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Sergej Sumlenny

THREAD Let's start a long thread about how Russian book market prepared Russians for a full-scale war against Ukraine, NATO, the West, and promoted stalinism and nazism, and how this was ignored by the West. Keep seat belts fasten, you will see a lot of nasty things here.

11:17 AM · Jun 11, 2022Twitter Web App

Sergej Sumlenny

Replying to

One of the first indicators of Russia preparing for a full-scale turn to dictatorship and a global war was the mass production of books about cool sides of Stalin and Stalinism and about upcoming war against the West. These books appeared on Russian bookshelves in early 2010s /2

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The appearance was so massive that it could not be a coincidence on a book market which was under a strict control of secret police FSB. "Be proud, not sorry! Truth about Stalin Age" "Stalinist's Handbook", "Stalin's Repressions: A Great Lie" and "Beria: Best XX Cent Manager" /3

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The wave of stalinist books was so massive, that in 2011 a grass-root initiative "Stop Publishing Stalinists Books" emerged with a call for publishing houses to stop. It was ignored of course. /4

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The idea to create authoritarian and militarist mood through bookstores was brilliant. In 2015, I visited Moscow's central bookstore "Biblio-Globus", and that what were the goods welcoming you just after the doors: military uniforms, accessories, and books about Stalin and war /5

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This was the prelude. Soon after, Kremlin has started to publish what they called "battle fantastic". Mass-produced low-quality books about Russian military superiority in all possible conflicts. The whole book series appeared. Here: "Battlefield Ukraine series" "Ukraine on Fire"

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The whole series is playing with the same idea: Ukrainian "nazis" need to be destroyed. Covers were like created on drugs. Here: "Wild Field: On Ukraine's Ruins" - a "DNR" tank smashes what can be identified as "Ukrainian Azov Nationalist Mercedes SUV".

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"Ukraine in Blood: Banderite Genocide" (the cover pictures Maidan in Kyiv, note the "Azov" connection of the "Nazi") "Ukrainian Hell: It is our War!" (A Russian soldiers captures a US pilot) "Ukrainian Front: Red Stars over Maidan" (US planes got destroyed) "Broken Trident" /6

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What is inside? Here is a typical description: "WW3 starts on Kyiv Maidan! With Nato "Peacekeepers" start Baderites genocide of Russians, wiping out the whole cities. Polava does not exist anymore. Novorossiya fights back, Russia helps! We take Kyiv! This is our final battle!" /9

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As you see, most of these books have the same narrative: bad Ukrainians act as marionettes of the West, the US want to destroy Russia, but Russians go into a full-scale war because they are not afraid and are mighty. Same books were published about Georgia, but not so many /10

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Now let's dig deeper to the next level of Russian propaganda (I told you, this thread will deal with nasty and scary things). What are these books about? Revanchism. What is the ultimate form of revanchism? History re-writing. Well, Russians created a book genre for this /11

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Russian history-rewriting genre of "battle fantastic" has its name "popadantsy" (time-travellers, literally: "appearers"). Inspired by the Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee" and Harrison's "The Ethical Engineer", Russians opened a golden mine of stories how to make Russia GREEEAT /12

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The basic Russian trauma is that RU was treated unfair and taken its power and place as the only world super power. This is what you learn at school. Russians were conquered by Mongols and lost 300 years of development. Queen Elisabeth denied marriage to Ivan the Terrible /13

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Look at this final scene of a cult Russian movie "Forward, Gardemarines!" Brave Russian officers know, that the battle at Groß-Jägersdorf (1757) is won by Russians, they can capture Friedrich of Prussia and win the war. But a stupid general orders retreat:

youtube.com

Гардемарины

Я прошу вас: умоляю вас, отмените приказ, это позор, вы позорите честь русского оружия... Вы же России присягали, вы предали ее, где же ваша честь... Эх, гар...

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This is the culmination of the 1995 movie, which was one of the most popular in Russia back than. The narrator's voice says, the victory was "stolen", and even Russians took Berlin later, that victory "was stolen again". Effectively, this was one of "back-stab-theory" movies. /13

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There are tons of myths of "stolen victories" and "betrayed Russia". My school teacher told us, Alaska was not sold to the US, but rented out for 100 yrs, and the US broke the contract. Nazis in 1920s told about one "betrayal" in 1914, Russians were fed with tons of such lies /14

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So, back to our books case. How do you want to serve this fundamental hate towards the treacherous West, and help Russia win? Easy! Send you partiots to the past to correct it and to win the future! Yes, in Russia they have this book genre, and it goes very good: "Popadantsy" /15

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Let us start with easy reading "Tsar from the future": a guy wakes up in a body of Russian Nicolas II emperor, prevents Russian revolution, defeats Great Britain, and conquers Istanbul with modern weapons. "Russia Arise!" Popadantsy in bodies of Nicolas II and Alexander III /16

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While digging into this genre, we see one interesting pattern. The biggest enemy is the UK (and a lesser one the US) Compare: "The Guard of Popadantsy: Sink the Britanny!" "London must be destroyed! Russian landing in England" (Note Russian SpecOps storming the Nelson's ship) /17

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Compare further: "Russian America Corporation". A guy jumps into 18th century, conquers the American colonies, destroys British empire "and stops genocide of Indians" (so sweet). But you ask maybe: and what is with Germany and Nazis? Just wait... /18

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