Welcome to MAGAland, Russian style
Think of it as the Russian equivalent of a red hat with “Make America Great Again” printed on it. Accepting the bronze medal at the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, gymnast Ivan Kuliak defiantly wore a “Z” on his chest — the Russian symbol of support for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Next to him accepting the gold medal was Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun. The Russian athlete was banned from representing Russia or wearing the markings of his home country due to Russia’s history of cheating with performance enhancing drugs. So he wore a Z instead.
The Z symbol is becoming increasingly common in Russia. It is being sported by ordinary Russians walking the streets of Moscow, it is painted on Russian tanks and displayed in various forms and contexts on social media. Indications are that these demonstrations of solidarity with Putin and his despicable incursion into the sovereign democracy of Ukraine are spontaneous, ubiquitous and unforced displays of a growing minority of Russian citizens. They are the alt-right of Russia. Many are devout members of Putin’s Russian Orthodox Church.
We have seen it in every totalitarian, fascist regime in history, from Nazi Germany to North Korea to America’s very own homegrown MAGAland: the ossification of the True Believer. No amount of cruelty or outrage will deter them. Indeed, cruelty and outrage are often the point. As with the Trump supporters in the United States, many of them find justification and comfort in the arms of religion.
The core of true believers in the glories of despotism remains steadfast and unshakable — inside Russia and everywhere else. Except in dire situations, as with the final days of World War II when Berlin was reduced to rubble, defections seldom become a major problem for such totalitarian regimes.
Until then Vladimir Putin will continue to enjoy the same kind of support inside Russia that Donald Trump enjoyed from his MAGA base. It is little wonder Russia is so often defended by Fox News. They know their own when they see it. There is no shortage of idiots in the world and Russia, with its misguided population that thinks Putin is “making Russia great again,” is no exception. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.