ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AP
Volunteers perform at the opening of the International Exhibition “Russia” at the VDNKh (Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy) in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 4. The wide-ranging display was held under a decree by President Vladimir Putin and is seen as encouraging patriotism in the run-up to March’s presidential election.
MOSCOW>> With marked contempt for the West, Russia on Saturday released a wide-ranging exposé highlighting the nation’s achievements, which will extend into the months leading up to presidential elections in which Vladimir Putin is expected to seek another term.
Putin issued a decree in March to hold the exhibition and some observers saw that it aimed to create an ideological framework for his re-election. Media reports had advised him to use the opening to announce his candidacy for the March election, but his spokesman later said he would not attend the event.
Putin has ruled Russia as president or minister since 2000, and his re-election would extend his term until 2030.
The event takes place at the VDNKh, the sprawling exhibition park in northern Moscow, created by Joseph Stalin and famous for its elaborate Soviet Gothic-style pavilions. The décor reflects many Russians’ nostalgia for the Soviet era and echoes Putin’s drive to repair Russia. as a superpower.
Thematically, the exhibition focuses on Russia as a country made up of diverse ethnic teams and cultures unified through a sense of nationhood. It includes exhibits from the regions of Russia, as well as the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed. as well as a series of presentations on industry, education and technology.
It is also based on the concept that Russia is engaged in a battle of civilization, a concept that has been at the forefront of official discourse since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
“All provocations and competitive moves opposed to Russia are doomed to failure. Because we are one people, united by a common history, fraternal bonds of friendship and mutual understanding,” Putin said in a message on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition.
In a speech delivered on the show’s opening day, Nikolai Patrushev, Putin’s best friend and head of the National Security Council, amplified the idea.
“Unlike the West, Russia has proposed a choice of civilization based on the preservation of national sovereignty, mutual respect, equal association, the classical values of the family circle, the protection of devout foundations and the rights of believers, as well as the accepted criteria of morality and ethics. and ethics. social behavior,” he said.
“Historically, Russia has been an impediment to the West, interfering in the implementation of its hegemonic plans,” Patrushev said.
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