Without questioning any of his facts, Vladimir Putin sounds desperate in this news conference. It is obviously staged.
When a world leader resorts to cultural difference between countries to sound high handed and moral, there can't be much he can talk about.
Putin in this staged news conference is serving up fear in democracy and oppression of the Russian people to vote for anyone but him. I think this is a prelude to any future elections and if it is a war chant then the fear is about Western democracy and how gender differences will disaappear within that paradigm.
Europe and the USA have been around a long time and the last I heard, Osama bin Laden had ranted on about the sexuality of Western democracy and "the Playboy culture." I think we are safe from a gender neutral society on the cultural level. We all know the fate of Osama bin Laden.
That said, Russia is definitely a anti-gay culture and the people within that country that belong to the "acceptance" movement are always in danger without question. Perhaps under communism not all people have to make a living as with Western democracies, so perhaps the LGBTQI community in Russia is at least provided for in housing and food. LGBTQI threats are human rights issues.
I don't see Russia's soldiers marching to war declaring "Gender Liberation" either. I think they will need something more than that, like a Faux Hitler taking over the USA and the world. I wonder who that might be?
But, Putin's obvious fear mongering about gender is leaning into the recognized and official religion of the people, the Russian Orthodox Church (click here). But, whether it is the fear of god Putin is ranting on about or the simple fear that Western democracy, the language is to begin a dialog to win elections EASILY dividing men from women in an arguement that will go on and on within the culture. So, it is an anti-LGBTQI issue that also assigns "gender roles" to the Russian people. He makes it easy to be on his side, get your gender straight and Putin will uphold that aspect of cultural importance.
I think the 50 percent of Russians that want their vote to count and their leaders in public speaking rather than on a hunger strike in a prison cell are finally an issue. Putin is on the run in this answer to the woman's question reframed by the journalist.
