Willingness of Educated Russians to Work for Putin’s Fascist Regime Reflects Russia’s Moral Collapse, Skobov Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Nov. 18 – One of the worst manifestations of Putin’s fascist regime is the large number of members of the educated and supposedly cultured class who are more than willing to serve as cogs in the machine, especially since they could easily avoid doing so, Aleksandr Skobov says.

            The Russian commentator points out that “Putin’s ‘new totalitarianism’ is far from being so total that would it be impossible for find a place for such people to hide. They don’t need to challenge the regime or protest but simply not become workers for the regime” (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=6373E2D655A85&section_id=50A6C962A3D7C).

            The majority of those who work for the regime do not because of any force applied to them, Skobov continues. “They simply don’t see any reason why they should not make such a choice, and many of them are obviously pleased to do so.” It even appears that for many, Putinist Nazism is entirely congenial.

            “Representatives of the progressive segment of ‘the cultural elite’ do like to complain that the demand for Nazism came from below, from ‘the broad masses.’ Don’t kid yourself.” The masses have no influence on the elites when it comes to essential things, and “the elites are always on average worse than the society’s rank and file.”

            “It’s just like in a prison camp,” Skobov suggests. “There, the guards are on average always worse than the majority of the criminals they watch over.”

            Curing a society where so many of its supposedly educated and culturally advanced members is not going to be easy, he continues. It took Germany 30 years of intense work. But one thing is certain: “The speed with which Russia will be cured from Nazism will depend on how harsh the collapse of the Putin regime is.”

            “If Abrams tanks are on Moscow streets,” Skobov suggests, “then five years will be sufficient.” If not, it may take vastly longer if indeed it is possible at all, he suggests.