Putin and the Russian Soul
Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Putin regards himself as a patriot who wants Russia to flourish, to recoup its international standing, and to demarcate and protect its sphere of influence. I must confess I find him less objectionable than Western leaders like the horrendous Keir Starmer, America-hating Barack Obama and Joe Biden, or my own PM, the feckless, nation-killing, mentally decorticate Justin Trudeau. These villains are intent on destroying their countries. Putin is determined to revive his. And as I have been at pains to point out, much of his domestic initiatives and power-projection derives from his readings in Ilyin for pragmatic wisdom and especially Berdyaev for spiritual guidance. Indeed, it is no accident that Berdyaev is among Putin’s assigned texts.
It is high time to get serious. One need not approve of Putin, but to understand him properly, one must know where he comes from, his roots and influences, his intellectual formation, and his religious and philosophical masters. Only then can we render a balanced and unemotional judgment of the man, his policies, passions, and his position on the contemporary international scene.