Vladimir Putin was sworn in as the President of Russia for his fourth consecutive term in May 2018. Storming into power yet again with 76% of the presidential vote, Putin will be in power for six more years, till 2024. This makes him the longest reigning leader of the region since Joseph Stalin assumed totalitarian leadership of the USSR in 1927; a reign of terror that continued till Stalin’s death in 1953. Does Putin’s fourth term suggest a beloved leader hailed by the masses or a authoritarian one who crushes his opposition and muzzles criticism of any kind?
Putin and his propaganda machinery have worked at creating a deliberately muscular and manly image of the man. Carefully staged, seemingly impressive feats of Putin’s supposed strength are frequently released to cultivate and maintain this image. Pictures of him riding, fishing, hunting, winning at judo populate the internet.
The supposed 100% voter turnout itself is unbelievable and a huge red flag. Reports of ballot set-ups and fraud, rigging of votes and other forms of interference, control of media reporting and barring of election observers are common. There was never any question that Putin would be reelected this time and such certainty is always dubious.
The authorities control who can run for elections. Any possible challenge to Putin is pushed out of the race on some or another pretext. For instance the popular anti corruption crusader Alexei Navalny’s bid to run for elections was stymied by a fraud conviction which is thought to be manufactured by Putin himself. People’s protests of policies or of unfair elections are dealt with crushingly with police crackdowns and widespread arrests. Just a few days ago, 1,600 protesters including Navalny were arrested amidst reports of police brutality.
People do not speak out against Putin or his policies for two reasons – there is the apprehension of possible retribution from the authorities. There is also the carefully constructed popular narrative that support of the government, its leaders and its policies is patriotic and that criticism of any sort is antinational. The state monopolising the notion of patriotism, xenophobia and intolerance toward others is a reality in Russia. This is eerily similar to the nationalist narrative sought to be created closer at hand at home in India.
The state propaganda machinery has created a superhero called Superputin, a judo chopping champion who fights public protests and terror. This superhero saves buses from bombs, has a sidekick (Medvedev) and battles zombies among other things. This recalls to mind the Indian comic book Bal Narendra, for some reason!
The muscular and overtly aggressive foreign policy is meant to restore Russian pride as well as to reacquire some of the country’s pre-cold war might and glory. The seizing of Crimea, the crushing of Chechnyan rebels, the invasion of Ukraine, bombings and other interference in Syria are just some of the ways that the Putin administration has maintained the façade of the Russia as a military superpower.
Russia ranks 148th out of 179 countries in the Press Freedom Index. The main national networks are either directly state controlled or owned by entities favourable to the authorities. Observers state that the state controlled media spreads disinformation and attacks any perceived enemies of the government.
Putin is always projected as someone who stabilised the country’s crashing economy, however Russia remains a deeply unequal country with stark contrasts between the poor and the rich. Corruption in public life remains and the number of billionaires continues to rise while the poor remain so. In spite of this, the cleverly guided public perception does not hold Putin responsible for the nation’s problems.
All the good – tangible, imagined, and otherwise – is attributed to him, but none of the failures. I wonder if it is only my imagination that this macho, infallible seeming person seems to bear an uncanny resemblance to a leader closer to home – one with self-declared 56” chest as well as other authoritarian /totalitarian world leaders?
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