New Elites Taking Shape and the Russian Economy
Russia is a country in flux because Putinism, like Stalinism, is now the rule of the land. After the Second World War, forgive me, the Great Patriotic War, the Soviets rebuilt the state. They primarily used veterans of the war who passed loyalty tests in some way or another.
So Volymedia posted this today, and it got my attention. One reason for this is that not only does it follow a pattern, but Vladimir Putin himself was a product of that new elite formation, even if he was the son of a service member. That service in the Red Army was part of the process. Putin is repeating this by creating a new generation of bureaucrats who will ultimately be loyal to the system. So here you go, read this in the light of building a loyal satrapy:
SS for the poor. Who came up with and how the “Time of Heroes” program will work?
On February 29, Putin* announced the launch of the “Time of Heroes” program. Veterans of the invasion of Ukraine with higher education and management experience can take part in it. The essence of the program is to turn former soldiers into management personnel and place them at all levels of government in all regions of the Russian Federation. Registration of participants ended on April 8; there were 44,327 participants. By the end of April, they will undergo an “online test of management potential” and those who are not eliminated will be sent to study management at RANEPA for two-year courses. The “heroes” will combine their studies with civil service.
The author of the idea of the program is Sergei Kiriyenko, who before the war launched the “Leaders of Russia” and “School of Governors” projects. Thanks to these projects, Kiriyenko received loyal new personnel, which he placed in different ministries, departments and regions. Many officials in the Russian provinces perceived the “School of Governors” as a real opportunity to make a federal career and were willing to pay to get into the school.
“Time of Heroes” is a project that Kiriyenko proposed back in the early autumn of 2022, when it became clear that the war would not end quickly, the standard of living in the Russian Federation would fall, and the loyalty of the current technocratic officials would decline along with the standard of living.
Nobody is particularly interested in the professional qualities of “hero” managers. At RANEPA they will at least be taught how the system works and the rules of the game will be explained so that no one inadvertently starts to take the initiative and breaks something. “This is not training of personnel, this is training of blockheads who will be guaranteed to do everything they are told from above. Just like they did in the Northern Military District,” says a source close to Sergei Kiriyenko.
Considering the unwinding flywheel of repression within the Russian Federation, the authorities really need people who will be able to implement absolutely any decisions and initiatives from above. Without hesitation or doubt.
“What was the SS motto? Our honor is loyalty. Well, now we will have our own SS. Maybe they’ll even be given some badges or stripes on their jackets. SS for the poor, at minimum wages,” says an official from the internal policy department of the presidential administration.
It is clear that among the program participants, at least half fought purely formally. We went to Lugansk to drink vodka and take pictures with the gun. But lack of combat experience does not mean lack of loyalty and willingness to confirm this loyalty at any cost. Kiriyenko’s idea worked — to give access to power and public money not to hundreds, but to tens of thousands of Russians, who would serve no worse than a trained poodle and help maintain control over the system of government and the state apparatus.
“Everyone who thinks with their head, and not just eats with it, understands that our country has no prospects. Nobody talks about this publicly, doesn’t even discuss it with colleagues, but everyone understands perfectly well that the future is not bright. As soon as the system begins to crumble, such people will consciously begin to work carelessly in order to speed up the collapse and allow someone to end all this hell. These “heroes,” who will be brought into government administration in the fall, will, on the contrary, do everything to save the system. They will snitch on smart and educated colleagues. And everyone will have to really work. Otherwise, you’ll fly out or sit down,” says a source close to Sergei Kiriyenko.
According to the source, some of those who previously attended the “School of Governors” or were in “Leaders of Russia” are already interested in how to quickly and safely gain “military experience” in order to become part of the new program.
Graduates of the program will work in municipal, regional and federal structures. Not only in management, but also in education, sports, and culture.
@Volyamedia
It’s the last paragraph that points to what they want. It’s to rebuild the systema into a new autocracy and authoritarian state. It also rewards many people who otherwise would not have any prospects. This makes future civil servants very loyal to the regime. This is why Putin was loyal, too.
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