Anti-American sentiment in Russia


has a long history of Anti-Americanism, dating back to the early days of the Cold War. In some of the latest Russian population polls, the United States and its allies consistently top the list of greatest enemies.

History

During the 1920s, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin described the American two-party system as "meaningless duels between two bourgeois parties", both of whom were led by "astute multimillionaires" who exploited the American proletariat.
After World War II, the political contradictions between United States and Soviet Union started to grow. As a result, there have been growing anti-American sentiments driven by state media.

Cold War era politics

As early as the late 1940s, there had been decrees and orders issued by Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party to promote anti-American sentiments within the Soviet public.

For instance, Central Committee document #148 of 1949 read:
Article-1

1. In print news media such as "Pravda", "Izvestiya", "Trud", "Literaturnaya Gazeta", "Komsomolskaya Gazeta", "Bolshevik" and others, organize systematic publications of materials, articles and pamphlets, unmasking aggressive plans of American Imperialism, inhumane character of social and political order of the US, debunking American propaganda "fables" about American "prosperity", showcasing deep controversies in US economy, mendaciousness of bourgeois democracy, the idiocy of modern American bourgeois culture and morals.

Article-15

15.The following themes should provide the basis for anti-American propaganda in press, radio and movies:

...

Capitalistic monopolies of US inspirators of aggression policy...

US stronghold of colonial enslavement and colonial wars...

Monopolies feed fascism on American soil...

Democracy in US hypocritical coverup for absolute rule of capital...

Myth of high standards of living for all social classes in US...

Myth of universal equality and equal opportunities for everyone in US...

Degeneration of American culture...

Decay of cinematography in US...

Corrupt American press...

Crime in US...

...

Decaying West

"Decaying West" or "Rotting West" was the term used in the Soviet era to refer to the social order and moral norms in US and other Western countries, which were allegedly corrupt and rapidly eroding.

Polls

List of Greatest Enemies according to latest Russian population polls.
A December 2017 survey conducted by the Chicago Council and its Russian partner, the Levada Center, showed that:
Survey results published by the Levada-Center indicate that, as of August 2018, Russians increasingly viewed the United States positively following the Russia–U.S. summit in Helsinki in July 2018. But only 14% of Russians expressed net approval of Donald Trump’s policies in 2019. According to the Pew Research Center, "57% of Russians ages 18 to 29 see the U.S. favorably, compared with only 15% of Russians ages 50 and older."

US and Russian domestic politics

After the mid-2000s, color revolutions, with tacit support of the US took place in former Soviet States. The political climate and processes in Russia have intensified as well. Those revolutions were perceived extremely negatively in Moscow.

US and political opposition in Russia

According to Russian media, the current Russian opposition has strong ties to the US and its allies. Furthermore, many government channels systematically broadcast documentaries, TV programs and journalistic researches, which claim that many opposition leaders are directly funded and supported by the US government, with an ultimate goal to destabilize the political and constitutional order in Russia.
Accusations have intensified during and after 2011 Russian legislative election, as well as 2012 Russian presidential election, which resulted in 2011–2013 Russian protests by the opposition.
In 2012, the major Russian national TV network NTV, created a series of documentaries called Anatomy of Protest claiming that 2011–2013 Russian protests, organized by the opposition leaders, were carefully watched and influenced by some Western nations and the US in particular.
Some Russian officials interviewed in the film openly state that the US is actively working on bringing extremist groups to power in Russia, which would allow it to discredit Russia on the global stage and even to justify a military strike on the country.

"Foreign Agents" and "Undesirable Organizations"

