Kremlin has a problem. Since it didn't declare war, it can't jail the military who just refuse to go to fight to Ukraine. But senior officers can add bad remarks to their personal files. Like this:
"Inclined towards alcohol and drug abuse, towards theft and anal orgies"
Last remark about "anal orgies" is very illustrative. It's not so much about homophobia as a Westerner could presume as about the prison culture. Prison culture permeates society, especially the army, police and state security *far* deeper than foreigners would believe
Prison has very complex sexual code. First and most importantly, *active* homosexualism is okay. It's not even perceived as homosexualism, but as a way to reinforce the social hierarchy. Passive role though is shameful and is reserved for the non-touchable, the "cocks" (петухи)
To become a cock you need to be "moved down" (gang raped, usually). Now you become a non touchable. Nobody can touch you except for sex, otherwise they also become the ritually unclean (законтачиться). If they want to beat you, they should do it with legs, not by hands
Social hierarchy has a spatial dimension. The cocks get their own place in the prison canteen so that normal ones can avoid contact with them. They must sleep near the toilet, ideally on the floor. They get a special spoon with a hole, marking their outcast status
Why do I discuss a fringe topic so meticulously, you may ask? Because it is not fringe. Prison culture shapes the Russian public discourse. Consider Lavrov who "mocked" the French pointing out to their national symbol. A very witty observation, apparently
When Lavrov looks at the Gallic rooster, first thing he thinks about is a prison cock. Why? Because he is deeply influenced by the prison culture, as nearly 100% of the Russian ruling class. Prison culture defines their thinking and behaviour, they just can't think in other terms
Prison culture largely defines the modern Russia. You can't understand its discourse, its sociopolitical hierarchy, its economy, if you don't take into account the deep effect of prison values on how the Russian society works. Russian ruling elites think in prison terms, too
I strongly recommend this drama of 1989, "Беспредел". It's only in Russian but I hope someone will add the English subtitles. I will argue that you can't get how either Russian politics or economy work without understanding such basics as pictured here
Regarding the initial photo, I took its from a Telegram channel "Military ombudsman". Basically he is a lawyer who helps the Russian military to sue the higher ups or to defend from their lawsuits. Since February he seems to be buried under work. The end
PS A political prisoner Ivan Astashin produced a very succinct but good description of the prison sexual code here. It's in Russian but you can google translate it. It gives good understanding about a system of values, set of taboos, etc
Many see NGOs as a bunch of ultra-privileged Westerners focused on satisfying their ego without any regard for the cost they inflict on the people they're supposed to "help". This view is unfair. It's too generalising. But the @amnesty report is playing to the worst stereotypes🧵
To start with, an argument about "Ukrainian forces putting civilians in harm’s way" by defending ignores the objective reality. Which is: it's the Ukrainian retreat that is putting civilians in harm's way. On the Russian occupied territory they'll be subject to unhinged violence
It is the Ukrainian retreat that made the worst atrocities of this war possible. Once the Ukrainian army retreats, civilians are at the mercy of the Russian military & the paramilitary. No wonder that they become victims of indiscriminate violence
"Destroyed?" You must be joking. It reinforced Skuratov. President introduced the bill to fire the General Attorney to the Parliament thrice and the Upper House (governors basically) rejected it three times. Skuratov became the Hill-to-die-on for the regional barons
The sauna videotape with escorts made Skuratov a close to sainthood person in the eyes of regional barons. Like if a person is occupying the post of General Attorney of the Russian Federation, he's probably doing lots of crimes. And Kremlin would publish them, if he committed any
The fact that they come up with such crap as the sauna videotape shows he's 100% clean. And a 100% clean official would be fired because he's exposing corruption of Yeltsin's family (which barons wanted to drown and make a scapegoat for all the ills of the country)
When Kremlin tried to destroy Nemtsov's reputation by publishing his affairs that was so bad move, so lacking the basic awareness of a culture it was operating in, that I unironically suspect it was the idea of American consultants on Putin's service
"Publish all his affairs with tons of married and unmarried women and he's done" sounds very plausible to someone from the inner America. It had the opposite effect in Russia. Hooking up with so many women while holding *no power*? That was basically pro-Nemtsov propaganda
Paradoxically it may sound, the only time Russia got (somewhat) close to the American sexual politics culture was in the late USSR. Under Brezhnev, the private life of the Party members indeed became a public matter, somewhat resembling of America
Russia is not Puritan. It doesn't hold politicians to the same sexual standards as America. Putin's infidelity didn't reduce his support for a bit. Nemtsov's flamboyance might have actually boosted his reputation. Affairs with (more or less) adult women can't hurt your image here
Context for the photo. In 2006 Putin came out to the group of kids having an excursion around Kremlin. He approached a boy Nikita, asked him several questions, put his T-shirt up and kissed him in a belly. Then he quickly walked a way
You see, nuances of your background and record play a big role in an established system, which is relatively static. Nice CV, correct ancestry, social polish, that's all your social capital
But in the time of crisis all this capital can lose its value and very quickly
A crisis is always a Jubilee and in 1917 Russia went through a massive crisis. Social capital lost its value. Very quickly nobody cared if you were a prince, or if you have a nice French accent, or how close you were to the Court. Social capital lost its value, just like money
This works both ways though. Savings are annihilated, and debts too. Positive social capital is annihilated, and negative, too. You must keep this in mind to get why revolutions get so much popular support, even if life "objectively" becomes worse (it usually does)
Position of Muslim Tatar murzas in Muscovy can be briefly summarised this way:
Till 1550 - ultra privileged, more expat-like position. They were more of guests of the Tsar rather than his slaves and this could leave and come back freely. Unlike the Russian bojars who were slaves
1552-1556 - after the fall of Kazan and then Astrakhan they were quickly reduced to the status of Russian aristocracy. Now they were openly referred to as slaves. Also now they could not leave. Many did ofc, but now they couldn't come back. Expat-like status was lost