The book that best explains Putin's insanity
"The Third Empire" is an ethno-nationalist nightmare and the Kremlin loves it
The horrifying war on Ukraine doesnāt make sense ā not politically, not financially, not in terms of anything resembling ethics or morals or basic decency.
However, a 2006 book, āThe Third Empire. What Russia must become,ā basically predicted the war as it first began in 2014 and how it escalated dramatically just last week. The book was written by a pro-Kremlin businessman and politician who, ironically or, maybe, fittingly, did a lot of business in the States.
As the wonderful scholar Maria Snegovaya pointed out back in 2014, insofar as the Kremlin has an ideology, this book is it (link in Russian).
Even if you do read Russian, I donāt recommend you get the book. First of all, it will break your brain, and second of all, you donāt want your credit card information on some sketchy Russian site right now.
I took one for the team, however, and here are some highlights:
The title references a third incarnation of Russia:
The first empire is the original Russian Empire. The second empire is the Soviet Empire. The third empire is the āutopianā vision of our totally normal, not at all unhinged author.
The third empire begins as a consolidation of āhistoric Russian landsā
Just as the real Vladimir Putin, the original fictional ruler, also named Vladimir, at first pretends that imperialism doesnāt interest him. He builds up Russia financially and makes his move when the West is at a low point. Seem familiar?
Ukraine is the flashpoint
In the book, Ukraine is partitioned after a kind of āfake revolution,ā staged by the West, triggers a Russian standoff with NATO. In real life, U.S. intelligence has long been bringing up a partition plan by Putin. It has now stalled, because Putin is looney tunes, the Russian army is demoralized, and fantasies of swift military action can differ wildly from reality when you surround yourself with yes-men and believe your own propaganda ā but still.
Other āhistoric landsā are then gathered, and a Russian Union swelling with over 200 million people is created.
Following a new cold war, the Third Empire defeats and occupies the United States
Iāll spare you the plot details, but revanchism is key. In the book, Russia makes the United States pay dearly for past humiliation ā both real and perceived. This part reads like the diary of an angry, sweat-damp teenager, plotting revenge against dudes from the lacrosse team who get all the girls.
Europe is taken over
This happens because Russia āmust never againā be āthreatenedā by the West. Again, Iāll spare you the fever dream details, but there is quite a lot of revenge against perceived slights and bloodletting and ālook what you made me do, Europe!ā
The Third Empire is ethno-nationalist
Who you are by blood is extremely important to the author ā and obviously, Russians are at the top of the new food chain (if you think that this doesnāt have echoes of Nazi Germany, youāre touchingly naive).
People from the Baltic lands are described as āwildā and ābackwardsā and, crucially, āungrateful,ā for example.
Descriptions like this are common. The author keeps coming back to the āingratitudeā of peoples who must be destroyed or stripped of all rights or thrown down the well like in the Borat song ā rebellious Ukrainians included.
The author borrows from the legacy of Ivan the Terrible
Simply ripping off the Nazis would involve too much copy-pasting from the hated West. Therefore, the author reaches back in time, to Ivan the Terribleās ruthless bodyguard corps, the Oprichnina (its members are referred to as Oprichniki). These are the new elite enforcers of the Third Empire.
Ironically, the original Oprichniki were piss-poor fighters, only good at murdering, looting, and raping civilians who couldnāt resist them, but this doesnāt deter the author. What matters is the āRussiannessā of the idea behind the Oprichnina.
Is this insane? Yes. Thatās precisely why we should take notice
Iāve long argued that the Kremlin elites donāt have much of an ideology ā aside from money. But at the same time, Putin has always wanted to leave his mark on history. As heās grown older, heās grown more radicalized (think, āOld man yells at mushroom cloud!ā) ā heās been rumored to be a fan of this crazy book long before the recent war ā and 2014 was just the beginning.
This man has a dark and disturbing vision ā not just for Ukraine, but for us all. Ukraine could never be enough for him, it doesnāt satisfy his lust for revenge against the West.
I donāt think most Russian elites share this twisted vision ā you have to really be tripping balls for it to make sense ā and much may depend on them in the weeks and/or months to come, but we should also be wary of how Putin will behave if he is reduced to the status of cornered rat. Attempting a tactical nuclear strike is not out of the question for him, as he doesnāt know how to lose āĀ what could save us is if his orders are not going to be followed.
Watch this space and thank you for reading!
The book that best explains Putin's insanity
Natalia, I've seen Sorokin's Day of the Oprichnik referenced lately and wonder if you'd recommend reading it. From what I understand it pretty savagely satires this idea of new Russian Empire.