In July 2012, the Russian foreign agent law was introduced. It requires nonprofit organizations that receive foreign donations and engage in "political activity" to be labeled as "foreign agents", which carries, in Russian, strong associations with Cold War-era espionage. Organizations are obliged to mark all their publications and begin each oral statement with a disclosure that it is being given by a foreign agent. They are subject to inspections and raids. Several US-based organizations have been targeted including Human Rights Watch.
In September 2012, Russian authorities demanded the end of operations of the United States Agency for International Development. According to officials, some activities conducted by the organization were hostile and undermined Russian sovereignty.
In May 2015, the Russian undesirable organizations law was introduced. Russian prosecutors are able to target foreign groups
whose "undesirable activities" are deemed to threaten "state security" or the "basic values of the Russian state". Given a notice from the prosecutors, such organizations have to disband.
Violators face fines or prison terms of up to six years. People cooperating with such entities are subject to fines and can be banned from entering Russia. Duma deputy Aleksandr Tarnavsky, one of the legislation's
coauthors, stated, "I do not think that there is a particular
company that has to fall under this list. But if a company suddenly starts causing a lot of trouble, starts acting arrogantly and impudently, then in theory it could fall under the list of undesirable organizations." The law was used to target the National Endowment for Democracy and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Geopolitical views and theories

The following views and theories are common in Russian mainstream national media. Some of them are voiced by top government officials and supported by major Russian think tanks and academia:

Centuries-long standoff between West and Russia

According to some popular Russian political writers and scientists, there is a centuries-long geopolitical standoff between Russia and Western nations, especially with Anglo-Saxon states such as the US and UK, which have been openly and covertly working on destroying Russia by any means since the times of The Great Game.
There are some political writers, active/retired general officers as well as other public figures in Russia, who openly claim that war with the US or NATO is imminent.

Some believers:
Admiral Kovoedov believes that after a war with Iran, the US will conduct a nuclear strike on Russia.
Many Russian top government officials and experts, believe that in many occasions Russia is being attacked by nonconventional warfare means.
In 2013, Russia's chief food and drug inspector accused the US of conducting a biowarfare against Russia According to Mr. Onishenko, the Georgian biological laboratory built with US cooperation and funding "is an important element of the US offensive military-biological potential". Earlier, high ranking government official claimed that the outbreak of African swine fever in Russia was planned sabotage, originating from the American lab in Georgia.

Information warfare against Russia

In modern Russia, there is a common and widespread notion that Western nations have been and still are actively engaged in an information assault on Russia. Many public figures openly state that the West is using a wide range of means to discredit the nation on a global stage.
According to many Russian scholars, government officials as well as media, economic prosperity and wellbeing of United States is solely based on unfair advantages gained from US dollar's reserve currency status, dollarization of other countries economies, along with neocolonial wars for resources and predatory macroeconomic behavior.

Proponents of the view:

High ranked government officials
Media
Academia
The imminent disintegration of United States is a widespread belief in Russia. According to the theory, the United States is torn by deep controversies in politics, economy, ethnic relations and overall society. This theory gained high popularity after the 2012 state petitions for secession.
Prominent believers:

9/11

9/11 conspiracy theories are popular in Russia. According to many, the terror attacks were well planned and conducted by the US to justify the wars for oil in the Middle East.
The Dulles Plan or the Dulles Doctrine is the central document of a conspiracy theory according to which the CIA chief Allen Dulles had developed a plan for United States to destroy the Soviet Union during the Cold war by covertly corrupting the cultural heritage and moral values of the Soviet nation. The plan was first published in Russia shortly after the dissolution of the USSR and was often quoted by prominent Russian politicians, journalists and writers.

Harvard Project

The Harvard Project or Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System was a 1950s research project funded by the USAF and conducted by Harvard University to study the economic and political order of Soviet society. However, some Russian political scientists and writers strongly believe that the main purpose of the project was to develop psychological and other means of influence over the Soviet people. According to believers, this research led the US to develop psychological and information warfare techniques, intensively used against the Soviet Union to destroy it. Some believe that those techniques are still being heavily used against Russia, with the purpose of destroying and partitioning the country into several parts, which will be eventually annexed by the US and its allies.

Moon landing

Moon landing conspiracy theories are widely spread in Russia. According to 2011 polls conducted by Russian Public Opinion Center, 40% of Russians do not believe that US astronauts have ever landed on the moon.

