The “anti-American rage” in Russia is now stronger than in Soviet times

After violent rhetoric was injected into the Russian air during the year, outrage by the United States in Russia peaked for the entire period of relevant sociological polls, reports The Washington Post. According to observers, the wave of anti-American hatred, the most violent since Stalin’s time, has swept the entire country, from street vendors to the Kremlin, correspondent Michael Burnburn writes.

This causes problems for American politicians who are trying to reach friendly Russians (and there are fewer and fewer such Russians). “It also suggests that a year after the imposition of sanctions, American politicians have limited ability to influence decision-making in Russia,” the article says.

According to the Levada Center, more than 80% of Russians now have a negative attitude towards the United States. The rate has more than doubled over the past year and is the highest since 1988, when the center began tracking the ratio.

Apparently, anger at the West could further intensify if President Obama decides to supply lethal weapons to the Ukrainian army, Burnbom writes. "Even some of Putin's harshest critics say they cannot support the proposal because the cost would be the lives of their country's soldiers," the author reports.

Official anti-Western rhetoric during the Soviet era could not suppress the love of the Beatles or the desire to listen to Voice of America news among ordinary people. But the list of alleged grievances against the United States has been growing for a long time, especially after the bombing of Serbia in 1999. The war in Iraq, NATO expansion and the Russian-Georgian conflict were accompanied by small outbreaks of anti-American sentiment, which, however, soon subsided.

And only with the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, anti-Americanism spread even among those who used to fly willingly to Miami and Los Angeles, the author notes.

“This anti-Western propaganda has radically changed the atmosphere in society,” said Levada Center director Lev Gudkov. “It has become militaristic.”

Many Russians felt that in return for trying to take an example from the West, they received only hardship and humiliation, the author notes.

Anti-Americanism prevents the spread of American culture through film, music and education.

“A handful of leading businessmen have warned: with this touchy self-isolation, Russia risks stopping its economic development forever,” Börnbom continues, citing statements by Alexei Kudrin. But such voices are drowned in the streams of indignation at the West.

“The government knew that it was very easy to cultivate anti-Western sentiments, it was easy to rally Russian society around this propaganda,” said analyst Maria Lipman.