“Putin’s days are numbered. His own people will overthrow him because they can no longer bear the whole country being held hostage to him,” he said in an interview with DV extension the Russian intellectual Artemiy Troitsky.
There was a tacit agreement in Russia: according to him, people with anti-Kremlin views could work in the official sphere, but everyone had to pretend they didn’t have a problem with ideological differences. When did all this end?
It’s individual. Personally, I have always followed certain “sanitary” rules. For example, I never went to Surkov (Former Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Vladislav Surkov – Ed.). I ended friendships with certain people. I’ve never made deals. But many people have done it for different reasons, and I’ve never judged them for it.
Many of the heads of our liberal media, such as Alexey Alekseevich Venediktov, communicated beautifully with Peskov (press secretary to the president. – ed. note), Surkov and Simonyan (editor-in-chief of RT. – ed. note). The explanation was that it was necessary to maintain professional relationships and obtain interesting information, and that this could prove useful.
In 2000, a non-aggression pact was concluded between “Putin’s gang” and the whole of Russian society: Russian society does what it wants, earns money in every possible way, engages in creative activities, but knows that there is a door that shouldn’t be closed. opens. It is titled “Putin and his personal life”, “the corruption of the “Lago” cooperative” (a cooperative founded in 1996 by Putin and his friends, which after his election as president in 2000 assumed leading administrative positions in Russia – note ed . ) and “serious politics”. And so until the 2011-2012 protests, this non-aggression pact was maintained.
Who broke it?
Putin himself, when he decided to take the place of Medvedev, which more or less suited everyone. And then part of our society saw this as a threat. That party wanted the banquet to continue, but figured it might come to an insidious end. It was then that the first serious cracks in this pact appeared.
Today there are two Russian cultures. One settled abroad and the other stayed in Russia. What are the implications of this division?
Now there are two Russias – internal and external. Outside Russia is the loudest and most visible, as it is about musicians, directors, writers. I would say that 80% – 90% of the representatives of all quality Russian culture are already abroad. And soon we will have to face the fact that a huge part of Russian business will also turn away from Russia. It is possible that a large enterprise of Russian emigrants will appear.
None of the waves of Russian emigration managed to change the Soviet Union. And won’t today’s emigration change Russia?
You are absolutely right. The so-called large and high-quality white emigration of the 1920s also did not have much impact on Western culture. You can name Vladimir Nabokov or several artists. However, it cannot be said that it (Russian emigration – note ed) has penetrated deeply and has become a special part of Western or world culture.
The current generation of emigrants will still be inspired by Russia, they will make films and plays in Russian. Much sadder will be what will happen to the next generations. The sons of Zvyagintsev (director Andrey Zvyagintsev, ed) and Tinkov (businessman Oleg Tinkov, ed) would hardly be considered Russian cultural figures or Russian entrepreneurs.
Do you think Putin will stay in power for a long time? And will Russia realize her responsibility towards the Ukrainians?
I think Putin’s months are numbered. It won’t last long. His own people will overthrow him because they can no longer bear the whole country being held hostage by him, him and some of his other supporters like Medvedev, Patrushev and Prigozhin. So Putin will soon be out of the Kremlin, but the regime will undergo minimal changes. Instead of Putin, someone will simply appear with whom the West can negotiate. Because Putin is already completely redundant. He is unable to negotiate. The end has come. As for Mishustin, Sobyanin, Nabiulina… In general, there are people who have not compromised too much. They will be able to sit at the negotiating table.
So will there be no national response to mistakes, will there be no awareness of responsibility to the Ukrainians?
Perhaps there will be an apology (to Ukraine – note ed) in words. The denazification of Germany is always cited as an example. As you know, it took a long time and clearly had positive results. But it became de facto under the external control and occupation of Germany. It is impossible to occupy Russia and introduce foreign rule.
Russia is now a fascist state. People will get angry, they will think that they have been wronged again, undeservedly wronged, they will hate others. I do not think that any national repentance is possible in our country.
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Russian intellectual, journalist and music critic Artemiy Troitsky left Russia in 2014. He observes Russian cultural life at home and abroad and closely follows the events surrounding the war in Ukraine.
