Why Russia Will Never Make It

The article deals with the complex and multifaceted issue of self-esteem of the Muscovite population. The centuries-old seclusion from Western European processes has forged the psychological type of a ‘lonely people’ constantly looking for its shore but never quite finding it. Such separateness and otherness have led to the cultivation in the public consciousness of a stereotypical higher calling, special mission, mysteriousness, etc. The permanent ‘closed solitude’ has given rise to another psychological phenomenon – suspiciousness and aversion to everything foreign. For the sake of painting an in-depth psychological portrait of Muscovites, the author cites, for instance, controversial thoughts of Nikolai Berdyaev, who analyses the three most important elements of the Russian mindset – its perception of statehood, ethnicity, and religion. Over time, the psychological knots and traumas tied up during the formative stage of the Muscovite nation have eventually transformed into paranoid ideas of its exceptionalism and permissiveness. The author steadily justifies that the psychological type of the Russian people is hazardous for everyone around, particularly for Russia itself. It has not established itself as a democratic, liberal, free, and social state, as it cannot – and will not – do it. Therefore, its internal repressions and international aggression are an evolutionary dead end and a catalyst for collapse.Keywords: Muscovy, psychological type, Berdyaev, Putin, chauvinism, propaganda, rapaciousness.