Even Levada Can Not Lie Here.

I heard many times claims that while Russia is in the Cold War with the West, her youth is more "integrationist" towards EU. Well, no. This is the shift I am writing about for a long time now, and here is some latest data. 

the Europe that Russia sought to emulate no longer exists and is no longer a model that is attractive to Russia. The effort to create ‘Western man’, liberated from his past, resembles the failed experiment of ‘communist man’. Putin observed: “We see that many Euro-Atlantic states have taken the way where they deny or reject their own roots, including their Christian roots, which form the basis of Western civilization. In these countries, the moral basis and any traditional identity are being denied –  national, religious, cultural, and even gender identities are being denied or relativized.” Polls also reveal that Russians seek stability in traditional institutions such as the family and the Church. A poll by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation shows that Russians are increasingly embracing an identity linked to the Orthodox Church, and yet again, the youth are leading the way.

The author of the piece, Glenn Diesen, obviously has some major misgivings about "Soviet Communism", since it was very conservative in a social sense and overwhelming majority of Russians, including this very youth, are not outright dismissive of "Soviet communism" achievements, much of which were based in essence on the Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. But what cannot be hidden anymore is this:

A recent poll by the Levada Center, a research group branded a ‘foreign agent’ by Moscow, revealed that only 29 percent of Russians consider Russia to be a European country, which represents a drastic decline from 52 percent in 2008. A generational shift is underway, as younger Russians lead the way in dismissing the European identity of their country, with those aged 18 to 24 polling at only 23 percent.

So, I hope, this will close this never-ending debate, even if for a short while, about Russians wanting to follow Europe. Well, only some urban office plankton and Kreakls, sure--nobody will miss them in Russia. Especially current "creative" class. But as I state non-stop, want to know Russian youth mood? Hell, ask why today service in the Russian Armed Forces actually sees competition of recruits, especially for such services as paratroopers, spetsnaz, naval infantry. Youth, actually, wants to serve and volunteer to serve. This is unprecedented in Russia's modern history and it speaks volumes. Plus, who in their own mind in Russia, who lives, studies or works in Moscow, St. Pete, Rostov or Voronezh, just to name a few localities, would want to live in the modern West? To do what? Russians never lived as well as they live today in their history. Have you walked the streets of Russian cities or towns--the number of beautiful girls is through the roof. My son's expression when he visited Russia already in the age of initial dating was simple: "Wow". And those girls are not only beautiful, they want a man, they want a family, kids, the works. 

In the times of a broadband internet, smart-phones, video feeds, YouTube and other platforms--it is impossible to cover up the real state of the affairs in the West. Plus many Russians travel, a lot, to the West, including youth--most are not impressed. And, of course, the economic future is tangible, it is bright and again--see WHO marches in the Immortal Regiments all over Russia on Victory Day. Right, youth. In huge numbers. So, there you go. There will be no Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok and it is all for the better, for Russia. As for Europe...well, you know my opinion.