Attitude towards Russian tourists in France. "Slavyanka is the best wife"

How is life now for us Russians who have moved to France? Just like the French, as they say. Because we have been French for a long time, we work in French jobs, we bring up French children, many children no longer speak Russian, and if they do, it is only because their parents want to preserve their original language ...

Russians in France are treated with great sympathy, however, some still think that we drink champagne in the morning and beat glasses on the floor. And there is still such a romantic concept as l "âme slave, the Slavic soul ... It all comes from the "white" emigration, but the attitude towards them also passed to us. Later, of course, such a concept as "new Russians" was superimposed on this. And now, and "Putin's Russians", crazy ones who are bombing Syria. I try to explain all the time that here I am personally, against, that I do not support Putin. This is the most important for me, I don’t know how other Russians do it.

I think Russians are treated well. Here in America, where I also lived, no one gave a damn if you were Russian or not, there are millions of nationalities and therefore you are Russian or Chinese there, it doesn’t matter there. And here the Russian is such an aristocratic image. He, of course, has nothing to do with us, but the idea of ​​such a Russian holiday as in Robbie Williams's song "Party like a Russian" takes place. There is something like that, plus the memories of the "white" emigration, which we did not find, but undeservedly use.

Being Russian is good in France.

As for our emigration 25 years ago, it was very hard for all of us, very hard. First, we were leaving Soviet Union, and we did not understand whether we would return or not, I had the feeling that I was leaving and, maybe, I would not see anyone else. It’s hard to believe now, but it was very difficult to contact someone by phone, not to mention that there was no Internet, phone calls were terribly expensive, you had to go to some acquaintances, agree on a certain time, dialed for hours, because the telephone lines as such were not good.

We were completely cut off from our relatives, but maybe not like when people left in the 70s, when in general there was a wall between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. And, it was very difficult for us financially. I left at the very beginning of 1991, still under Gorbachev and the Soviet Union. When we left, many of those who remained called us "sausage emigration." It seemed to them that it was already safe in Russia, in the Soviet Union, and that we had gone to a foreign land for money. And this is some kind of terrible nonsense, because in fact money flowed like a river in Russia, and here we had a hard time making our way in a foreign country. We were not political emigrants, we did not have any help in principle, we made our way through everything absolutely on our own. We were always told: “Here you are, here you are fed and kind of boring there, but here in Russia it’s poor, but fun.” But it was the opposite - we were terribly interested, we poured into new life, we had to remake ourselves, because emigration is when you question absolutely everything. And in Russia, just the opposite, then it became boring, the usual insanity began, just as political as under Brezhnev. And so I think it was unfair to call us that.

I came because I was invited french state they were looking for young francophones to make connections. And for the first time I had a very small scholarship, about 800 euros per month. With this money it was possible to rent an apartment, we constantly moved somewhere, in the first year - 12 times, to different cities. At one time we lived in the Russian Old House, Nikolai Vasilyevich Vyrubov helped me and settled us there, I sorted out the library there. There was a Russian library there. My work has always been related to the language, I really had a good French. I started writing articles and it was hard, because I already spoke perfect French, but writing articles was still a different calico. It took me some monstrous amount of time to write an article, it was torture, but I had good editors, I already wrote for good magazines and the information that I submitted was important to them, so they patiently corrected these texts with me and thus taught me how to write. So I learned to write in French and now I don't care what language to write in, I continue to write in two languages.

When moving to France, I had to endlessly deal with documents, documents had to be constantly renewed. I also did technical translations, we all did them, because they paid well for it. Then, through his literary, translational, journalistic work, all this gradually turned into real works and into some kind of ordinary, average French life, which we all continue to live.

