What do Russians think of Putin?

Kremlin leadership is clueless what Russians really think, but I’m sure they fear the worst.

With no feedback between mute populace and its patrimonial masters except for polls when the polled dutifully say what’s expected of them, and a staunch block of sycophants and freeloaders who leach off the gas pipe’s dollar feeder, Kremlin can only shoot wildly into the dark with “Support For Putin Is Up To 69%” headings in the state-controlled media to the audience of 69% who live hand to mouth.

However, not everyone has stayed mute, an exception that still proves the rule.

On 31 January 2022, retired colonel-general Leonid Ivashov, 78, chairman of the All-Russian Military Officers' Assembly, published an open letter to Vladimir Putin and citizens of the Russian Federation, in which he strongly opposed a war with Ukraine.

He starts his letter with questioning if Russia is being threatened from the powers that lie outside of its borders, and quickly arrives to an inevitable conclusion that the main threats and challenges lie within its borders.

“Our country is on the verge of the end of its history. All vital areas, including demography, are steadily degrading, and the rate of population extinction is breaking world’s records. Degradation is systemic, and as in any complex system, the destruction of one of its elements can lead to the collapse of the entire system.

“And this, in our opinion, is the main threat to the Russian Federation. A threat of an internal nature, emanating from the model of the state, the quality of power and the state of society.

“The reasons for its formation are internal: the unviability of the state model, the complete incapacity and lack of professionalism of the system of power and administration, the passivity and disorganization of society. In this state, no country can exist long.”

“The situation that is being whipped up around Ukraine is artificial in character and is used to benefit internal forces in the Russian Federation.”

Then he switches his attention to Ukraine stating that legally it is an independent state, a member of the UN, and in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter has the right to individual and collective defence. Therefore a war with Ukraine will be an invasion.

“For Ukraine to remain a friendly neighbor of Russia, it was necessary for us to demonstrate attractiveness of the Russian state model and the system of power. But the Russian development model and foreign policy mechanism of international cooperation repel almost all its neighbors, and most of the world.

“Attempts to force nations to “love” Russia and its leadership through an ultimatum and threats of the use of force are senseless and extremely dangerous.”

Retired general asks if having tens of thousands of young men killed in the war can solve demographic crises. However, he fails to mention that their girlfriends would still be alive and fertile, and draft dodgers, with moderate application of vodka and sildenafil, could still be propelled to the front to win a war, of demographics.

Besides, draft dodgers would clearly demonstrate superior intelligence and skills that the soldiers massed on the border with Ukraine, and their genetic inheritance is arguably preferable.

Retired general draws a map of hypothetical hostilities and concludes that Russia will lose guaranteed one hundred and ten per cent. And so he questions himself, why leadership still plans an invasion.

“In our opinion, the country's leadership, realizing that it is incapable to lead the country out of the systemic crisis - and this can lead to an uprising of the people and a violent change of power in the country - with the support of the oligarchy, corrupt officials, media and security forces, decided to activate the political line for the final destruction of the Russian statehood and the extermination of the country's indigenous population.

“And war is the means that will solve this problem in order to retain its anti-national power for a while and preserve the wealth stolen from the people. We cannot suggest any other explanation.”

Leonid Ivashov wraps up the appeal with the collective request of the assembly for Putin to resign, and calls on his brothers in arms to disobey his orders as a commander in chief in the event of war.