Day 463
Putin's gigantic magic bubble
Wake up — 2:00 a.m.
Missile alert — 2:49 a.m.
Missile alert ends — 4:04 a.m.
Morning run — 5:00 a.m.
Breakfast — 7:30 a.m.
Practicing philosopher Vladimir Pastukhov has telegrammed some thoughts about Putin’s gigantic magic bubble.
The configuration of Russian power is simplified and approaches its original "classical" patterns. The Putin personality cult is becoming (in fact, it has already become) the main one and, it seems, the only political institution operating at full strength, gradually pushing all other mechanisms for maintaining public order to the sidelines.
It is not Putin that works, but the myth about him, his perception by the population as the embodiment of “Russianness.” In fact, the attitude towards Putin is purely religious (moreover, in both directions — for some he is Christ, and for others — the Antichrist). In this sense, Russia has long been a theocratic state in which the cult of Putin is the main state religion.
In this state, faith in Putin, and not Orthodoxy at all, is the main spiritual bond. In a sense, this is heresy with obvious signs of idolatry. Putin's main achievement is the privatization and utilization of religious feeling. It is this achievement that makes it Teflon-resistant and invulnerable to any criticism (including all anti-corruption investigations at once). At the same time, war is a dual-purpose technology: it is both a consequence of Putin's cult and his most powerful booster at the same time.
The sacredness of Putin's figure has reached critical levels, comparable to the idolatry of the Stalin era. The country is not ruled by Putin, but by his image. In this sense, the legend of the double has a certain base under it. Few people care about the real Putin, as long as he lives. This is a very good story for the regime, but only as long as the real Putin exists. But as soon as he is gone, it will immediately turn into a very bad story. You cannot create a new false god in a couple of months, and without such a god, Russia, it seems, can no longer exist.
The process of transferring power to the heir promises to be very turbulent. The Putin cult has turned into a giant magic bubble, the collapse of which could lead to the formation of a black hole capable of sucking Putin's entire set elites into itself, creating a power vacuum. The expectations of the "third Rome" will turn into the coming of the "third Troubles" in this case. The unique stability of the current political regime in Russia is explained quite simply — the religious faith of the people in Putin blocks any doubts and prevents revolt.
Power is stable as long as this sweet dream of the mind continues, but we must remember that monsters have already been born and will soon awaken.