You know what? Russians still living in Russia, the remaining 140 million of them, don’t care about the war. Nor do they care about their rulers or the Western sanctions. Or the Western companies having left or banned.
Russia is stuck in yet another historical loop. Going backwards, willingly.
Those enjoying locally-grown champagne in rooftop restaurants of Moscow continue to do so. Those struggling in rural Siberia go on drinking simpler but stronger ethanol as well. But no one cares about the departure of Siemens, SAP, Bosch, IKEA, Novartis, Hitachi, ABB, Canon, UPS, Meta or even Tinder.
Life expectancy has been falling anyway, the population is shrinking and life itself… well, life has a price of zero in the Russian culture. So medieval traditionalism is on the rise. Aggressive religiosity is mundane, baptizing missiles and warplanes is good and routine. The economy is rapidly deindustrializing, shifting towards Soviet-style “war efforts” and old school cuisine returning to hipster cafés.
The West and its values of global economical interdependence, technological progress, liberty, peace or culture? In a word: civilization? No.
On the contrary, people actively demand the use and teaching of Russian, to the detriment of foreign languages. The country on the whole is speeding towards archaic serfdom, expansionism and brutality of the XVII century.
Anyone wishing to join the world of reusable rockets to Mars, lifetime expanding biotech, electric cars, generative AI, multilingual discussions online, experimental art, and instant access to scientifically correct information — have left. Again.
Good riddance!
Now, let’s unscrew those macabre plaques with names of the repressed from the walls of our magnificent apartment buildings and enjoy life. A life of zero value.
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