The Western media does not report that the Russian FSB managed to prevent several attacks against places of worship. These were planned against both Christian and Muslim institutions. Why do they not report this, even though the media usually celebrates anything that can harm Russia?
When a state is subjected to violent terrorist attacks, it can only respond with counter-violence. If the state is on the West’s list, it is immediately condemned as a terrorist state. They do not consider who started the violence. This was the case in Syria. Any state that is ethnically, economically, culturally, and religiously diverse is latently unstable. As history has shown, it takes little effort to introduce strife. If weapons are then supplied to one or both rival parties, civil war is almost impossible to avoid. The affected state can only respond with counter-violence and repression, and the vicious circle is almost impossible to stop. Just think of Yugoslavia or how the British Empire destabilized the Ottoman Empire. The principle of “divide and rule” is applied within states to destroy a state.
Russia, the Russian Federation, is not only the largest country in terms of territory but also home to the greatest diversity of ethnic groups and religions. They live together in peace, which hardly occurs elsewhere. As it was in Syria before the CIA brought discord there. Why not apply what has worked many times in Russia? The Western media does not report what is increasingly observable in Russia, the Russian Federation (RF), as if it came out of nowhere. Namely, the (foiled) terrorist attacks against holy places. No, they cannot report this because if these force the RF to take tough countermeasures, the West will ignore the lead-up, just as in the case of the Russian special operation in the new republics. The RF will be portrayed as a “terrorist state.”
After the failed sanctions, is terrorism next?
The sanction orgies against the Russian Federation have had the opposite effect of what was intended. Russia’s economy is thriving, and the people stand behind President Putin. The war in eastern Ukraine is coming to an end, and Russia will emerge stronger than ever. The West naturally dislikes this. Therefore, it does what it has always done. It tries to destabilize the country with terrorist attacks because the sanctions and embargo system have long been ineffective. It is simply ridiculous that for years only individuals have been sanctioned. Like a fig leaf for their own incompetence. Just as the Kiev regime has been shooting and killing civilians for ten years. Kiev can do no more, even with the help of the West. It is only thanks to President Putin’s patience, wisdom, and restraint that Kiev is not subjected to direct attacks and, for example, the Ministry of Defense in the center of the city is still intact. The Russian Federation is not at war with its brother nation but only with the gamblers in the government and ultimately against NATO.
The Soviet Union’s 70 years did not leave the Russian population and its numerous ethnic groups untouched. Nor did the wars that Russia had to overcome. The “Homo Sovieticus” emerged, and for example, they have a different fundamental relationship with money. Apart from the usual number of psychopaths who cause trouble worldwide, of course. During the Soviet era, religions led a shadowy existence in secret, and thus every person who did not want to give up their faith was connected almost conspiratorially. This bond encompassed all religions. So it is not surprising that now, with religious practice allowed again, there are no conflicts between religions. This is exemplary and does not suit the West, as it makes it harder to stir up strife among believers. So what can the West do to break the unity of the RF?
Revenge for destroyed places of worship
An attack on a place of worship can anger even the mildest individuals and evoke a desire for revenge. Just remember Salman Rushdie and what “The Satanic Verses” provoked. After all attempts to destroy the RF through uprisings failed, the Russophobes now resort to the meanest and dirtiest methods. Namely, by inciting religions against each other. History shows how easy it is to start (civil) wars with religious motives. Look at Syria or Iraq. Was there ever a war in which both sides did not claim some God or religion? But deliberately creating this situation is the pinnacle of the meanest meanness. But anything goes against Russia. Even if it is, once again, only about power and resources.
I think it is appropriate to remember Evo Morales. When asked why there has never been a coup in the USA, he replied: Because there is no American embassy in the USA. But let’s see what the Financial Times writes about the RF. It becomes clear why the value-based West is so desperate because it simply cannot succeed in destabilizing Russia. Here are some details from the Financial Times about the consumer boom in Russia, which the publication calls “astonishing”:
Financial Times:
“As the conflict drags on, wage increases in the expanding arms industry have forced civilian companies to keep pace. Without this, it is impossible to attract labor during an acute labor shortage. As a result, Russia suddenly found itself in the midst of a consumer boom.
Real wages are rising rapidly… ‘There are people who earned almost nothing before the escalation of the conflict… who suddenly have a lot of money,’ says Janis Kluge, an expert on the Russian economy at the German Institute for International Cooperation and Security.
According to Rosstat, real wages have increased by nearly 14 percent, and the consumption of goods and services by about 25 percent.
According to the Russian Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting, real wages are expected to continue growing by 3.5% this year, and real disposable income will rise by 3%.
The unemployment rate, which was 7-8% in 2022, is now at a post-Soviet record low of 2.6%.
This explosive wage growth is felt across the socio-economic spectrum and dramatically changes the lives of a large part of the working population.
Weavers who earned $250-300 per month in rubles in December 2021 can now earn $1,400 per month,’ said political scientist Yekaterina Kurbangaleeva.
The average salary of truck drivers increased by 38% compared to last year. A courier can also earn 200,000 rubles (more than 2,000 euros) per month.
At the same time, Western sanctions and Russian capital controls have resulted in wealthy citizens’ funds ‘landing’ in the country. This has contributed to the growth of the luxury sector and given Moscow and St. Petersburg the feel of modern boomtowns.
‘Everyone in the upper middle class is simply enjoying the good life,’ says Sergey Iskov, a Moscow investor and entrepreneur, pointing to the number of new restaurants and the thriving e-commerce market.
An entrepreneur told the FT: ‘Almost everyone I know who left Russia after February 2022 and either returned or traveled there says that Moscow is the best city in the world.’
Many Russians feel that their financial situation is improving. More than 13% rate it as ‘good’ – the highest figure since 1999, according to Rosstat.
The number of those who rate their financial situation as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ is at a record low – around 14% and 1%, respectively.
‘People are getting such high salaries. What do Russians do? They consume like crazy, and this consumption creates internal demand,’ says Aleksandra Prokopenko of the Carnegie Russia-Eurasia Center in Berlin.
Retailers and the consumer sector are quickly responding. Rostix, the Russian successor to KFC, plans to open 100 new outlets this year, and takeaway coffee consumption has never been higher.
Domestic tourism is also booming. An employee of a Russian travel booking company notes that demand for domestic flights has skyrocketed despite rising ticket prices. ‘For the first time, it has become profitable for airlines to fly within Russia,’ said the source.
Capital outflow from Russia has slowed.
‘In the top segment, it’s clear: people have a lot of money, and there’s nowhere to spend it, so they experiment.
If they previously took money out, opened an account, and bought an apartment in Montenegro, this money is now in the country,’ says Anton, a restaurateur in St. Petersburg.
The consumer spending boom in the RF is a completely different result than what economists expected at the beginning of the war.”
Summary
These are conditions we can only dream of in Germany. In light of this Financial Times analysis, can anyone still wonder why President Putin enjoys about 80 percent support among voters? Why are they now playing their last card, namely stirring up religious riots? Yes, the mainstream media does not report this. But they do report that Russia passed a law requiring NGOs to declare if they are more than 20 percent funded from abroad. Just as the USA has had a similar law since the 1930s. Hopefully, this law will prevent even more psychopaths from being recruited with money and propaganda for such attacks on holy places. Oh, yes, Ukrainian saboteurs certainly play their part in this, as they all speak Russian and have enough money from the West.
Note: Most churches were destroyed by England and the USA through bombing raids on German cities. In Yugoslavia, churches and mosques were also targets.
Translated and edited by Iván Hajda
