Putinism and a Culture of Death

The following piece by Denis Sultangaliyev is syndicated from the Ukrainian anti-authoritarian publishing project nihilist.li, three of whose editors have joined a volunteer unit to defend their communities from state aggression.

---

It is symbolic that the blocking of social networks in Russia and the shelling of the nuclear plant in Enerhodar are taking place simultaneously. Although the scale of these events is incomparable, in both cases they are connected to the same motive: desire of death.

The blocking of social networks is nothing more than an attempt to escape from the vital multiplicity, from the life that’s swarming in the virtual space in the form of different thoughts, interactions and views. The blocking is an escape to a single and indivisible womb, where there are no irritants and the neutrality of darkness reigns, being declared as the Truth.

The attack near power plants, of course, has a pragmatic motivation to control energy in the South-Eastern territories of Ukraine. But the very determination with which it was carried out, despite the obvious risks, is reminiscent of situations when the willingness to take risks is dictated not only by the risk itself, but also by a secret desire for the danger that the risk brings. A secret desire that arises somewhere at the bottom of a man’s groin, but which does not have a welcoming zeal, but on the contrary, turns it upside down, directing it towards the totality of the inanimate. Hence Putin’s sincere fascination with the idea of nuclear weapons (according to Sergei Pugachev), and careless thinking about how the world will be deprived of meaning if there is no Russia in it.

However, another interesting point is the differentiation of the unity of non-existence for those who are faithful to the idea of “Russianness” and those who are against it. Putin’s words “We, like martyrs, will go to heaven and they will simply die”, which became the slogan on the uniform of his ideological militants. It is an expression of the fact that although totality is desirable, “the last victory” is the definition of the quality of this totality.

We are dealing with an ideology that emerges from an incomprehensible tension in the testicles, converts itself into Orthodox eschatology, and actualizes it in nuclear geopolitics. We are all in great danger.