Russia's top investigator writes poems yearning for the Soviet Union

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, publicly recited his poetry, revealing a deep nostalgia for the Soviet Union. Speaking at a legal forum in St. Petersburg, Bastrykin read verses expressing a desire to be free from all freedoms and return to an era where camaraderie, not wealth, mattered. His audience, including ministers and security officials from Russia and allied nations, applauded his performance.

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I want to return to the Soviet Union. I want to free myself from all freedoms, want to return to the old world, where not wealth counts, but friendship between peoples.

Bastrykin, often labeled a "guard dog of the regime," is known for his strict policies, anti-migrant rhetoric, and support for the death penalty. His poems, however, delve into a perceived golden past, yearning for the "stars of that country" where "we all were born." This sentiment echoes a broader trend in Russia, where the Kremlin actively fosters nostalgia for the Soviet era's perceived greatness and social security.

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I want to return to the old world, where not wealth counts, but friendship between peoples.

The article suggests that this manufactured nostalgia serves as a political tool for Vladimir Putin's government. Many Russians reportedly view their country's past as glorious, their present as difficult, and their future as uncertain. Bastrykin's verses, though criticized for their lack of originality, give voice to these "phantom pains." He uses these sentiments to frame current repressions and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which Russia euphemistically calls a "special military operation."

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We are always confident that tomorrow will be better.