Notes From Russia's Rear
Stories from Russians as they try to survive their society's collapse
(Originally published a week after Russia’s Fall ‘21 mobilization)
Called “Notes from Russia’s Rear,” this article aims to demonstrate how Putin’s decision to go to war is not only physically destroying Ukrainian society but is also depleting what little there was left of Russia’s moral foundation.
I offer these glimpses into contemporary Russia because I know this language, this culture, and many people still there struggling to prevent Russia’s race backward to totalitarianism.
The information about “what’s really going on” behind the scenes is essential for many reasons. It helps us see how weak Russia is and how genuinely pitiful this society has become. It demonstrates that what we are doing to isolate Russia is correct.
In addition, I want to find some reason not to become a Russophobe — not lump all of them into the huge boat of Putinists murderers. If you support Putin, you are an accomplice to murder.
I spent three decades dedicated to this society only to leave on the last plane out of my beloved St. Petersburg at 5 AM on February 26th — one hour earlier than the official departure time. The pilot saw everyone had cleared customs and announced an early departure for fear the air space would be closed — later that morning.
While I have had many difficulties over the past 30 years coming to terms with how Russians lie, make excuses for everything, and react to the world, I fell in love with a lot. Much about me today is Russian. I am a Russophile, whereas the average Russian is a Russophobe — they don’t respect themselves or their society. If they did, there would be no Putin.
I scour the papers daily for proof that there are still good people. Yesterday, I wrote about how Russians are using a fish to protest their hatred for this war. That made me feel so good about the chances that the good people of Russia would survive this war.
I need to scour and search for goodness lest I grow entirely to hate this pitiful place, which is what Russia has become. Unfortunately, so much of what I uncover is simply disgusting. It makes me angry. It makes me sad even.
I watch a lot of Russian TV news programs. The people on these programs are cowardly whores. If there was ever a day of reckoning, it should begin with them. These so-called experts call for nuclear war daily. They do this because they are all making millions by spreading this ignorance — they will all burn in hell one day.
They are like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham on steroids. As dangerous as those three traitors are to our democracy, so too these Moscow talking heads are responsible for turning the genociding little punk from St. Petersburg, Putin, into a god among mortals.
Let’s begin there — with his “divinity.”
No protective gear for the soldiers
Remarkably, the 300,000 sickly and inexperienced civilians mobilized to go to Ukraine to catch bullets are not supplied with the most basic equipment needed for a wartime front.
The civilian soldiers are being told openly at conscription centers that if they want body armor, night vision goggles, first aid kits, sleeping bags, cold weather gear, and so much more that could increase their chances of survival just a tad, then they must bring all of that the stuff with them.
The army will give them uniforms, a gun, and transportation to the front. That’s it. If killed on the front, there is a good chance the army will leave you there.
The British Ministry of Defense claimed many mobilized Russian troops may be responsible for purchasing their own body armor, especially the modern 6B45 vest (Russian Troops Buying Own Body Armor).
My wife is in a WhatsApp chat called the “Moms of Northern St. Petersburg.” There are around 400 group members, and typically, discussions revolve around schools, vaccinations, COVID-19, and, recently, the war.
Since late September, as the husbands have been mobilized, the hottest topic has been the best places to pawn jewelry, furniture, and other items. The families are pawning all of their possessions to ensure that their husbands go off to the front with as much protective gear as possible to increase their chances of survival.
The government has supposedly spent hundreds of billions of dollars on modernizing Russia’s army for the past twenty years. It is so modern that it can’t even supply body armor. It is so modern that the average tank is over 25 years old. Where did this money go? It’s invested in villas all over Europe.
One woman in my wife’s chat commented that she has nothing else to hock. Every piece of gold is now at the pawn shop.
“But Putin himself is our gold, so I am fine with this,” she wrote with hearts after the message.
No more food from home
Not far from St. Petersburg, in a village called Sertolovo, a military base is being used for “training” of the recently mobilized.
Most of the men there come from the city. St. Petersburg can be reached in less than 30 minutes on mass transit. The men call home, complain that they are starving, and ask for food.
Breakfast consists of a few pieces of bread with a foul-smelling pate, and lunch and dinner are watery rice with boiled meat.
As a result of this insufficient menu, wives and mothers have been making daily treks to the base and tossing thermoses with hot food and other foodstuffs over the fence to their men. It has been a saving grace for these men who are treated as if they were criminals guilty of the worst crimes.
Yesterday, the base commanding officer chased away the women and said they would no longer be allowed near the fence line. Their presence there would be considered a crime if they keep coming.
I understand that their presence could be distracting, especially if you are trying to train troops. What country, however, with all of the wealth that Russia supposedly has — and had — treats its civilians so horrifically?
Well, North Korea.
The thing is, there is a good chance that enough money is available for making the meals of these soldiers appetizing and plentiful.
However, given what we know about logistics in Russia and how those in charge love to siphon money off, the average Russian fully understands that the base commander is stealing. He fulfills his “patriotic duty” by depriving these men of normal food.
Well, I didn’t find a lot of reasons to have hope for Russian society in this article. But I see plenty of hope for the brave soldiers of Ukraine because when they finally meet these poor saps on the battlefield, it won’t be long before most will surrender en masse.
All these hungry guys will want is a bowl of stew and a shot of vodka. They want to be treated like humans, and they will happily end their war.