Despite the internal tensions simmering in elite circles—fuelled by high interest rates and the recent arrests, deaths, or assassinations of high-ranking military officials—the Kremlin remains firmly in control.
The reason for this?
Russia believes it has finally found what it has been looking for since the collapse of the Soviet Union: a global agenda.
This ideological breakthrough gives the Kremlin something far more powerful than diplomatic victories or advances on the battlefield — it gives it a global purpose.
For the first time since the Cold War, Moscow believes it has a message to send to the world—a message that goes beyond regional influence and aims to shape a global narrative.
The Kremlin is no longer just reacting to the West but is once again trying to define what it thinks the world should look like.
Softening of the West’s stance towards Moscow
This newfound confidence coincided with the rise of political uncertainty in the West, particularly in the United States.
The Russian elite was well aware that a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House could offer short-term benefits. Trump’s foreign policy instincts are largely isolationist, and recent reports suggest that his associates have put forward a peace proposal that would reward Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
This proposal reportedly includes territorial concessions, the lifting of sanctions and a general softening of the West’s stance towards Moscow.
Russia offers predictability, coherence, and — most importantly — a global ideological alternative
The Kremlin knows that Steve Witkoff's isolationist peace proposal is unlikely to be accepted not only by the Ukrainians but also by other Europeans — and that is a good thing.
Their rejection helps underpin Moscow’s broader narrative: the West is divided, impulsive and unreliable. Russia, on the other hand, offers predictability, coherence, and — most importantly — a global ideological alternative.
The expectation of a new greatness
Today, there is a unique expectation in Moscow—the expectation of new greatness. There is a growing conviction that Russia is destined to become a "super nation"—not only in terms of its military strength but also in terms of its ability to influence the thoughts and actions of other countries.
To be truly "super", Russia must offer the world more than gas and oil—it must offer a worldview.
In the past, this is precisely what Russia has struggled with. Concepts such as the “Russian (Russki) world” or Orthodox Christianity have never been able to spread beyond the Slavic sphere.
America cannot be trusted. Russia can
They failed to inspire loyalty outside a limited cultural and religious context. But now, thanks in part to the perceived instability and moral confusion of the West, a new message is taking shape.
It is clear in its simplicity: America cannot be trusted. Russia can.
This is the essence of Russia’s emerging global philosophy—a narrative based not only on the rejection of the West but also on the promise of stability and consistency.
The Kremlin is positioning itself as a loyal partner in a complex world of unreliable partners. This message resonates with governments in Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia—regions that have long remembered neglect by the West.
Behind the polished language of purpose and order lies a hollow, threatening structure. The Russian state offers no economic innovation, no political openness, no cultural horizon, only control. It exports fear, not stability. It invokes traditions while silencing history, speaks of values, and assassinates its critics.
Writers, priests, opposition leaders—no one is safe. What Putin sells as a civilisational alternative is not a system but a theatre of power held together by intimidation, exile, and death. This is not the rebirth of a great idea. It is the preservation of one man’s grip on a fading empire.
Russia presents itself as solid, immovable and consistent
Russian diplomats are now spreading a clear message in the Global South: the United States betrayed Vietnam. Then Iraq. Then Afghanistan. Even Western Europe. Possibly Israel. And now, they say, America is preparing to betray Ukraine.
What kind of partner changes its mind with every election cycle? What kind of superpower pursues a diametrically opposed foreign policy every four years?
Russian diplomats are now spreading a clear message in the Global South: What kind of partner changes its mind with every election cycle? - Sergey Lavrov
From Moscow’s point of view, this is where Russia shines. Putin is seen as a constant. His policies are not subject to the whims of democracy.
He is not accountable to the press, the opposition, or the electorate, only to himself. This is not a government of checks and balances but the concentrated will of a man who has outlasted his rivals, dismantled dissent, and redefined the presidency as an instrument of personal command.
In this system, his word is final. While America’s policies swing from left to right and from liberal to populist, Russia presents itself as solid, immovable and consistent.
This idea has prevailed to such an extent that Russians are now prepared to accept immense hardships—inflation, shortages, and international isolation—in the name of this higher purpose.
As long as there is bread on the shelves and a global mission in hand, the Kremlin believes that people will persevere. And so far, they have largely done so.
A unique dualism has taken root in Russian society. Many Russians simultaneously admire certain aspects of the West—particularly under leaders like Trump—while remaining fundamentally opposed to Western influence and ideals.
This paradox is deeply rooted. For the average Russian, mistrust of America is as natural as owning guns is for many Americans.
There is no functioning opposition in today’s Russia, not because there is no appetite for it, but because it has been systematically extinguished.
Political challengers have been imprisoned, exiled or simply eliminated. Independent media no longer exist in any meaningful form. Criticism is not debated; it is criminalised. What remains is a staged democracy—the appearance of democratic institutions but the reality of authoritarianism in practice. Behind the theatre of elections lies a system governed by control, coercion and fear.
What is emerging is a new form of Russian globalism—one that aspires to leadership not by building liberal institutions or promising prosperity but by offering an alternative to Western confusion. And paradoxically, the chaos of American politics only strengthens Moscow’s arguments.
The real danger of the new Russian globalism is not that it inspires the world but rather that it undermines the idea that truth, accountability, and freedom still mean something.