The children grew up and became absolute Frenchmen. I have two children, the youngest is pure French, he was born here, his father is French, and my eldest daughter, who was born in Russia and her dad is Russian, and who lived in Moscow until she was 7 years old, she became an absolutely Parisian girl, although she speaks good Russian. But, for example, I was always very afraid when she went to Russia, because she looks like such an absolutely Russian girl Masha and speaks Russian like a Russian, but her head is of a different quality, she doesn’t understand a lot in Russia, like all children brought at her age. And it's dangerous. For example, I have a friend, her daughter grew up with Masha, and we told her everything - about the Gulag, and about Stalin, then this girl became a lawyer. But then she listened, listened ... And then she says: "Well, how can it be, he (Stalin) had no right to do this." Well, what can I say to this, a person has a legal consciousness, it is embedded in the head from birth, our children here have other heads, others. And that's why it's always scary to let them go to Russia, because they look like locals, but in fact they are not local and can do some stupidity dangerous for them. It happened to us, Masha was stopped by a policeman on Red Square and began to extort money from her, and I shouted to her on the phone: “Give me everything you have!”, Because he strove to take her to the station, and she told him: “Give me me a receipt." Children who grew up in France are completely different, these are the memories.

AT recent times When oil fell sharply, collapsing the Russian ruble against the euro, the Russians began to look for new sources of foreign exchange earnings. Tourism has become one of these sources. Seeing the favorable ratio between the ruble and the euro, crowds of Western tourists moved to Russia. Even more are planning to visit Moscow on the upcoming Christmas. However, before going to this unknown country, one should know some rules of conduct in Rossini, so as not to incur trouble from the Russian authorities and the wrath of the native population (la population indigène).
First of all, you should know that Russians do not like foreigners. Therefore, while in Russia, you should do everything to be mistaken for a Russian. Firstly, you should put on chapka - the Russian national headdress, which in winter serves as protection from Siberian frosts, and in summer from the scorching heat characteristic of a sharply continental climate. Western Siberia, to which Moscow also geographically belongs. Thus, in summer the temperature in Moscow is 36.7°C, and in winter -42.2°C. True, in order to attract tourists, the Russians underestimate the temperature in their weather reports, measuring it not in Celsius, but in Réaumur. The only city in Russia that is located in Europe is Kaliningrad. This city was taken by the Russians from the Germans following the results of the Second World War. The only city in which it is not cold in winter is Sochi. This city was taken by the Russians from the Turks in 1829.

Besides, you shouldn't smile in Russia. Russians never smile. Even a Russian proverb says: “He who smiles is a fool” (C’est un fou, qui est souriant).
In Russia, there are two ways to say hello. The first is to simply say "Zdrawstwui, te!" or "Dobri dien!", looking at each other, without shaking hands or other special gesture. Only men shake hands, and only if they haven't seen each other for a long time. The second way is strong brotherly hugs practiced between relatives or friends.

Despite the strict conservative customs prevailing in Russia, in Moscow you can meet naked women in the middle of the street. These are members of an organization called MORZH. This abbreviation stands for Moscow Organization healthy lifestyle Life (Organisations de Moscou de Vie Saine). In Russian, this abbreviation sounds similar to the name of a northern pinniped marine mammal with long fangs and a mustachioed muzzle. These people do not drink traditional Russian vodka, do not smoke cigarettes, and are by no means prostitutes. In accordance with the ideas attributed to their mythical leader Porfir Ivanov, who never existed, they go naked, douse themselves in frost. cold water and engage in winter diving without scuba gear, diving under the ice of the Moskova River.

In addition to chapka, Russians wear white pointed hats with national ornament. Russians call such a hat la kirghiz.
Public toilets for men are marked with the letter M, meaning male (mâles), while public toilets for women are marked with the Russian letter, which means feminine (femelle). Many public toilets are equipped with floor standing toilets. However, even if they are equipped with a pedestal toilet, it is better to use it while squatting, climbing on it with your feet.

Some toilets are not equipped with toilets or urinals. Instead of toilet bowls, there are holes in the floor, and instead of urinals, there is a gutter.

