- 2 weeks ago
Discover why Putin is untouchable and how he inspires Samurai-like loyalty among his subjects.
👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN
"Why are Russians often seen as amoral, brutal, or ruthless?" In this video, I tackle this intriguing question from a subscriber's perspective as a writer born in the USSR. Join me as I uncover the deep social and historical forces that shape Russian behavior, exploring the layers of the social pyramid, the influence of state power, and its impact on morality and actions. From loyalty to authority to the importance of personal connections, I dive into the unique dynamics of Russian culture and social structures. Get ready for an eye-opening journey into the complexities behind the perceptions.
Video Chapters:
00:00 Understanding Russian Morality
01:24 Russian Cornucopia
04:15 Social Pyramid
12:41 Modern Russian Nobility
15:56 Morals of the Russian Elite
20:13 Propaganda Queen: Margarita Simonyan
22:34 Why Are Russians So Rude?
👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here: https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/
MY HISTORICAL FICTIO
👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN
"Why are Russians often seen as amoral, brutal, or ruthless?" In this video, I tackle this intriguing question from a subscriber's perspective as a writer born in the USSR. Join me as I uncover the deep social and historical forces that shape Russian behavior, exploring the layers of the social pyramid, the influence of state power, and its impact on morality and actions. From loyalty to authority to the importance of personal connections, I dive into the unique dynamics of Russian culture and social structures. Get ready for an eye-opening journey into the complexities behind the perceptions.
Video Chapters:
00:00 Understanding Russian Morality
01:24 Russian Cornucopia
04:15 Social Pyramid
12:41 Modern Russian Nobility
15:56 Morals of the Russian Elite
20:13 Propaganda Queen: Margarita Simonyan
22:34 Why Are Russians So Rude?
👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here: https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/
MY HISTORICAL FICTIO
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Several days ago, I received an email from a highly respected lawyer based in London.
00:06He writes, I worked for a Russian company for a while and came to know its people.
00:12I'm intrigued to understand the mindset that makes, let's say, the average Russian so immoral, brutal, and ruthless.
00:21To answer this, we must delve into the layers of a very specific Russian anomaly.
00:28It's a well-guarded secret, yet with the right approach, even the most hidden truths can be uncovered.
00:36I'm Elvira Berry, an author born in the USSR, and today I'm taking you deep into this shadowy world.
00:45Let's dive in.
00:48To answer my subscriber's question, we need to start with an important clarification.
00:53The average Russian would never end up in London working for a Russian company capable of hiring specialists like my
01:03subscriber.
01:04He was dealing with a very specific group of people.
01:09It's a closed social class, much like the samurai.
01:13And not just anyone can join.
01:15But to understand who these people are and why they act the way they do, we need to examine the
01:21structure of Russian society.
01:29Margaret Thatcher once said, there is no such thing as public money.
01:34There is only taxpayer's money.
01:37In Russia, this is not the case.
01:40There are no taxpayer's funds in the traditional sense.
01:45Instead, there is state-controlled wealth, primarily natural resources and agricultural land.
01:53And people who have the right to control and exploit these resources based on their social rank.
02:00This wealth is referred to as the karmushka, which means feeding child.
02:08And it's seen as a horn of plenty that operates continuously.
02:13However, it doesn't provide enough for everyone.
02:17Power in Russia is built on controlling access to this karmushka.
02:22Those at the front can take as much as they can carry, while those crowded behind only catch a few
02:29drops.
02:30Access to karmushka is considered a significant stroke of luck.
02:34For instance, if you are a film director, you need the Ministry of Culture to allocate funding for your dream
02:40project.
02:41If you run a non-profit helping cancer patients, you rely on government grants.
02:47If you own a construction company, you try your best to secure estate loans, tax breaks, or subsidies.
02:57All wealth in Russia, one way or another, depends on the karmushka.
03:01Even if you own a fancy grooming salon and think you have a private business,
03:06your prosperity still hinges on whether your clients have money.
03:10And who are these clients?
03:12They are government employees with high salaries,
03:17businessmen serving government contracts,
03:20or businessmen who serve those who serve the government.
03:23But that's not all.
03:25Your property remains yours only as long as those in power are in agreement with this arrangement.
03:32Or simply ignore you because you are too small a fish to be targeted.
03:37But if they decide otherwise, they can take everything from you.
03:43And this applies to both the poorest and the wealthiest.
03:47A local official could rob the poorest,
03:50while their richest can be stripped of everything and imprisoned by the president's decree.
