The turbulent period of the USSR's collapse, the time in which the Russians collided with experiences that they had not had before, including the supernatural and mysticism, significantly shaped Vladimir Putin's personality.
The period of perestroika moulded the then 30-year-old Putin into the man we know today.
Vladimir Putin, along with the majority of the Russian population, embraced perestroika, despite the widespread impression that the collapse of the USSR had a traumatic effect on Russians, including him. New world emerged almost immediately, without a transitional phase.
The Russian people faced a wide range of freedoms, including freedom of religion. Russia experienced a massive emergence of psychics, fortune-tellers, healers, various cults, sects, and, of course, a variety of religions.
The Russian people were confused by a multitude of new things that they had neither seen nor experienced before. Some Russians have remained confused to this day. Putin and his inner circle are certainly among them.
Shamans in every Russian home
During the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, the then-famous psychics Anatoly Kashpirovsky and Alan Chumak conducted mass psychic sessions during prime-time television programmes.
During the prime-time television psychic sessions, Alan Chumak energised water that millions of Russian viewers placed in front of their televisions. After the session, they drank this water, believing that it was medicinal. Some even consumed newspaper pages featuring photos of Chumak or Kashpirovsky.
Another famous psychic of this unique time was Dzhuna, also a healer, but at the same time very close to the then head of state, Boris Yeltsin, as his healer and advisor.
The Russian people began to accept the idea that Russia was the soul of the planet and had a very special role to play in saving mankind
At this time, a new Russian exceptionalism began to emerge. The Russian people began to accept the idea that Russia was the soul of the planet and had a very special role to play in saving mankind.
It was almost natural for people to see the planet as a human body, in which each country was an organ. According to this theory, Russia was the planet's soul. By the way, they gave America a humiliating status of the stomach.
It was a unique time, but overall, it was a turbulent time, as old norms and orders collapsed and new ones were not defined. People in Russia were confused about what to believe in and therefore turned to mysticism and superstition. They searched for answers in the extra-terrestrial and supernatural realms.
A survey from 2016, according to which as many as 36% of the population still believed in supernatural beings, shows just how widespread and deeply rooted this belief was.
Belief in the superiority of Russia
Many Russians of that era, including Vladimir Putin, believed that their luck and fortune made them special.
Those who achieved success back then were highly adventurous individuals because of their willingness to cross all boundaries. Many of them, including Putin, have maintained their superstitious convictions and other mystical beliefs throughout the years.
Vladimir Putin is not a true Christian, and none of the people around him are sincere Christians either. Putin's closest associates, Nikolai Patrushev, Yury Kovalchuk, and Sergey Chemezov, share the same age group, come from the same environment, and have all experienced confusion due to the collapse of the USSR and the acceptance of the esoteric and supernatural.
Vladimir Putin uses the Christian narrative because he believes it benefits him politically
Vladimir Putin uses the Christian narrative because he believes it benefits him politically. At the same time, however, he recently kissed the Koran and presented it as a gift to Ramzan Kadyrov. He also paid tribute to Buddhists and shamans during his recent visit to Tuva on his way to visit the president of Mongolia a few days ago.
Mysticism is deeply rooted and strongly present at the highest level of the Russian state, and it is impossible to deny its role in the most important state decisions. There is a belief that the date of the invasion of Ukraine—24 February 2022—was chosen because of the mystical power of numbers, which in this combination heralded victory.
Mysticism contributes to the decision-making process
The legacy of belief in the otherworldly and esotericism had a firm grip on Russian society at the time when it was in search of fundamental values, and the people who began to climb the ladder of power at that time were no exception.
Events throughout Putin's entire career are easily attributable to supernatural causes if you believe in them.
The legacy of belief in the otherworldly and esotericism had a firm grip on Russian society at the time when it was in search of fundamental values
Beginning with his fortunate avoidance of corruption charges while he was at the St. Petersburg mayor's office, an even more fortunate transfer from St. Petersburg to Moscow, and finally his appointment as a successor to Boris Yeltsin, he was blessed with good luck, which he believes was due to some supernatural force.
Boris Yeltsin selected him as his successor, bypassing many other, more qualified candidates. Vladimir Putin himself does not understand why it happened. There were many others who would have provided similar immunity to Boris Yeltsin's family while also being much more qualified.
His luck continued until the current war, when his army is on the brink of collapse. However, Americans and Europeans, for unknown reasons, blocked or prevented the Ukrainian offensive by limiting or delaying arms supplies.
Anyone who seeks to understand the model by which the most important decisions are made at the top of the Russian state must not underestimate the influence of the belief in superiority, which stems from a deep-rooted heritage of belief in supernatural forces.