Toilet paper in such a toilet must be brought with you. The most common type public toilets in Moscow is latrina. A visit to it costs about half a euro. Latrines are considered unhygienic by Russians themselves, which is why many Muscovites - both men and women - prefer to commune with nature among garages.
The implementation of hygiene procedures in Russia is very problematic. Not only may hotel rooms not have a bidet, many hotels use a puiset (la puisette), which Russians call the hard-to-pronounce word "rukomoinick", for washing hands. The washstand is equipped with a device that doses the amount of water produced. Typical is a conical valve, which opens by pressing on the stem attached to the valve from below, and closes itself under the action of gravity and water pressure.

The Russians hate us for using their natural resources. The government is forced to sell gas in exchange for food, and the Russians themselves do not have enough gas, but they do not understand that if they have enough gas, they will have nothing to eat, since nothing grows in Russia due to the sharply continental climate and the poisoning of the land with emissions military industrial enterprises.

Russians can look very friendly. This is their natural insidiousness. Therefore, in Russia, one should not talk to anyone or answer questions on the street.
Especially it is not necessary to get acquainted with Russian women. The fact is that women in Russia take it for granted that men should pay for their lunches and dinners. In Russia married women or women who have a permanent sexual partner do not work and are entirely supported by a man: instead of fighting sexual exploitation, Russian women make men pay for it.
Russian women are superior to French women in terms of their level of education and erudition. But they receive education not for professional growth, but in order to lure a man into their arms and constantly pull money from him. For Russian women, the appearance of a man is not at all important - they prefer bear-like men who have the same haircut in the army style and do not care for their nails, and are ready to forgive them everything if they support their family and a woman in abundance.

Russians believe that men are physically stronger than women. Therefore, you will seem impolite to them if you simply stand and watch a woman carry something heavy. According to Russian etiquette, a man must take all her cargo from a woman, with the exception of a lady's handbag.
It should not be assumed that all girls in Russia are fair-haired. It's just that many of those whom nature endowed with dark hair dye them in light colors. In addition, many residents of countries come to Moscow former countries The USSR, who speak different dialects of the Russian language, but, despite this, understand each other well. It is people from Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan who wear dark hair.

Russians are well aware of all the shortcomings of their country, but they do not like it when foreigners talk about these shortcomings. They especially don’t like it when I criticize Putin with them. “Putin est peut être un fils de pute, mais c” est notre fils de pute,” the Russians themselves say about this, although the play on words “Putin / pute” in Russian and is not observed.

But with Russians, you can tell jokes about national and sexual minorities. Not only will you not be judged, but even supported. The only thing you can't joke about is your parents. mother and father are sacred for Russians.

It is also not customary for Russians to fart in a crowded place. The Russians may not tell you anything, but they will strengthen their opinion about the immorality of foreigners. In general, Russians are not particularly burdened with etiquette and tell people everything they think about them.
Many people think that there is no subway in Russia. However, this is not true. In Moscow, under Stalin, two modern subways were built at that time: one for general use, and the other secret, designed to protect the population from a nuclear strike. And under Putin, despite the permanent crisis reigning in Russia, the metro is even expanding. However, it is better for foreigners not to get into this subway - in the crowd of people reigning there, they can quietly take out credit cards from you, quietly take off your watch and even imperceptibly rape you.
However, there are situations when you will be forced to enter a Russian house. Here you need to know that the Russians, entering the premises, take off their felt boots and put on slippers instead. They will offer you to do the same - they have specially prepared chaussones for guests.

Bathrooms in Russian houses do not have toilet bowls - it is located in a separate, very small room located next to the bathroom.

Using prostitution in Russia is also unsafe. You may be photographed or filmed hidden camera, and then, blackmailing this record, to force them to perform espionage tasks.

You will be surprised, but in Russia they don’t sell pancakes with caviar on the streets, and the vending machines in which vodka was sold on tap were dismantled under Gorbachev as part of his campaign to combat nationwide drunkenness. Now the Russians eat exactly the same shawarma that the Arabs sell in Paris. Only it costs not 9 euros, but one and a half or two.