Pindos

"Pindos" or "Pendos" in the Russian language is a derogatory ethnic slur, used to refer to Americans. Originally, the term was used to refer to US military servicemen, but it gradually became a universal disparaging term to refer to all Americans. Other slur terms to refer to the United States such as Pindosiya and Pindostan have also been derived. Some sources claim that the term was first used by Russian military servicemen during Kosovo War, where they allegedly heard this term. According to Russian soldiers, it was perfect fit for "armed to the teeth and coward American soldier".
According to Andrei Piontkovsky, "Eternal Pindos—is our Wandering Jew. We need him not as an enemy defeated, trampled and lowered but as heavily armed guy in a pith helmet who dismembers our core Eurasian world, steals our unique nanotechnology and corrupts our highest spirituality."

Recent events

South Ossetia

After the Rose Revolution, the ex-Soviet Republic of Georgia changed its geopolitical preferences and started cooperating much more closely with NATO and the United States. That led the US and NATO to conduct very close cooperative work on the issues of military training and equipment with Georgia, which had unresolved territorial disputes, including South Osetia.
In August 2008, those disputes resulted in a five-day Russia–Georgia war. The conflict spurred wave of anti-American sentiments in Russia.
According to Putin, the war was directly related to presidential elections in the US
The official position was that the US and its allies deliberately armed Georgia.
Some Russian officials called the war a genocide, accusing the US of supporting such inhumane actions.
Shortly after the conflict, media producer and member of State Duma, Konstantin Rykov, created a documentary called War 08.08.08. Art of Betrayal. He claims that Georgia was trained and led by the U.S. into war with South Osetia and Russia. The reason being that the US was interested in increasing presidential candidate John McCain's ratings, and demonizing Russia as an aggressor was key to it. The documentary had over a million views in first five days after being published online.

Political assessment of "Arab Spring"

The Arab Spring has also acquired a very negative perception in Russia. Many of state officials and public figures expressed their concerns and condemnations.

That kind of scenario, they were preparing for us, but now they will try to enact it even harder. In any case, that scenario won't pass. But everything that's happening there, will directly affect us for decades to come.

Starting with 2014, the events following the Euromaidan, the international response to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine spurred a wave of anti-American sentiments in Russia.
At a government-organized "Anti-Maidan" demonstration in February 2015 gathering 35,000 people, the Maidan unrests were attributed to the United States. "Die, America" banners were on display and a speech stated, "Maidan is the smile of the American ambassador who, sitting in his penthouse, is happy to see how brother is killing brother." In July 2015, Putin's top security adviser Nikolai Patrushev stated that "the US themselves started the conflict in Ukraine."
According to polls by the independent Levada Center, in January 2015, 81 percent of Russians held negative views of the United States, a number that had nearly doubled over the previous year and that was by far the highest negative rating since it started tracking those views in 1988.

Criticism

Within Russia

According to some Russian experts, anti-American sentiments are driven largely by domestic political climate and has little relationship to US foreign policy.
In response to the growing anti-Americanism after the South Osetia War in the Russian intellectual-political class, the director of the Institute of Globalization and Social Movements, Boris Kagarlitsky, said, "Ironically, one of the dominant trends here is that we are anti-American because we want to be exactly like America. We are angry that Americans are allowed to invade minor nations and we are not."
In 2013, journalist Vladimir Posner shared his opinion that the anti-Americanism is "harmful for Russia" and has solely irrational reasons. One is that Russian people have still not forgiven United States for "winning the Cold War". He considers the anti-American rhetoric by Vladimir Putin made to be approved by the nation.
According to Moscow Carnegie Center Director Dmitriy Trenin, anti-Americanism in Russia is becoming the basis for official patriotism. Further researcher states that the Russian ruling elite have now stopped pretending that it follows the West and cherishes its declared values. Now, Moscow openly states that its values are not completely common with modern Western values in such fields as democracy, human rights, national sovereignty, role of government, the church, and the nature of family.

Outside Russia

The Heritage Foundation cites that anti-American rhetoric is currently a standard feature of the majority of Russian mass media broadcasts and cites, "The Kremlin is using anti-Americanism as a strategic tool for pursuing domestic and foreign policy goals. Through media controlled or owned by the state, the Russian government is deliberately spreading poisonous anti-U.S. propaganda at home and abroad, blaming many of Russia's problems on the West, particularly the United States. The partial success of this policy exposes a number of serious failures in U.S. public diplomacy, which has been in decline since the end of the Cold War."