Sergei Medvedev: 'Russian society was built on the mafia's honor code' According to this Russian historian and specialist of the post-Soviet period, Russia is a warring and policing power which, over the centuries, has fought not only its neighbors – but also its own people.
Interview by Marie Jégo Published today at 12:00 am (Paris) \ Sergei Medvedev is a Russian historian who specializes in the post-Soviet period. In his latest book, A War Made in Russia, published on February 15, he analyzes the violence that permeates Russian society, from within families through to public institutions.
You have written that Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine is consistent with the logic of Russian history. What did you mean by this? Russia is, and always has been a warring and policing power. A quote attributed to Nicolas I [emperor of Russia between 1825 and 1855] essentially says that Russia has no vocation to become an industrial, commercial or agricultural power, and that its essential function is to threaten the rest of the world. Studying its history, it's clear to see that war has always played a central role, both inside and outside the country.
Over the centuries, Moscow has fought not only against its neighbors, but also against its own population, by monopolizing resources and preventing private property from developing – as well as the social class that comes with it. Indeed, its rulers see it as just another resource, a "second oil." Human life is cheap in Russia. The great military victories of World War Two – the battle of Stalingrad, the capture of Berlin – were achieved at the cost of colossal losses. Back then, the ratio was ten Soviet soldiers killed for every German; today, in Ukraine, it's three Russians for every Ukrainian. In 1945, when [American General Dwight] Eisenhower was astonished at the massive losses on the Soviet side, Marshal Georgy Zhukov retorted: "It doesn't matter; our women will give birth to more soldiers." Vladimir Putin thinks the same way. He claims to have a right over citizens' physical bodies, calling on women to increase the number of births and stigmatizing LGBTQ+ people. He doesn't need individuals, human beings. All he needs are soldiers to fuel his wars.