There are only two large cities in Russia - Moscow and Leningrad, the rest are small towns where planes do not fly, and if you want to visit other cities of Russia besides Moscow, then you will have to travel by train. In Russia, passenger trains fall into two main categories. Trains called "Elektritchka" are similar to our local trains, although they leave more than 100 km from the city. At elektritchka, tickets can be purchased at the last moment, and the seats are not numbered. The controller constantly travels by train and sells tickets to those who did not have time to buy them. Seeing the controller, stowaways, which are the majority, run at the nearest station along the platform to the rear cars, which the controller has already checked.
Mainline trains consist of sleeping cars. The carriages are divided into three types according to the fare: "luxe" ou "SV", "coupé" and "platzkarte". In each such car there is a chef de wagon, called in Russian "provodnik". Conductors warm, samovar with hot water available to travelers, and they can always be contacted if necessary.
Taxis are easily recognizable by their chess-painted doors and roof. This tradition was brought to Russia from America, where the Checker company, whose logo was a chessboard, dominated the taxi market. However, it is better to take a taxi not from the hotel - FSB agents dressed as taxi drivers are usually on duty near the hotels, who can hang a bug on you.

If you're lucky, you can take a ride on such a taxi.

33-year-old Emily Durnovo moved to Moscow from Paris five years ago, managed to learn Russian, become a farmer and become disillusioned with our men. About what she likes and dislikes in life in Russia, she told the Rambler portal, here are just some of the statements.

My parents divorced, dad married a Russian woman and moved to Moscow. The choice in favor of Russia was made not only because of the Russian wife, but also because my father has Russian roots. Before the revolution, my great-grandfather from the aristocratic family Durnovo lived in St. Petersburg, and then immigrated to France. To meet my father, I came to Russia from the age of 11, and every time I felt happy here. Soon I realized that I adore Moscow almost as much as I hate Paris, where I lived then.

The difference between Moscow and Paris seems to me colossal. In the metro in Moscow, you very rarely see a piece of paper, and in Paris, no one cares about cleanliness in literally the words. In Paris, I only liked the architecture, but the city is dirty, the people are also nervous and aggressive. Living there was a lot of stress for me, but here I am calm.

The standard of living here is about the same as in Paris. I don't have a lot of money, but I can afford entertainment - exhibitions, cinemas and cafes. In addition, there are many free events in Moscow, much more than in Paris. When I first moved, Moscow seemed to me a mix of skyscrapers, churches of different faiths and Soviet five-story buildings. I liked architecture, which Muscovites love to scold. Yes, big blocks, yes, Soviet houses, but this is the history of the city.

I had no expectations and stereotypes about Russia, because I don't like to compare, whether you are or not as shown on TV. In France, the media still say that poor people live in Russia, who stand in lines for bread. But even when I was at university, I understood that this was nonsense. When I came to Moscow in the 2000s, no one had smartphones and Wi-Fi. Every evening I memorized routes on Yandex.Maps and walked along them without a navigator. Therefore, today I know Moscow well. Now Muscovites are constantly on the phone, and it infuriates me, because no one looks at each other.

I like the optimism of the Russians. We French are always dissatisfied with everything, we constantly find fault with everything, but Russians are always satisfied with everything. For example, something fell on the floor, they wiped it off, op, and everything became clean, a dirty table was not a problem either - they covered it with a napkin, and everything was ok. And if something breaks, they can pretend that this is how it should be. It surprised me - the ability to enjoy life.

Russians also like to overspend. And if they have them today, then they can say: "We walk for everything." Of course, I'm not like a hamster, but I always think about tomorrow What if I get sick and tomorrow I will need money for medicines.

It takes me no more than 10 minutes to get ready and leave the house. And my Russian friend spends three hours painting, styling her hair and changing her bow several times. I ask: "Where are you going in this form?" She replies: "To the supermarket." OK! That is, she dresses and paints just in case - all of a sudden, but she is ready. This is incomprehensible to me, I put on sneakers, a T-shirt and jeans and go to the supermarket. French women are also so fashionable, but this is not my world.

When I moved to Moscow five years ago, the men here still didn't wear beards or roll up their jeans. Now in Moscow men look like clones. You're fashionable if you walk around with a tattoo, in sneakers, with jeans rolled up and a beard. Hipster style in France was popular five years ago. Ask, but you are a little late.

