How to really understand the Russian perspective.

[Vynce]

How do they really think?

How do they really survive?

What values are most important for them; any why?

Is there a common, broad denominator amongst Russians, or are they as divided as westerners?

How is it, that they make up for such a fitting placeholder for „all evil“?

And why do they hold such a negative position on westerners (especially the US)?

…

It all probably comes down to their survival strategies, but I want to know how exactly that came to be.

And by the way, I also don’t expect to get this via some YouTube channel or some book. Maybe it’s just possible by actually living in Russia for some time. 
But maybe there is a Russian person here, who can enlighten me here. 

[Leo Gura]

They think just like Americans:

America first

Russia first

What is the difference between annexing Ukraine and annexing Greenland or Canada?

If you think of all the ways America is selfish, those are the ways Russia is selfish.

Edited January 9 by Leo Gura

[Porphyry Fedotov]

Well, the Russian perspective and Kremlin propaganda are two different things. Russians are not so different from Americans or Europeans. 
check this channel out - it's full of short street interviews of ordinary Russians on different topics:

https://www.youtube.com/@1420channel
 If you want to hear interesting insights into the current Russian political situation check Maxim Katz's channel - he is a Russian opposition politician. He used to live in Russia, but now he lives in Israel.
Each of his videos has English subtitles, usually, he has good takes with some exceptions ( for example, his take on the Israel-Palestine conflict is pretty bad)
https://www.youtube.com/@Max_Katz

Edited January 9 by Porphyry Fedotov

[Vynce]

33 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

They think just like Americans:

America first

Russia first

What is the difference between annexing Ukraine and annexing Greenland or Canada?

If you think of all the ways America is selfish, those are the ways Russia is selfish.

I mean obviously the day to day life of people are vastly different.

Imagine if Russians behaved like the police cam suspects. 

And I'm not sure of the US would send a million troops into death for some 20% of Canada. US people would oppose like nothing good. In Russia its a welcoming opportunity to make some Rubles for the young men.

Maybe they are similar on a structural level, view from high above. But everything relative seems strikingly different.

[Vynce]

36 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

They think just like Americans:

America first

Russia first

What is the difference between annexing Ukraine and annexing Greenland or Canada?

If you think of all the ways America is selfish, those are the ways Russia is selfish.

I also contemplated why westerners tend to forgive so much devilry of the US, while sharply judging anything Russia.

And I think a large factors is that, although the US might've been a nasty boy (nuclear bombs, Vietnam, middle east ect.) we (westerners) are whitewashed and impressed by:

1. Entertainment (Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Video Games, Pornhub, Hollywood) 

2. Celebrities, Idols, Rolemodels, Coaches, Gurus, Podcasters, TV-Shows, Presidential Drama ect.

3. Rockets, Military, Dollar Hegemony, Nuclear Power 

3. Smartphones, Computers, AI, Leading Softwares

4. Modern Medicine, Airplanes, GPS, Vaccines, Cameras, CRISPR, Microwave

5. Comedy, News, Celeb Drama 

et cetera.. 

Meanwhile I can't think of comparable shiny inventions from Russia.

Surely there are many, but you don't hear from them. You just hear of their devil on the political level. So of course the western perspective is massively skewed..

[Twentyfirst]

I think the difference is Putin was provoked. Ukraine was attempting to join NATO even though that was an agreed red line

Trump is just high off white supremacy 

[Porphyry Fedotov]

47 minutes ago, Vynce said:

I mean obviously the day to day life of people are vastly different.

Imagine if Russians behaved like the police cam suspects. 

And I'm not sure of the US would send a million troops into death for some 20% of Canada. US people would oppose like nothing good. In Russia its a welcoming opportunity to make some Rubles for the young men.

Maybe they are similar on a structural level, view from high above. But everything relative seems strikingly different.

Actually, a lot of Russians opposed the war. When it started there were massive demonstrations. The big ones were in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. However, the state quickly introduced new laws - like the one punishing people for discreditation of the Russian military. So nowadays even saying publicly that you're against the war is a sure way to get a real jail sentence, like some people are getting 6-8 years for anti-war posts or posts about Russian war crimes in Bucha on Russian Facebook, Vkontakte.

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, Vynce said:

And I'm not sure of the US would send a million troops into death for some 20% of Canada.

Certainly Americans are too spoiled and entitled to face as much death and hardship as Russians.

But Americans had no problem waging a stupid war in Iraq based on bullshit and hubris.

It's amazing how easily Americans overlook and excuse their own stupid wars while raving against other nations.

Edited January 9 by Leo Gura

[sholomar]

They are programmed by their culture and media machine just like any other country. To a degree with the rise of social media they can see through the programming depending on how many of the bother to try but human nature is human nature. People in nations generally try to keep to themselves and live their lives in spite of their leadership, and not because of it.  Most people aren't cause fighters, they just want to get a job, have a family, and enjoy the simple pleasures.  If they have a property they can afford, food on the table, and the occasional vacation, they are generally satisfied enough.  I believe many opposed the war, just like many Americans do... don't fight the banker's wars... the money printing machine that profits off the civilian casualties that come along with war... as Guns N Roses said, it "feeds the rich while it buries the poor."  "Your power hungry selling solders in a human grocery store..."

