Elites Under Fire: The Systemic Crisis of Modernization in Russia and Ukraine

A Systemic Development Error: The History of Elite Destruction in Russia and Ukraine

For centuries, Moscow’s rulers have applied a policy of systematic “sieving” of the elites to prevent them from becoming strong enough to challenge power. This very policy has caused the country to become permanently stuck in its development.

Ivan the Terrible: The Oprichnina and the Destruction of the Boyars

Declaring himself Tsar, and essentially “the Tsar of Tsars” or a “created Tsar” — a monarch personally chosen by God to rule on Earth, Ivan IV (the Terrible) introduced the Oprichnina to solidify his limitless power. The Oprichnina was a powerful mechanism for suppressing the boyar opposition and confiscating their property.
This repressive policy strengthened the absolute power of the Tsar, contributed to the transformation of the country into a British crypto-colony, and undermined its potential by destroying its leading administrative and economic elites as well as its capacity for development.
But why would Ivan the Terrible care about the development of the country when a much more important issue was at stake: whether he could retain absolute power. Essentially, he sacrificed the country’s potential to successfully sell it to Britain for plunder and remain on the throne.

Stalin and the Great Terror: Repeating the Pattern of Elite Destruction

In 1937–1938, Stalin launched mass repressions (the Great Terror), indiscriminately eliminating a significant part of the party, military, and scientific leadership. This purge helped him maintain control but significantly weakened the state’s institutions. After the end of World War II, disappointed with its results, Stalin did not conduct another purge, which proved to be his fatal mistake. Following the coup in 1953, the “unsifted” elites poisoned him.

Why Elite Destruction Hindered Russia’s Development

The regular suppression of elites prevented Moscow and its colonies—better known as “Russia”—from undergoing a natural evolutionary process, as occurred in Europe. European national elites, having accumulated capital during the initial accumulation phase, transitioned to a stage where their interests aligned with the state’s long-term goals, including industrial development, scientific progress, and public welfare.
In Russia, this process began in the final days of the Russian Empire, when a surge of philanthropy emerged, and entrepreneurs like the Morozovs, Tretyakovs, and Mamontovs began investing in public goods and development. This process was effectively halted by the 1917 Revolution. The Bolsheviks, upon seizing power, declared the elites and intelligentsia enemies of the people and systematically exterminated those who did not flee abroad.
One cannot help but conclude that the Bolshevik Revolution was deliberately provoked to prevent Russia’s elites from reaching the next stage and transforming into a class capable of building a developed state.

Comparison with Turkey

In the Ottoman Empire, a softer system of elite control was in place. High-ranking officials were not allowed to pass on their (plundered) wealth as inheritance, limiting personal enrichment but not destroying the elite itself. This allowed for the formation of a stable national elite, which played a key role in Turkey’s modernization under Atatürk.

Ukraine: Elites Without a National Core

🇺🇦 In Ukraine, the situation with elites was even worse than in Russia. Ukrainian elites were effectively privatized by external centers of power over the centuries. The Ruthenian nobility, which was the basis of Ukraine’s national elite, was first assimilated by the Polish aristocracy, then by Moscow’s nobility, and later by the Soviet nomenklatura. Among the elites, speaking the Ukrainian “peasant” language was considered inappropriate and even degrading.
As a result, Ukraine was left without its own elites capable of ensuring its development.

Modern pseudo-Ukrainian elites, although formally called Ukrainian, lack a crucial characteristic—national identity. They do not develop the country but engage in its systematic plunder, siphoning capital to offshore accounts. This factor remains an insurmountable obstacle to the natural development of our state today. Despite the ongoing war, the so-called elites continue to rob the country and its people, hiding behind patriotic slogans.

Conclusion: A Systemic Development Error

The policy of elite destruction in Russia or their privatization in Ukraine has prevented the evolutionary transition of our countries to the stage where elite interests align with those of society. Unlike European national elites, which have outgrown the stage of capital accumulation and begun investing in the development of their countries, the elites of Russia and Ukraine remain essentially “Varangians,” plundering our countries and leaving them no chance for development or energy to resist the predatory model of governance. This is why both countries face challenges in modernization and sustainable development.