m__ :
A good point, but the answer is that the Russian authorities have nothing to offer for the prosperity of the new territories. Corruption, massive military spending, and economic problems are worsening the condition of regions throughout Russia, and the situation with the new territories that have been destroyed to rubble will be even worse. The Russian authorities live to feast and live luxuriously at the expense of their citizens, most of them don't care about their lives, just as they don't care about the hundreds of thousands of killed Russian soldiers.
Regarding your other question - “how did Ukraine and Russia choose different political paths if they share a similar culture and common past?" – propaganda explains it by saying that the West planned the Maidan and the protests in Ukraine in support of European integration, that the West started anti‑Russian propaganda, and that in general it was the West that started the war against Russia by supporting Ukraine. There is no logic in this, but there are many emotional and propagandistic narratives invented to take a psychologically comfortable position – “everyone is to blame except us”. People who believe in this are probably prone to cognitive biases and logical fallacies.
As a Russian who doesn’t support the war, I fucking despise Dugin. Just consider his racist and chauvinist statements, his phrases about the "great patience" of the Russian people, and that citizens should be given internet in portions so as not to be exposed to "Western influence." Most Russians I know consider him a crazy clown and an obscurantist, and I’ve never met a person who actually supports him.
2026-08-29 15:54:22