Alternative Reality of Russia: Everything is the Opposite

Any Western rule, whether economic, social, or moral, is turned 180 degrees here. This inversion is so systematic that it could be patented as a national ideology. Take, for instance, the so-called "special military operation." But not the one being conducted in Ukraine. The real special operation of the Kremlin is happening within Russian society.

A Special Operation Against Society

Criminals from prisons are sent to the front. Those whom the system has long deemed dangerous and unacceptable to society are now dressed in uniforms, handed weapons, and made heroes of the new era. Upon returning from the war, they become Russia’s new elite. Their survival skills, ability to dominate the weak, and lack of reflection are precisely the qualities the Kremlin believes are needed to govern the country in the future.

But if criminals become the new elite, the real elite — scientists, directors, journalists — are sent to prisons. The logic is ironclad: if criminals are released, someone has to take their place behind bars. Thus, the Kremlin not only raises the intellectual level of crime in the country but also changes its trajectory. As a result, Russian prisons are no longer merely places of punishment but true incubators of new ideas, where the most creative and intelligent people gather behind bars.

Russia as the Opposite of the West

The Western model is based on freedom, personal responsibility, and promoting the most capable individuals. Russia, on the other hand, demonstrates an alternative approach: freedom is weakness, responsibility is a luxury, and talent must be punished. The more the country opposes itself to the West, the more it builds its identity on the logic of "everything is the opposite."

Innovation? No, thank you. Institutions? Why bother? In Russia, everything is decided by improvisation, intuition, and informal connections. If the West strives for transparency, in Russia, the darker, the better. If Western economies aim to create benefits for society, the Russian economy focuses on redistributing resources from society to the elites.

Prospects of Inversion

Of course, there are some advantages to this approach. Russia, like no other, knows how to survive in conditions that would seem catastrophic to any other country. But the problem is that constant movement "against the current" leaves no room for development. After all, if your road is nothing but a continuous off-road track, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself stuck.

However, the Kremlin seems to have found its mission: to prove to the world that an alternative path is possible. True, this path looks as though it was specifically designed to scare schoolchildren in geography classes. But perhaps this inversion is the most honest model for Russia. Not to improve people’s lives but to change their understanding of what it means to "live." Not to lift the country from its knees but to teach it to stand on its head.

Conclusion

Russia is a country where everything is the opposite. Here, the past matters more than the future, war is better than peace, and prison is more reliable than freedom. We don’t understand Russia because it doesn’t want to be understood. It lives by its own rules, which contradict everything we know.