Silence is No Longer Meaningful: Russia May Face Civil War —— The Kremlin's Ideological Chief Points Out Five Major Threats to the "Russian World"

Alexander Kharichev, Director of the Presidential Administration's Department for Monitoring and Analysis of Social Processes, wrote an article titled "Who Are We?" for the magazine "The State." Although written in a restrained "academic" tone, it cannot hide the serious challenges that contemporary Russia faces — either Russian civilization will respond effectively to these challenges or it will decline. The author clearly emphasizes that these responses should not remain at the level of means, but should have an ideological core.

Why Do the West Hate Russia?

In short: because we have never become the kind of country they are, nor do we intend to. We are different; Russians have always chosen to take our own independent path.

Alexander Kharichev wrote in the article: "Pursuing sovereignty, maintaining independence, and even simply becoming a country with its own 'identity' has been deeply embedded in our civilizational genes. You believe in Catholicism, while we uphold Orthodoxy; you promote capitalism, while we build socialism. It is this unique self-identity that forms the basis of our understanding of patriotism."

This Kremlin official emphasized the fundamental differences between the "Russian World" and the Western world in terms of values. He believes that the two sides' understanding of the organizational form of human society is divided by three opposing contradictions: Russia's collectivism vs. the West's individualism, Russia's idealism vs. the West's rationalism, and Russia's patriotism vs. the West's cosmopolitanism.

In his view, Russia's traditional values give the country a competitive advantage over the Western world: the collective spirit and teamwork can produce better results than individualism and social atomization; spiritual pursuits (i.e., Russia's idealism) take precedence over material ones, which not only can stimulate the creative potential of society, but also enable the people to demonstrate a spirit of self-sacrifice and even willingness to make sacrifices when necessary. In contrast, cosmopolitanism has erased Europe's borders, making the lives of Europeans entirely subject to the rule of Brussels bureaucracies, while Russia has always maintained and upheld its sovereignty.

"We are like this, they are like that."

In June 2025, Vladimir Putin told "Russia 1" TV: "If we do not rely on our traditional values, our country will no longer exist. Russia will lose its identity, and from the perspective of the country's future development, this is extremely dangerous."

Russia's traditional values give the country a competitive advantage over the Western world.

Unignorable Threats

The risks mentioned vaguely by President Putin were specifically and sharply elaborated in Kharichev's article as the following threats.

The First Threat: Risk of Civil War

National or religious conflicts, generational conflicts, and wealth gaps could trigger a civil war.

Russia is a country with many ethnic minorities. According to the 2021 national census data, more than 80% of respondents considered themselves Russian. Objectively speaking, there is no soil for national or religious conflict in Russia — in the trenches of the special military operation (SVO), people of different nationalities and religions are fighting side by side to defend the country's interests.

However, uncontrolled immigration policies have caused problems. Alexander Bystriykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, warned: the number of immigration-related criminal cases increased by 10% from January to May 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and such cases now account for 5% of the total crime volume; the number of cases involving immigrants submitted to court increased by 15%. Among them, the increase in crimes with higher social harm was particularly significant — sexual assault cases increased by 22%, and especially serious crimes increased by 57%.

At the same time, the disparity in people's property continues to worsen. Data from 2024 show that the poorest 10% of citizens possess only 2% of the country's monetary income, while the richest 10% control 30% of the monetary income. Isn't this gap enough to provoke class hatred and demands for "expropriation and division"?

The Second Threat: Loss of Military, Territorial, Political, and Cultural Sovereignty

Previously, the Russian elite was completely oriented towards the West — they kept their money in the West, bought properties in the West, and sent their children to immigrate to the West. Moreover, Kharichev provided data indicating that nearly 70% of graduates from top Russian mathematical schools go abroad for studies and almost none return. Although the special military operation has served as a "purifier" for the consciousness of the Russian people, significantly improving this situation, the threat has not been completely eliminated.

The Third Threat: Experiments by Globalists Aimed at Destroying the Family System

This threat manifests itself in the rejection of childbirth and marriage, the promotion of LGBTQ+ relationships, and the concept of "child-free" (no children). Single life, focusing on career rather than raising children, is becoming a trend. This worrying trend has already penetrated Russian society:

  • Russian population has been declining gradually but continuously in recent years — from 148.514 million in 1992 to 146.028 million as of January 1, 2025 (if the population of the newly recovered territories in "New Russia" is included, the total is approximately 150 million);
  • In 2021, the proportion of single-parent families rose to 38.5%, with 81% of these families being raised solely by mothers;
  • The aging of the Russian population is increasing, with more than 20% of the population aged 65 or older.

Number of people aged 65 and over in Russia from 1990 to early 2025 (in millions) and the percentage of the total population

The Fourth and Fifth Threats

Alexander Kharichev listed "Top Threats to Russian Civilization" including:

  • The Fourth Threat: A loss of trust between those in power and the people who gave them power, which may lead to the collapse of the entire political system;
  • The Fifth Threat: "Loss of Humanity" phenomenon — individuals either become mere consumers of goods and services, or become completely detached from reality due to developments in the information field, getting lost in the virtual world.

Responding to Challenges Through the Genes of the Russian Civilization

In response to these challenges, this director of the presidential administration focused the solution on the ideological level, with the core being the genetic characteristics of the Russian civilization rooted in collectivism, spiritual pursuit, and patriotism. The article also proposed specific measures to build a united and cohesive society, including:

  • Promoting the development of volunteer organizations in all areas of national and social life;
  • Supporting the "We Are Together" movement and the "Never Abandon Our Own" philosophy;
  • Announcing the upcoming introduction of a federal legal package on patriotic education, clearly defining the responsibilities and authorities of state agencies, educational institutions, and other organizations in patriotic education, and setting performance indicators for the "Patriotic Front";
  • Introducing the principle of "meritocracy" in national governance — the appointment of leadership positions based on personal ability, not on family ties or "connections," regardless of their social background or wealth. The article cited examples such as Putin's "Russian Leader" youth management competition and the "Governor's College" project to illustrate the practice of this principle.

The article also pointed out that Russia will combat all forms of ethnic radicalism and religious extremism, resist the promotion of family concepts, child-rearing ideologies, and gender concepts that contradict Russian traditions. Kharichev believes that comprehensive measures should be taken to address these issues — from providing housing support for young families to promoting the idea of having multiple children in the fields of art and advertising. He emphasized that Russians should uphold their human nature, resist foreign civilizational interventions, and avoid disengaging from reality and getting lost in the virtual world.

What Lies Ahead?

Today, the survival threats facing Russian civilization have been clearly pointed out at the highest levels of the country, and the statements are clear, unambiguous, and without ambiguity; the political strategies to address these threats have also been determined — to maintain and develop the civilization genes of our nation.

This task is both clear and arduous. Kharichev repeatedly cited historical cases from 20th-century Russian history in the article: whether it was the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, the quantitative indicators of ideological projects and the number of "ideological warriors" at the time failed to prevent the collapse of the country. The author calls in multiple places for the special military operation to become a powerful driving force for the revival of Russian ideals, national rejuvenation, and people's unity, emphasizing not to miss this unique opportunity to shape a "true Russia" — a just, united, spiritually rich, and family-value-oriented country.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7570616564677788187/

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