03:57This is precisely what happened to oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
04:02So, if you want to be safe and successful,
04:06you must position yourself as close to the karmushka as possible
04:10while navigating a highly competitive and dangerous environment.
04:20The social structure of modern Russia closely resembles that of a feudal system.
04:26At the very bottom of the social pyramid is what we can call the common people.
04:31They are the largest group and live paycheck to paycheck.
04:37These people have no savings, no investments, and live in debt.
04:43If they have a profession, it's often undervalued.
04:48Many are entirely dependent on the state for various benefits and pensions.
04:53For context, in the provinces, the salary of a kindergarten teacher is about $200 a month.
05:00$400 a month is considered a good salary.
05:03$1,000 a month is considered very good.
05:07But in Moscow, the average salary is $1,500,
05:09which is why there are sayings like
05:12Moscow is not Russia and Moscovites are completely spoiled.
05:17The common people have no control over resources and no voice.
05:23The authorities treat them as dependents to be cared for only if there is extra money.
05:29If there is no surplus, then the people can fend for themselves.
05:34The second level of the pyramid consists of people with in-demand or prestigious skills.
05:42They live better, but their wealth and social status heavily depend on where they live.
05:51It's one thing to be a doctor in Moscow and another to be one in a small town in the
05:57middle of nowhere.
05:58These people don't control state resources and don't have special rights,
06:05but the state sees them as useful.
06:09The third level includes people who control either material or power resources.
06:14They are either government employees or closely linked to the government through contracts.
06:19At this level, everything is decided through agreements and personal connections,
06:26and success is measured by how prestigious your position is
06:31and how much money flows through your hands.
06:35Examples include police chiefs, bank executives, university rectors,
06:41and businessmen working for the government.
06:45These people are part of unofficial clans
06:49that protect each other and compete for better positions in their social hierarchy.
06:55At the top of the pyramid are the heads of clans
07:00who control vast networks of vessels.
07:03These vessels can be found on the second and third levels of the pyramid.
07:09The more vessels they have, the better.
07:11The aristocrats are above the law.
07:13They control enormous sums of money,
07:16and they are accountable to no one.
07:19Unless they anger the top feudal lord, President Putin.
07:23The president himself occupies a separate category.
07:27He stands at the very top.
07:30He is untouchable, irreplaceable,
07:33and holds absolute power over every person and every resource within Russia.
07:40Let me give you an example of how this system operates.
07:44On September 12, 2024,
07:48two Russian drone operators fighting against Ukraine
07:51were sent to a certain death in a reckless assault.
07:55The order to send these valuable specialists into their attack
07:59came from their regiment commander, Puzik,
08:03with whom they had fallen out over his involvement
08:07in covering up truck trafficking on their front lines.
08:12Before going into their attack,
08:15the drone operators recorded a video message
08:19explaining the situation.
08:22It was a direct challenge to the system.
08:26So, they arranged with their families
08:29to release the videos only after their deaths.
08:33Once the videos were leaked online,
08:36a huge scandal erupted.
08:38The Z community,
08:39those supporting the war and Putin,
08:42began demanding punishment for Puzik.
08:44The media picked up the story,
08:47and it ended with nothing.
08:50Officials stepped forward
08:52and claimed their misunderstanding had been resolved
08:56and that some unnamed officers were held accountable.
09:00No charges were found against Puzik.
09:04The families and friends of the fallen drone operators
09:08did not back down
09:09and began writing to the country's leading propagandists,
09:13demanding action.
09:15It ended with Vladimir Solovyov,
09:18the host of one of the largest pro-government shows,
09:22calling the drone operators
09:24Scandrals and Puzik a hero.
09:28He also told the people
09:30who had contacted him with their demands
09:32to send their personal information
09:34so they could be properly dealt with.
09:37The Z community went into a frenzy.
09:41How could it be that Puzik,
09:43a murderer and drug dealer,
09:45was being protected at the highest level,
09:48while the owner of the ordinary guys
09:51who gave their lives for their country
09:53had no one to defend it?
09:57The mother and the wife
09:58of the dead drone operators spoke out,
10:01saying they would go to the prosecutor's office
10:03and demand punishment for Solovyov.
10:07How will this end?
10:10In the best case,
10:12it will end with nothing.
10:14But if Solovyov feels slighted,
10:17those who attacked him
10:19might be publicly punished.
10:21Why?
10:22Because the families of the drone operators
10:24are at the bottom of the social pyramid.