Relationships with Russian men are one more experience. You go on three or four dates with them and only kiss on the fifth. That is, everything happens romantically, but a little old-fashioned, like our parents. For the French, it's easier - you kissed almost immediately, and if you don't like it, then bye. Of course, it's nice that the Russians look after you - hold the door, take your bag, help you get dressed and pay.

And women in Russia, like princesses, sit and wait to be kissed. In Russia, a girl is like a statue, everyone looks at her and admires her beauty, but in France everyone is equal. Because of feminism, no one treats a woman in a special way. When I moved to Moscow, I had a young man in France. But then I went to the place where I myself carried my heavy bag, put on a jacket and paid the bill for myself. In contrast, I realized: that's it, I'm going to live in Russia.

In Moscow, I still do not understand what love means to Russians. Russian men are a complete mystery to me, because you never guess what he really wants.

He calls you and says: “I want to see you, I miss you so much”, and you tell him: “Let's meet”, he says: “I can’t” and disappears for six months. For six months, no calls, no messages, and now he calls and says: “Hi, honey, how are you?” Does he really think that I'm sitting and waiting for him for six months?!

In France, he calls you and says: “Let's meet”, and this means that he wants something with you. And here you wait, wait and you can not wait for anything. When you start asking Russian men what's the matter, they say they don't want to rush, let's calm down, as if they have chaos in their head. Maybe Tinder spoiled them, they constantly sit there and choose: today I want you, and tomorrow you piss me off. I do not like such acquaintances, they are without a soul.

In Russia, people get married very early and because of this there are many divorces. This is amazing to me - young couples can have lovers on the side, how is it possible ?! They often tell me here that I am so old already, but there are no children. How so? When to get married? And for me it's amazing. important in France good job, a good education and an apartment, before thirty no one thinks about a wedding at all. And when you are 30 years old, you already have experience in relationships, you immediately understand whether this is love or not.

