Putin's Russia

Putin’s Russia by Daniel Gardner, Special to the Gazette

In the summer of 1999, I traveled to Russia on a “mission trip” working with

American and Russian teens in a camp near Volgograd. Before going I wondered what Russians were like, how Russian teens and American teens might be different, and what

American and Russian adults had in common.

The two weeks were some of the best in my life. The next summer we returned to Russia for a similar camp in Ivanova. We met more adults and began corresponding with them after returning to America.

Over the years I have traveled to Russia many times learning more about their history and how they see themselves in the world.

Americans view Russians differently from how they view themselves. The more I have learned about Russian history over the years, the more I realize how difficult it is for an outsider to understand the many differences of people living in the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing borders with fourteen nations. Russia is the largest country in Europe with 140 million people, the majority of whom live in urban areas.

Vladimir

Putin is likely the least understood man in the world. In many ways he is like Donald Trump in that his friends and foes are often frustrated by their failures to predict what he will do. President Trump understands business, “The Art of the Deal”, and often confuses those who have little business acumen.

President Putin understands politics and plays his games at least three moves ahead of everybody else. Each leader is a genius in his own way.

American and Russian history are quite different. Americans have not fought a war on our own soil since the Civil War aka The War Between the States. Russia, on the other hand, grew into the Russian Empire by the early 18th century, and for the next 250 years absorbed European and Asian nations through wars and acquisitions.

President

Putin is a product of his own nation’s history and growth. He has served as a primary leader of Russia since 2000, and president since 2012.

President Putin set his eyes on recovering territories of the former Soviet Union on December 12, 1991, the inauguration of the Russian Federation. He has assumed the Russian persona of a conquering bear no one else in the world can withstand. He sees himself as a rock, an immovable force, and sees President Trump and his European allies as hard places. Yes, the Ukrainian war is a hard battle, but Putin sees nothing but Russian victory.

Ukraine is Russia in Putin’s eye. “

Ukraine is not just a neighboring country. It’s an integral part of our history, culture…modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia. By Bolshevik, Communist Russia to be exact.”

Putin is adamant: “For decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine experienced direct, overt interference from Western countries in its internal affairs. Actually, they tried to do the same in Russia, but, unfortunately, in Ukraine they managed to instill in the minds of millions of people the pseudo-values that led to the fact that they created an anti-Russia on this territory, sowing hatred, raping people’s consciousness, depriving them of their true history.” Russia-

Ukraine is not war. Putin’s Russia is bringing her children back into the fold of Mother Russia. Page A2 Thursday, September 4, 2025 MAGNOLIA GAZETTE