Comprehension of what was sent – Picture of the day – Kommersant

The Expert Institute for Social Research (EISI) held a round table on Wednesday on the topic “Rethinking the President’s Message: Key Directions for the Country’s Development.” The comprehension turned out to be very diverse: some participants in the discussion noted that the speech of the head of state was more devoted to everyday life than a special military operation, while others, on the contrary, singled out exactly the part that concerned the participants of the NWO. And still others focused on international aspects, supporting and even strengthening Vladimir Putin’s theses about the treachery of the West.

The moderator of the round table Daria Kislitsyna, a representative of the EISI, began with a protocol thesis that this was a message not only for the Federal Assembly, but also for the citizens of the whole country, “and for the whole world.” “Not even half of the message, but a little less, was about the topic of a special military operation. Most of it was about the ordinary life in which we live. A lot of attention was paid to the social sphere, healthcare, there was a big block about ecology, education,” she focused on the peaceful part of the head of state’s speech. In addition, the expert noted that the president did not use the term “new regions” in his message. “This speaks of unity, the restoration of ties with historical territories and the irreversibility of this process,” Ms. Kislitsyna decided to give this fact a monumental meaning.

Mikhail Mamonov, a representative of the VTsIOM, also adhered to a peaceful mood.

“The message was in tune with social trends and the needs of the population,” Mr. Mamonov proclaimed, adding that Russian society is now in search of “a foundation? new stability and points of development”.

This reassessment began after partial mobilization, the sociologist explained, but he immediately added that the effect of consolidation around the leader persists in society. The last thought was confirmed by the presentation slide, on which the strict profile of Vladimir Putin looked at his ratings that had increased over the year. Mr. Mamonov noted that the president’s message in many ways brought a “reset” to Russian society, which is now in search of a new social contract. The sociologist also noted that the authorities should avoid social splits, which was also addressed by the president’s message. “The perception of the SVO, individual elements of the policy is differentiated. There are youth groups,” the VTsIOM representative explained neatly and without details.

The following speakers, however, looked at the message of the head of state from a different angle. “The most important thing that sounded in the message was the consolidation of society around the support of our guys who are at the forefront, the theme of unity. More than a million people from all over the country are actively helping our guys – it always causes a very big emotion, ”said Mikhail Kuznetsov, head of the All-Russian People’s Front executive committee, who spoke via video link from Luzhniki, where at that moment they were preparing for the start of a rally-concert for occasion of Defender of the Fatherland Day. He also noted the president’s decision to create a special fund to support members of the NMD and the fact that combatants were invited to the message. “Ten of our boys were sitting there – it’s just something absolutely incredible,” Mr. Kuznetsov rejoiced.

“All participants in the NWO, as well as their relatives, are guaranteed comprehensive support from the state. The President gave a clear signal that he would not allow any violation of their rights, in fact, taking this issue under his personal control,” political scientist Alexander Asafov supported the previous speaker.

And then he smoothly moved on to discussing the international part of the message, recalling Mr. Putin’s theses about the behavior of the West, which, in his opinion, provoked the military conflict with Ukraine.

This line was willingly continued and even strengthened by the political scientist Pavel Danilin. He emotionally enumerated the manifestations of negativity towards Russia that comes from Western leaders, stressing that this is not consistent with the words of US President Joe Biden, who said that his country does not want the destruction of Russia. “And Micron… sorry, Macron (French President Emmanuel Macron.— “b”)… Ah, no, Micron, who constantly calls us, and then tells tales that Russia needs to be destroyed, but not humiliated at the same time. What’s on their minds?” the expert was indignant.

However, the discussion ended again on a peaceful note. “This message is about the future. It is important that the head of state set priorities and clearly outlined key areas. This is a progressive program of action. The system cannot live without looking ahead, without investing in a long-term goal,” said Arseniy Mayorov, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Political Science at St Petersburg University, member of the Scientific and Methodological Council of the Movement of the First, dwelling separately on the education reform.

Experts who did not participate in the round table are also more likely to support the conclusion about the purely peaceful and even “ordinary” message of the message.

Thus, political consultant Yevgeny Minchenko believes that Vladimir Putin has translated the SVO into a routine format: “Well, we have such a conflict with the West, which, among other things, takes such a form of confrontation in Ukraine. And in parallel, a fairly large-scale program for the development of the economy was presented, with an emphasis on technological sovereignty and infrastructure projects.” And according to the head of the scientific council of the Center for Current Politics Alexei Chesnakov, the meaning of the message was to “demonstrate the existence of goals and development while maintaining calm and stability.” “A strategy in extreme conditions, but not extreme,” the political scientist summed up.

Andrey Vinokurov