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In #Ukraine and everywhere else there are collaborators acting for money or ideological motives, but random ladies of pension age throwing Molotov cocktails at the government offices in #Russia seem to be a phenomenon specific only to that country. What is most interesting, however, are their motives, as the Russian police only give dry messages about the victims being 'manipulated by fraudsters'. Behind every such case, however, there is usually an extremely elaborate, complex story, in which the victim, as a result of a long process of grooming, begins to believe that she has been chosen by the FSB or Putin himself to stop some dramatic conspiracy of local 'Banderite' agents who disguise themselves as Russian police or army mobilisation office. These fairy tales are always incredibly detailed, combining true facts with completely made-up ones. The difference, however, is that Russian society, as a result of two decades of propaganda, is completely devoid of any critical thinking or scepticism. But Russians are also extremely distrustful, bordering on paranoia - how can these contradictions be reconciled? Well, the main principle instilled in Russians as part of social conditioning is absolute obedience to the voice of authority, regardless of any laws, common sense or moral principles. All these objective systems of reference must give way when a boorishly dragging vowels rips the snout out of a policeman or a civil servant... because there is the core of the Russian system of power. Whoever is calling these pensioners has cleverly exploited this cultural vulnerability because at the same time they can reach these people directly, via the internet or telephone. I don't know if by any chance this is one of the factors prompting the Russian authorities to block WhatsApp, which has been talked about for some time.

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