Although the era when Russia was associated in the minds of the French with a samovar, vodka, frost and bears on the streets has long passed, nevertheless, the perception of our country remains contrasting. On the one hand - the image of a huge, cold, incomprehensible Russia, incapable of democratic development. On the other hand, a romantic look: snow and a troika, beautiful women and the alluring "Slavic soul" that some believe was invented by the French.
The dichotomy in the perception of Russia dates back to the 18th century, when contacts between our countries became regular. “In fact, in the 18th century in French public consciousness two images of Russia function: the country of enlightened absolutism and the barbarian despotic power. The Russian court gives money to maintain the first myth, and the French court gives money to maintain the second, - notes the Russian historian A. Stroev, adding: "And the more powerful Russia became, the stronger the jealousy and confrontation of France." If Voltaire and Diderot adhered to the first view, then Rousseau extremely negatively assessed the reforms of Peter the Great and the historical perspectives of the Russian people.
Most In the 19th century, the contrasting perception of Russia persisted. So, Napoleon could not ignore the influence of Russia, but he saw in it an "Asian country". His statement is widely known: "Scratch a Russian - and you will see a Tatar." Less well known is that the French emperor quite seriously believed that, like all barbarian peoples, the Russians would stop fighting if they hit the heart of their empire - Moscow. The foreign campaign of the Russian army and the capture of Paris did not leave the French with a negative impression of the Russians. Rather, we can talk about the mutual enrichment of cultures. The French not only borrowed the Russian word "bistro", but also discovered, for example, the Russian swing. The myth of the "Russian barbarians" was dispelled, but only to some extent.
In the 40s and 50s XIX years century, several books about travels to Russia appear, among which the “travel notes” of A. Dumas, T. Gauthier, Ch. de Saint-Julien, J. Boucher de Pert should be noted. Their authors talk with interest and - what is important - with benevolence about the "remote and mysterious country". These works are in sharp contrast to a number of accusatory books, among which, undoubtedly, the first place is occupied by the work of the Legitimist Marquis Astolfe de Custine "Russia in 1839".
After graduation Crimean War, accompanied by an outbreak of anti-Russian sentiment in France (it was then that cartoons appeared depicting Russia as a wild and clumsy bear), relations between the countries began to improve. Alexander II took part in the opening of the World Exhibition of 1867 in Paris, and he was the only one of the highest persons who was given the Elysee Palace as a residence. Even the failed assassination attempt on the Russian emperor, committed by the Pole Anton Berezovsky, could not prevent the nascent union of the two states.
The military-political component of the first Franco-Russian alliance (1891) was supported by an unprecedented intensification of economic, cultural and scientific ties. It is symptomatic that in 1893 even the Franco-Russian anthem by E. Lenoble and M. Roger appeared, in which “the brotherly love of our two nations” was sung. However, "brotherly love", stained with the blood of the First World War, did not last long - it was interrupted by the Bolshevik revolution. It seemed that Russia forever plunged into the abyss of troubled times, civil war and chaos. Negative emotions towards Russia at that time were also caused by the refusal of the Bolshevik leadership to pay debts on French loans.
The rejection of the Soviet Union - the source of the communist threat (the notorious "hand of Moscow") - was adjacent to the interest in the "teenage country" supported by the PCF and intelligentsia sympathizing with it.
Russian emigration also had its influence on the formation of the image of Russia in the 20-30s of the last century. Although in terms of numbers it was significantly inferior, for example, to immigrants from Italy and Poland (Russians among the foreign population in the late 1920s accounted for about 3%), nevertheless, the Russian presence and influence on political life France were highly visible. We are talking, first of all, about sensational cases involving immigrants from Russia. On May 6, 1932, France was shocked by the assassination of President Paul Doumer by Russian immigrant Pavel Gorgulov. Another native of Russia, Alexander Stavissky, turned out to be the main actor a major financial scam that provoked an anti-parliamentary coup by French pro-fascist organizations in February 1934. Cases related to the abduction of generals Kutepov in 1930 and Miller in 1937 by agents of the GPU, as well as the mysterious death of Trotsky's son Lev Sedov in February 1938, received a loud response in the country. gloomy pictures The 1930s were not dispelled by the conclusion of the Franco-Soviet treaty in 1935, which lost its significance after Munich and the subsequent Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.
The events of World War II, the heroism of the Soviet people and the victories of the Red Army raised the prestige of the USSR. Despite the beginning of the "cold war", France and the USSR managed to maintain good relations on the whole, the potential of which was clearly strengthened by the "Khrushchev thaw". Even after starting afghan war at the end of the 70s in the French vision Soviet Russia were present including positive emotions and light colors. This was probably partly due to powerful cultural ties, which to a certain extent smoothed out political contradictions, but to an even greater extent - to the economic and military power of the USSR
The romantic period of interest in Gorbachev's USSR did not last long. The words glasnost and perestroika are firmly established in the French press (until now, no, no, yes, they will flash on the pages of newspapers). Soviet symbols came into fashion. Economic ties intensified. In the late 1980s, French business (especially small and medium-sized ones) began to discover a hitherto unknown market. However, the desire to establish cooperative ties often ran into insurmountable obstacles related to financial problems, differences in technology, culture of entrepreneurship and production. As for the collapse of the USSR, in a certain sense it became an unpleasant surprise for the French and, in particular, for the leadership of France, bringing down political constructions, among which France generally felt good. Despite the ambiguous attitude towards the USSR, France understood its importance for maintaining the balance of power in the world.
French ideas about the Yeltsin era were very ambiguous. Hopes for rapid democratic change in Russia and for its rapprochement with Western countries turned out to be illusory. The shooting of the "White House" in October 1993 did not at all fit into the French ideas about the parameters of modern democracy. Although the country's official authorities chose not to comment on what happened, the image new Russia in the eyes of the French after that did not improve at all. Since the mid 1990s. in this image, new stereotypes began to dominate more and more: mafia, crime, corruption, poverty, growing chaos. The portrait of Russia in the middle of the last decade was also shaped by a new wave of Russian immigrants, whose manners and behavior did not improve the image of Russians. Russia was presented to the French, according to a figurative comparison of one of French journalists, "a huge ship without a rudder and sails, with an inadequate captain." The conclusion was very disappointing: Europe, represented by the “light craft” states, is better to stay away from the unruly Russian ship.
