Anti-West. Moral conservatism and cultural conservatism. Vertical power structure. Assertion of military power. Definition of a multipolar power as opposed to a unipolar one led by the USA. Prize of Eurasian Unity (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia) following Ukraine’s departure.

This description is accurate, but it leaves out the most important element of the ideology which has dominated Russia in the last decade: a populism based on a nihilistic approach to truth, propaganda by the state, and a kleptocratic power-grab  attempts were made to ignite a pro-Russian uprising, which was a response to the annexation of Crimea. The attempts to incite a pro-Russian uprising in the region known as Novorossiya, which was referred to by the BBC, failed.

A majority of UN members and EU member states condemns the annexation. The Kremlin is therefore rushing to further action and creating smokescreens in order to convince the populace that their once humbled nation can now dictate terms to the rest of the world.

Two seemingly unrelated demonstrations can be seen on the international scene: the Olympic Games in London in 2012 (but primarily Sochi in Feb 2014) and the bombardment of Aleppo in October-December 2016.

Sports in Soviet-style

President Putin is playing hockey. Kremlin Press Office

Sport was a powerful tool for rallying people during the Soviet period. The Putin government’s pursuit of Russian sporting triumphs, by whatever means necessary, is aimed at pleasing a nation still stung from the dissolution of the USSR as well as suffering from the neoliberalisation of globalization.

The Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, held in February 2014 and the most expensive games in history, are a great example. According to the Anticorruption Foundation, a group run by Putin’s opponents and funded by citizens, US$13.5 to US$22.5 of the US$45 bill can be attributed to corruption. Vladimir Ashurkov is the executive director of the foundation. Said.

In Russia, 9 million people live in unsanitary circumstances, and 13 million do not have hot water. Is it really wise to spend $45 Billion on the Olympic Games in these conditions?

The New York Times quoted Grigory Rochenkov fo, former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Agency, saying that Russian athletes benefitted from systematic doping overseen by the Department of Sport at the Sochi Games.

These allegations echo the accusations of Vitali Stepanov, a former inspector at the Russian Anti-Doping Agency in London, during the Summer Olympics in 2012. This scandal rocked Russian Athletics back in November 2015.

The opening ceremony for the Olympic Games at Sochi in February 2014. premier.gov.ru/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

On July 18, 2016, Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren submitted to the World Anti-Doping Agency a detailed report regarding the Russian doping system in place from 2001-2005.

After its publication and the fact that the “magicians” system was still in full swing, 118 Russian athletes were prohibited from competing at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Headlong into Aleppo

In September 2015, it was at a standstill due to sanctions and the Ukrainian Army. Still, the Russian government found another outlet for its pride with the military intervention of the country in Syria.

The Kremlin interpreted the United States’ 2013 refusing to retaliate for the use of chemical weapons in Syria by its forces as permission to establish itself as the protector of Christians living in the East.

Russia’s involvement with Syria was a way to tell the UN that its founding principles are not suited for 21st-century international crises. The same goes for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which Russia wants to undermine in its role as a mediator in European conflict.

It is clear that the assassination of Andrei Karlov on December 19, 2016, in Turkey, to cries of “Don’t Forget Aleppo”, was not part of Russia’s plan. A video released by Russia Today on YouTube did not achieve the desired effect. The video’s purpose was to discredit the arguments that were used by Russia Today in order to criticize Western criticism of the bombing of Aleppo civilians.

The Kremlin is still pursuing its domestic goals despite the international debates and setbacks. Russian television gave extensive coverage of the meeting between Syrian, Iranian, and Turkish diplomats on December 20, 2016, in Moscow (European diplomats remained absent).

This served to demonstrate that Russia is at the forefront of efforts aimed at rebuilding the geopolitical equilibrium in the Middle East.