There is an idea firmly rooted among the politically active segment of Russian society — both inside the country and among emigres — that the Russian state as something absolutely personalistic. It is believed that all decisions, down to the smallest ones, are made at the very top, almost personally by President Vladimir Putin. 

The recent case of the detention of Stoptime band vocalist Diana Loginova, who performed a song by a banned artist, is also illustrative. Many, including well-known opposition figures, immediately said the Kremlin is making a mistake, risking sparking discontent by punishing young people. Implicit in all these statements is the assumption that the decision to detain her was made either in the Kremlin or by people close to it — if not personally by Putin.

But such reasoning comes from an oversimplified and almost mythological idea of the Kremlin as a form of Eastern despotism where one ruler decides everything from foreign policy down to whether someone should be arrested for singing a song on the street. 

Yet even in the most totalitarian regimes, it is physically impossible for one person to control every detail. Yes, Putin makes decisions about the war, foreign policy and major strategic directives. But matters like the detention of an unknown singer or a street performer are so far below his level that he may be unaware of it.

Much of what provokes loud debates within the politically engaged public sphere often does not reach the higher leadership of the country at all. Issues that seem extremely significant on YouTube, Telegram channels or among opposition circles may be completely invisible to the broader public and even more so to the president. 

The Russian system is, above all, a bureaucratic one with its own internal rules, instructions, fears, and inertia. Its primary goal is to ensure its own survival, with the key task of any official being to demonstrate that he is working and remains vigilant and responsive.

The most dangerous situation for a lowly officer is when everything is calm and nothing in particular needs to be done. In such cases, superiors begin to ask what they’re doing........

© The Moscow Times