing: reduce the revenues of the Russian government and force it to default on its social obligations, including indexing revenues against inflation; harm Russian taxpayers, both urban and rural. Against whom are the closures of airspace and the blocking of means of payment directed? Once again, against ordinary citizens, to make them uncomfortable, not against their mythical leaders, nor against the bigwigs, but against you in particular.

This conclusion is very discouraging, but it is unfortunately unavoidable. They hate us all! At the root of these decisions is hatred of Russia, of the Russians, of all its inhabitants, of our culture. Hence the attempts to “cancel” Tolstoy, Chekhov, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich. They hate our religion, hence their desire to harm the Russian Orthodox Church and punish its patriarch. This is nothing new; It has been like this almost always. It was like this in the time of Alexander Nevsky (1221-1223), in the time of the riots (1598-1613) and in the war of 1812. And, obviously, during the 20th century, when the USSR lived under numerous sanctions. Not to mention the fact that during the 1930s the West wanted the USSR to perish in its fight against Hitler.

This hate is disgusting and irrational. But that doesn't mean we should put up with it. We just have to draw the necessary conclusions for the future, so as not to forget this attitude towards us. And never forgive those who hate us. Never!

Thus concludes this latest missive from our intrepid leader. I have only one thing to add: the grandfathers and grandmothers of the top executives who are so actively imposing sanctions against the Russian people don't just hate the Russians. They hate you too. And they want to see you dead. Draw your own conclusions, but I would say that you and the average Russian are on the same side. —D. Orlov.