10:27The drone operators themselves
10:29are on the second level.
10:31Puzik is on the third,
10:33and Solovyov is on the fourth.
10:36A samurai will never turn against another samurai,
10:40especially if they are from the same clan.
10:43And if some peasant
10:45dearest to challenge any samurai,
10:48the full wrath of the state apparatus
10:51will come crashing down on his foolish head,
10:55because the lower classes
10:57must always remember who they are.
11:01The saddest part is that
11:03people from the first and second levels
11:05of the pyramid often don't understand
11:07how the third, fourth, and fifth levels work.
11:10They never come into contact with them,
11:13don't share common acquaintances,
11:15and aren't integrated into the system.
11:18They only learn how the world truly works
11:20when they clash with the system.
11:23And that's when they realize
11:25that someone from the higher level
11:28can kill a person from the lower one
11:30without facing any consequences.
11:33The lower classes face sanctions,
11:36while the elite don't even notice them.
11:38If a lower class person gets cancer,
11:41they simply die.
11:43But the elite will travel to Germany
11:45or Israel for treatment
11:47or bring the best specialists
11:49straight to Moscow.
11:50It's a closed system.
11:52It's not something that's openly discussed.
11:55And to understand how it works,
11:58you either need to be inside and trusted
12:01or conduct a truly investigative effort.
12:06The upper echelons of Russian society
12:09have no specific name,
12:11which is why I refer to them as Samurais,
12:15because no other term really fits.
12:17In the Russian Empire,
12:19there was the nobility,
12:20and in the Soviet Union,
12:22there was the party nomenclature.
12:24But this is something different.
12:26The closest comparison might be the mafia.
12:31But we are not talking about a criminal group
12:34that opposes the law and the state.
12:37This group is the law and the state.
12:45Now, let's return to the question
12:47asked by my subscriber.
12:49The average Russian is made up of people
12:52from the first two categories.
12:54Their moral values can vary widely.
12:57Among them, you'll find both criminals and alcoholics,
13:00as well as wonderful, kind-hearted,
13:03and empathetic people.
13:04However, those on the third and fourth levels
13:08deserve close examination,
13:11as their sense of morality is largely shaped
13:14by their constant struggle to survive
13:16and maintain their privileges.
13:19Essentially, we are talking about
13:21the new Russian nobility.
13:24Entering this class is incredibly difficult.
13:28You are either born into it,
13:30or you need someone who already has access
13:33to state resources to take you under their wing
13:36and give you a share of the wealth.
13:38For example, I know a charming and witty man
13:41who was given a news agency in a provincial city.
13:45He didn't buy it.
13:46It was just handed to him
13:49because a government official who controlled it
13:52enjoyed spending time with this man.
13:54Another example, my acquaintance,
13:56let's call her Sveta,
13:58was born and raised in a small provincial town.
14:01One day, she came to Moscow
14:02to ride their escalators in the metro.
14:05Her friend, who worked as a teller in the bank,
14:08fell ill and asked Sveto to fill in for her.
14:10Sveta was smart,
14:12good with numbers,
14:13and very attractive.
14:16Within five years,
14:18she became the deputy director of that bank.
14:21I don't know how she managed it,
14:23but the result was
14:25a luxury apartment in Moscow,
14:27a house in Spain,
14:29and a huge mansion in her hometown.
14:33Sveta admitted that her boss promoted her.
14:36He would often yell at her
14:38and vent his anger,
14:40fully aware that Sveta had nowhere else to go.
14:43Her choice was simple.
14:45Either endure the abuse from her feudal lord,
14:49or lose everything.
14:51Switching jobs wasn't an option.
14:54People at her level don't work for salaries.
14:56They receive enormous bonuses,
14:58but only if their boss decides they deserve it.
15:02And you can't just switch clans.
15:04Foreign samurai are never welcome.
15:07Sveta's boss was a vassal
15:09of a high-ranking official in the government.
15:12He was treated the same way,
15:14yelled at,
15:15and walked all over.
15:16That's why he drinks.
15:18The official in the government,
15:20in turn,
15:21meets with Putin,
15:22and one would imagine
15:24gets the same treatment.
15:26I can confidently say
15:28that the Russian company in London
15:30where my subscriber worked
15:31was full of people like Sveta.
15:34It's a highly prestigious job.
15:36And you can only get it
15:38if someone with influence
15:40is begging you within the system.