The sharp rejection of Yeltsin's Russia was demonstrated by the French left. So, Lionel Jospin, who owns famous phrase"Yes - to a market economy, no - to a market society!" noted that Russia chose the most unfortunate path of transition to a market economy - the path of building aggressive capitalism. As for the ultra-left, they believe that in Russia, where there are so many rich and even more poor, it is time to make a revolution again.
With the advent of a new president in Russia, the anti-Russian mood of French public opinion not only did not decrease, but, on the contrary, increased, especially after V. Putin's re-election in 2004. Claims against Russia and its political leadership are well known and boil down to in general terms to the following: the violation of human rights in Chechnya and in Russia as a whole; the Kremlin's retreat from democracy (strengthening the vertical of power, tougher electoral laws, abolition of the election of governors, persecution of the opposition, restrictions on the activities of non-governmental organizations) and the principle of freedom of the press (censorship of television and other mainstream media, persecution of journalists); initiation of a new cold war»; "gas blackmail" of Europe and pro-Western CIS countries (Ukraine, Georgia).
What is interesting, perhaps, is not the content of this criticism itself, but rather the nuances that lead to certain reflections about the nature and inspirers of this anti-Russian wave. The one-sided approach to the coverage of the Chechen events is surprising. hypocrisy and double standarts French media in this regard are simply amazing. The capture of a French hostage in Latin America- universal tragedy. The murder of more than two hundred children in Beslan is "an inadequate action by the Chechen fighters for independence in response to Moscow's aggression." Another typical example is a radio speech by a French intellectual immediately after the tragic denouement in the theater center on Dubrovka, in which he accused the Russian special forces of using banned war gases.
The criticism of Russia regarding the supply of hydrocarbon raw materials to Russia also sounds rather strange. Western Europe. Claims are made against Russia that it threatens to cut off gas supplies, but for some reason no comments are made to the transit countries (for example, Ukraine) and generally bypasses the essence of the issue - the price of gas.
After Putin's Munich speech in February 2007, the French media were full of accusations against the Russian leadership, which was accused of almost fomenting a new cold war. However, the crux of the problem - what caused the sharp tone of the Kremlin - the aggressiveness inherent in Moscow or the policy of the West in the last decade and a half? - generally left out of the brackets of the analysis of French political scientists. Meanwhile, even former minister Foreign Affairs in the government of L. Jospin (1997 - 2002) Hubert Vedrine in a recent report on globalization actually admitted that around Russian borders a belt of unfriendly states is being created. The technologies of the "orange revolutions" according to the Western scenario are not a big secret either.
The question arises: to what extent are the Putin regime and modern Russia deliberately demonized? Is it possible to see a political order in this? The degree of “negativity” lavished on Russia, which sometimes exceeds the practice of the Cold War, is alarming. If earlier it could be justified by the ideological confrontation between the two systems, then how can one explain the anti-Russian rhetoric that borders on Russophobia now?
Despite some hysteria in the French media regarding Russia, it would probably be an exaggeration to see this as a planned campaign. It is worth listening to such an authoritative scientist and publicist as Emmanuel Todd. According to him, he was so depressed by the Russophobia of French magazines that he even organized a debate to understand its causes. It turned out that in most cases the anti-Russian attitude is caused by elementary ignorance, for example, of the history of the Second World War. “Europe is indebted to Russia,” Todd himself believes, “and therefore I regard all these anti-Putin speeches regarding the shortcomings of the Russian democratic system as a kind of moral error.” No less remarkable is his judgment on the Chechen issue: “I am sure that the events that took place in Chechnya are extremely difficult for both Chechens and Russians, and I don’t think that the Russians behaved worse in Chechnya than the French in Algeria.”
Although this approach is more of an exception than the rule, it may nevertheless reflect some decline in the anti-Russian wave. Recently, the voices of more objective commentators on Russian reality have become more and more audible. Among them are Helene Carrère d'Encausse, France's oldest and most eminent "Russian scholar", a member of the French Academy, as well as Thomas Gomart, director of Russia-CIS programs at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). In general, however surprising it may seem, in France there were not so many unbiased specialists who understand the essence of Russian reality. Instead, in the French media, for example, the work of Vladimir Fedorovsky, a former translator L. Brezhnev and a Russian diplomat, press attaché of the Movement for Democratic Reforms, who received French citizenship in 1995, is “untwisted”.
Of the well-known periodicals, a more balanced approach is demonstrated by the newspaper Le Figaro and the business organ Eco. It is impossible not to note the balanced and honest articles about Russia by Alexander Adler in Le Figaro. At the same time, the influential center-left Le Monde may well claim the primacy due to hostility towards our country. Interestingly, readers' responses to articles about Russia in Internet versions of periodicals are often friendlier to us than the articles themselves. In particular, many believe that Russia deserves more respect, given Hard times following the collapse of the USSR. A number of readers explain the aggravation of relations between Russia and the West by the actions of the United States to "promote democracy" in the post-Soviet space. All this allows us to talk about the ambiguous perception of the realities by the French. modern Russia, as well as the fact that a dialogue between representatives of civil society of the two countries could add objectivity to the idea of ​​the French about modern Russia.
As before, today mass consciousness The French retain a dual, contrasting perception of Russia. According to the well-known French writer of Russian-Armenian origin, Henri Troyat, "the French are interested and fascinated by the Russian character, its naivety and spontaneity." But despite three centuries of our ties, we never became “theirs” for them. If the European identity of Russia is recognized, then with reservations.

