this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2025
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Not if you're simply parroting western propaganda, which you are! Russia isn't some backward country. Like most western countries, they have various types of prisons or gulags. Gulag is just Russian for prison! Some are horrible, just like supermax is in the US.
Ok ml, yep, we are the ones parroting
I was born and grew up in semi-provincial Russia. I had two neighbors who went through the prison system and told me about their experiences.
Semi-agreed.
Central, more well-developed parts of Russia are not backwards (in fact I really liked the soviet heritage of microdistricts, well-developed public transit, socialized medical care and the remains of the education system); the "provinces" (in which I grew up) absolutely are, compared to the even the worst bumfuck nowhere in Europe.
Russian jails (СИЗО) and low-security prisons (колония общего режима) are OK relatively speaking. However if you are in for a "political" crime you're most likely going to end up in a high-security prison (колония строгого режима or тюрьма) in which conditions are seriously worse, including forced labor, denial of medical care, regular isolation, beatings by prison guards and other inmates.
And then there is the heavily prevalent "prisoner culture" which ensures that people who've been in for more than 3-5 years come out with completely destroyed psyche and lack of any real-world social skills. One of my neighbors who spent 5 years in a low-security prison for drug use in the 2000s came out a broken man and was in and out of the system for as long as I knew him.
I agree that the US prison system absolutely sucks ass and must be abolished entirely. Russian (high-security) prisons are still worse (except maybe for Gitmo and the El Salvador thing, which are a fucking disgrace to humanity).
No it fucking isn't, how hard is that to check? ГУЛАГ (GULAG) stands for Главное Управление ЛАГерей (Main Administration of [labor] Camps), a controversial system of labor camps in 1930s-50s (colloquially up to the 80s). Back in Russia I've almost never heard anyone use it to refer to the modern prison system. It is sometimes used in a set phrase "Digital Gulag" to refer to the government's attempts to censor the internet, but that's about it. Funnily enough the word is used in the general sense of "brutal prison" in the West only - and that is indeed western propaganda.
How would you determine whether they are a backward country or not?
My counterarguments to your claim:
they are expansionist; they started a classic land war against a (perhaps significantly weaker) neighbor
their politics are regressive instead of progressive
the people seem to overwhelmingly support the government despite these serious shortcomings
BTW, few people actually support the government. The best way to confirm this is to look at the public reaction to the attempted coup by Prigozhin in summer 2023. It ranged from apathy to amusement, the same kind you would have if you were watching Fast&Furious 21 (or whatever number they're up to). However most people don't oppose the government either and just go about their daily lives. It's similar to what most Americans are doing right now despite their country turning to mask-off fascism, dismantling all their all social safety nets and flaunting a world war.
4th largest economy in the World, sanctions are having little effect. That's not the metrics of a backward country. Expansionist? No. The largest country in the world by landmass, which has the largest resources of minerals and metals. You're confusing the Soviet regimes of the past with the current country. One can easily argue with facts that the West is far more repressive, especially in current circumstances. Of course, the people support their government, that usually happens when they are under attack by outside forces! Look at where progressive policies have gotten the west thus far! The majority of people in the west don't support much of the neoliberal, globalist agenda and our economies are in ruin. Most of which were self created.
Putin literally started an imperialist land war to expand the territory and capture resources (and stay in power for a while longer).
No, you have it backwards.
The Soviet government at least had some noble goals for their expansion, and measurable improvements to the lives of people on the captured territories.
Russia is an oligarchy and the only goals are territorial gains, resource exploitation and enriching the richest at the expense of the poor under the pretext of wartime nationalism. Same as the US, really, but with less power and resources.
You seriously think that the current state of the west is due to "progressive policies" and not capitalism and nationalism? If anything, progressive policies (women's rights, LGBT inclusion, secularization, education for all, universal medical care (in places where it exist), and some limited labor rights) are one of rare good things that's been happening in the west.
The current country is a highly corrupt oligarchy that keeps it's citizens ignorant, imprisons those that dare speak out, and ensures there is zero internal political resistance to the regime continuing it's brutal and bloody status quo.
The US is rapidly heading the same way, the wannabe Oligarchs in the US seeing Russia as an example to follow.
Get your head out of your arse.
Ukraine is the most corrupt country in the world. That's where your head is at and supporting. Too much of our treasure has been spent on a fruitless objective that won't be achieved. Full stop! Most of us in the West don't support this. So whose head is in their arse?! Not mine, my eyes are wide open. LOL
"Treasure"?
Your Russian terminology gives you away comrade.
Off you fuck.