15:43Alternatively,
15:44you might be someone's child
15:46who has grown up in this environment,
15:49understands the rules from the start,
15:52and sees it
15:53as the only viable path forward.
16:00The most important thing.
16:02A vassal cares only about
16:05what their lord
16:06and the other vassals
16:08in their clan think of them.
16:09Their life
16:10and their family's well-being
16:12depend on their affiliation
16:14with a powerful clan,
16:16which is why
16:16they will serve it
16:18with everything they've got.
16:20This way of life
16:21creates a unique worldview.
16:24Remember,
16:24a samurai can easily
16:26decapitate a peasant
16:27or a foreigner
16:28because they don't see them
16:29as their own.
16:30They trust no one
16:32but their own
16:33and view deception
16:34of outsiders
16:35as a tactical maneuver.
16:37No.
16:39Tactical maneuver.
16:41Such people
16:43do not see themselves
16:44as immoral.
16:46Their morality
16:48just looks different.
16:49You are considered
16:51a virtuous person
16:52if you serve your boss
16:53loyally,
16:54the one who pulled you
16:56out of poverty
16:57and gave you
16:58the opportunity
16:59to earn money
17:00that others
17:01can only dream of.
17:04You do whatever
17:05you've told,
17:06even if it involves
17:08theft,
17:09forgery,
17:10and the total loss
17:11of your reputation.
17:13Take Vasily Nibensya,
17:16Russia's permanent representative
17:18to the United Nations.
17:20Every time he speaks,
17:22he lies
17:23and humiliates himself.
17:25But that's okay
17:27because if he doesn't,
17:29he,
17:30his family,
17:30and his own vassals
17:32would lose everything.
17:34People like Nibensya
17:36never forget
17:37where they came from
17:38and what they owed
17:40their feudal lord.
17:41If their consciousness
17:43starts to trouble them,
17:45they simply drink
17:46or take a trip
17:48to the Maldives.
17:49After all,
17:50they've got all the money.
17:52Are there examples
17:53of members
17:54of Russia's
17:55unofficial nobility
17:56who refuse to play along
17:58because of their principles?
18:00Yes,
18:00there are.
18:01Cultural icons
18:03like singer
18:03Alla Pugacheva
18:04and her husband,
18:06comedian,
18:07and TV presenter
18:07Maxim Galkin
18:08left Russia
18:09after the invasion
18:11of Ukraine.
18:11They lost access
18:13to their property
18:14in Russia
18:15and the ability
18:16to earn money there.
18:18Maxim was branded
18:19a foreign agent,
18:21making him
18:21a persona non grata.
18:23Now,
18:23Alla has retired
18:24and Maxim tours countries
18:26with large Russian
18:28immigrant communities.
18:29The same happened
18:30to Alexander Nevzorov,
18:32a journalist,
18:32film director,
18:33and former member
18:34of the Russian state Duma.
18:36He was once
18:38very wealthy
18:39and successful,
18:41but when he spoke
18:42out against the war
18:43in Ukraine,
18:44he lost everything.
18:46Now,
18:47he runs a YouTube
18:47and Telegram channels
18:48with millions
18:49of subscribers,
18:50offering his sharp
18:52wit and sarcasm
18:53to the social media world.
18:55So,
18:56the price
18:57for any kind
18:58of rebellion
18:59is extremely high.
19:02Essentially,
19:03you sacrifice
19:04your entire life
19:05and the lives
19:06of those close to you.
19:07Not everyone
19:08in the Russian nobility
19:09can appreciate
19:10what Pugachev,
19:11Galkin,
19:11or Nevzorov did.
19:12For many,
19:14Nibbenzi remains
19:14a noble
19:15and selfless figure,
19:17while those
19:18who didn't support
19:19their ultimate lord
19:20in times of trouble
19:21are seen
19:22as nothing but traitors.
19:24There's another
19:25important point.
19:26Many people
19:27from the Russian nobility
19:28confuse the concept
19:30of motherland
19:31with my boss.
19:33They say,
19:34the motherland
19:34gave me everything.
19:36I love my motherland
19:37so much.
19:38In reality,
19:40everything came
19:40from a very specific source
19:42and their love
19:44for the motherland
19:45certainly doesn't extend
19:46to the lower classes,
19:48whom they either
19:49exploit directly
19:50or completely ignore.
19:52For example,
19:53a police chief
19:54might easily order
19:56his subordinates
19:57to beat peaceful
19:58protesters with batons.
20:00Fellow citizens
20:01demanding honest elections
20:03don't fall in
20:05his idea
20:05of motherland.