Putin and the image of Russia

The survey, conducted from 23 to 30 April, was attended by 1,000 French people over the age of 18. When asked what exactly they associate with Russia, the majority of respondents answered - Vladimir Putin and the cold. An identical answer was given by the majority of respondents four years ago as part of a Harris Interective survey on the Ukrainian crisis. Survey participants also mentioned vodka, dictatorship and communism.

Almost three-quarters of respondents consider Vladimir Putin the most famous today Russian celebrity. Some also name Mikhail Gorbachev, Maria Sharapova and even Gerard Depardieu, who received a Russian passport in 2013.

In general, judging by the poll, the opinion of the French about Russia has improved over the past four years. If in 2014 more than three-quarters of the French had a negative opinion about Russia, now their number has dropped to 57%. At the same time, more than half of the respondents admit that they are poorly informed about Russia. The majority calls television as their main source of information, and a third receives information via the Internet. 57% of French people trust their media, while Russian media are trusted by 46% of respondents. Slightly more than half talk about bad relations between Russia and France.

Many of those who have visited Russia at least once would like to return there again. True, most French people would not go there to live. When asked where in addition to France you would like to live, 23% chose the US, 13% the UK, 11% Germany and 10% Japan. Russia was named by only 2% of the respondents. The French consider vodka, caviar and pancakes to be the most famous Russian products.

Politics, sports and the Slavic soul

In addition to the survey, the Harris Interective Institute also conducted research during the year on in social networks. Most of all, Russia is discussed on Twitter (58%), on Facebook (13%), as well as on other sites and electronic media (22%). The main topics of discussion are politics and sports.

Among the French there are more critics than admirers of Vladimir Putin. Visit Russian President to Versailles was widely discussed on social networks. 79% of Twitter posts on this topic contained the word "dictator" when referring to the Russian president. Many then interpreted Putin's meeting with Macron as a "test" and a "duel of interests." Among the topics discussed in the field of geopolitics, Syria occupies the first place, then Iran, and a little lesser degree Ukraine.

In general, researchers call the attitude of the French towards Russians ambivalent. On the one hand, the majority of respondents disagree and are outraged foreign policy Moscow, on the other hand, this does not affect their attitude to Russian culture and art, which fascinates most French people.