I don't believe most average people actually support their nation's wars without massive propaganda and basically being told they are going to fight or go to jail/die if they don't. It's all about control. Psychopathic leaders gain power and demand obedience. People can go along with it or if it doesn't affect them, kind of ignore it. (american middle east meddling)

Edited January 10 by sholomar

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

US is superior to Russia tho

I can say that with an utmost certainty since I'm living kinda on the borders of the western and the eastern hemisphere and zones of influence

Edited January 10 by NewKidOnTheBlock

[zazen]

On 20/12/2024 at 9:51 AM, zazen said:

From Chat GPT:

The Neighborhood Analogy 

Picture a chaotic neighborhood where no one can agree on boundaries, and everyone has their own interpretation of the rules. Let’s break it down:

China: China’s the neighbor obsessing over the property lines. They’ve dusted off some ancient maps their ancestors drew centuries ago and insist the shared driveway belongs to them. Sure, they’ve put up a few fences and planted some shrubs on disputed land, but no one’s been kicked out, and they’re still yelling about it at every block meeting. This isn’t imperialism; it’s territorial nitpicking.

Russia: Russia’s watching nervously as NATO, a known homewrecker with a baseball bat, moves into the neighbor’s house. Russia doesn’t trust this situation, so they break into the yard, lock the shed (Crimea), and stand guard over their cousins camping out in the backyard (Donbass). It’s messy and aggressive, but they see it as survival, not conquest.

Israel: Israel’s playing an entirely different game. They march into someone else’s house, bulldoze half of it, remodel the rest, and claim it was theirs all along. They don’t just stop there—they move their friends in and put locks on every door. It’s not about defense; it’s about occupation and domination.

America: The U.S.? They’re the neighborhood enforcer, walking around with a clipboard and a security badge they gave themselves. They install cameras on every street, charge tolls on the roads, and sometimes bulldoze whole blocks because they think the layout “needs improvement.” They say it’s for everyone’s safety, but somehow, their house gets bigger and shinier every year.

 

[Con heo dien]

I think one of the most important factors in understanding the Russian perspective is realizing what trauma the collapse of the Soviet union has caused. From being a super power to becoming the joke of the world in a few years. For the Russians, whose identity was largely built on Soviet Union, this was a devastating blow. From Putin to a beggar in the street, this is still a gaping wound, regularly in the form of an inferiority complex. Even most people who oppose the war, secretly/unconsciously welcome the return of Russian power on the world stage.

[Alex4]

On 9/1/2025 at 6:34 PM, Vynce said:

I also contemplated why westerners tend to forgive so much devilry of the US, while sharply judging anything Russia.

And I think a large factors is that, although the US might've been a nasty boy (nuclear bombs, Vietnam, middle east ect.) we (westerners) are whitewashed and impressed by:

1. Entertainment (Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Video Games, Pornhub, Hollywood) 

2. Celebrities, Idols, Rolemodels, Coaches, Gurus, Podcasters, TV-Shows, Presidential Drama ect.

3. Rockets, Military, Dollar Hegemony, Nuclear Power 

3. Smartphones, Computers, AI, Leading Softwares

4. Modern Medicine, Airplanes, GPS, Vaccines, Cameras, CRISPR, Microwave

5. Comedy, News, Celeb Drama 

et cetera.. 

Meanwhile I can't think of comparable shiny inventions from Russia.

Surely there are many, but you don't hear from them. You just hear of their devil on the political level. So of course the western perspective is massively skewed..

I agree U.S. cultural dominance has an impact, but I think the main reason the West is permissive with the U.S. is that  out of all the major world powers, the U.S. provides one of the best standards of living for its people, and a level of freedom light years away from, for example, China or Russia. 

[Breakingthewall]

Russia has a very different history from most countries, as it did the communist revolution and became a world empire. For decades, the Russians thought that their model would spread throughout the world and that they would be the pioneers of the new world order. Soon they realized that all this was a dream and that they had to bow their heads and associate with their capitalist "friends."

The United States then thought that it would be a fantastic idea to balkanize Russia and exploit its enormous resources. Russia became a country ruled by mafias, increasingly poor and disorderly. The Americans promoted a grey and submissive official called Putin who turned out to be a fairly firm guy and convinced that Russia had the necessary strength to continue being a power and not a country of miserable people.

Russia's greatest assets are natural resources and military power. With these assets, Russia hopes that its youth will not have to emigrate and its country will not fall into indefinite misery, and it acts accordingly. Now Russia has put its military machinery in motion with great success, and it is going to gain enormous benefits from it. Its nuclear power is absolutely deterrent, so no one will ever be able to invade them, so be careful with Russia, respect, they are someone very important in the neighborhood

[BlueOak]

On 09/01/2025 at 6:39 PM, Leo Gura said:

Certainly Americans are too spoiled and entitled to face as much death and hardship as Russians.

But Americans had no problem waging a stupid war in Iraq based on bullshit and hubris.

It's amazing how easily Americans overlook and excuse their own stupid wars while raving against other nations.

People equate intelligence as the guiding principle.

So I got into a discussion about how intelligent people don't fight wars over land with a few people a week ago, and got laughed at. Which is fair. 

How do you approach these things? If you were to find yourself in the middle of it, (it started off on another topic.) Using the word more conscious doesn't mean anything to most people. Arguing about suffering gets a nod but no real change in their perspective. 

I've realised over life many look at an intelligent person and think he must know better because he's intelligent, they do the same with successful people, or equate the two these days. So they excuse things that way. As consciousness is difficult to measure currently, its hard to use as a thing to point people at.

Edited Wednesday at 03:46 PM by BlueOak