20:06So what does?
20:08His own clan,
20:10his position
20:10on lifestyle
20:11and his higher-ups?
20:18One way to illustrate this
20:21is by looking
20:22at the biography
20:23of one of the Russia's
20:25top propagandists
20:26Margarita Simonyan.
20:28Here's what she said
20:29about her childhood.
20:31We had one tap
20:32for five families
20:33outside.
20:35There was one
20:36rotting hole
20:36in the yard,
20:37a toilet,
20:39also shared
20:40by five families.
20:42Naturally,
20:43because of these
20:43awful conditions,
20:44we had rats.
20:46You'd come home
20:47and the first thing
20:48you'd see
20:49was a rat
20:50running from under
20:51the cupboard
20:51to the sofa.
20:53Margarita has
20:53often said
20:54in interviews
20:55that from a young age
20:57she dreamed
20:58of rising out
20:59of poverty
20:59and helping
21:00her family escape it.
21:02And she succeeded.
21:04First,
21:05by covering
21:06the Chechen war
21:07and the Bislan
21:08school siege
21:09in the way
21:10the Kremlin demanded.
21:12Survivors
21:13of that terrorist attack
21:14later said
21:14that after
21:15her lies
21:16in the news,
21:17the terrorists
21:17stopped giving
21:18water to the children
21:19and there were
21:21over a thousand
21:22of them.
21:23After that,
21:25Margarita caught
21:25the attention
21:26of Alexei Gromov,
21:28Putin's press secretary
21:30at the time
21:30and her career
21:32skyrocketed.
21:34Suddenly,
21:35Margarita became
21:36the editor-in-chief
21:38of the propaganda
21:39network
21:40Russia Today
21:41with offices
21:42all over the world
21:44and a multi-million
21:46dollar budget.
21:48She was just
21:49twenty-five
21:50with zero
21:52managerial experience.
21:54How did this happen?
21:57Simple.
21:58An influential
21:59feudal lord
22:00from the fourth
22:00high of the
22:01social pyramid
22:02took her in
22:03as a vessel
22:04and for this
22:06favor,
22:06she had to
22:07sell her soul
22:08to the devil.
22:09But the devil
22:10is generous.
22:12Margarita and her
22:13husband get
22:13millions
22:14from the
22:15Karmushka.
22:16Does Margarita
22:17see herself
22:17as an
22:18immoral
22:19person?
22:20Probably not.
22:21She loves
22:22her motherland
22:23dearly
22:24and serves
22:25those who
22:26gave her
22:26a chance
22:27in life.
22:28As for
22:29what the
22:29rest of the
22:30world thinks
22:31of her,
22:31she couldn't
22:32care less.
22:38There's one
22:39more thing
22:40I need to
22:40address
22:41and it's
22:41in response
22:42to the
22:42question
22:43why are
22:44Russians
22:44so rude?
22:46When we
22:47speak in
22:47English,
22:47we first
22:48construct the
22:49sentence in
22:50our minds,
22:51in our
22:52native language
22:53and then
22:54translate it.
22:55For example,
22:56if my friend
22:57complains that
22:58his flowers
22:59aren't growing
23:00in the garden,
23:00I'd tell him
23:02you need to
23:03water them
23:03more often.
23:04In Russian,
23:06this phrase
23:06sounds completely
23:07neutral.
23:09But I was
23:10told that
23:11this kind of
23:12phrasing is
23:13unacceptable
23:13because it
23:14sounds like
23:15a command.
23:16Instead,
23:17you should say
23:18the flowers
23:19need more
23:19water and
23:20that's how
23:21it becomes
23:22polite.
23:22I'm not
23:23sure if
23:23this is
23:24true but
23:25since that
23:25conversation,
23:26I've become
23:27very self-conscious
23:28about how
23:28I phrase
23:29things.
23:30So if
23:31you feel
23:31like I'm
23:32being rude,
23:33please know
23:34it's
23:35unintentional.
23:36And the
23:37same goes
23:38for other
23:38Russians as
23:39well.
23:40If you
23:41have any
23:42more questions,
23:43feel free
23:43to ask and
23:44don't forget
23:45to subscribe
23:45and check
23:46out my
23:46historical
23:47novel
23:48Russian
23:48Treasures.
23:49It's your
23:50gateway to
23:51our strange,
23:52cruel,
23:53but still
23:53fascinating
23:54world.
23:55The link
23:55is in
23:56the description.
24:01The link
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