Modern Russia doesn't have an ideology. It does not stand for a big idea of any sort. They do not fight because of ideological differences.
Reading into these beliefs is absolutely pointless. Russia is highly individualist, any ideology is a post-factum confabulation.
They just ratuonalise whatever is their current situation. Ukrainians went fron bother-nation to nazis overnight.
They fight for the same reason co oeting feudal lords fought
Ideologies are the series of justifications for an established -- or competing -- way of things. An attempt to describe what one wants/needs as a natural order of things. In the end, ideology comes from the stomach, not the brain, and nobody is without ideology.
What we see is warring authoritarian parties working on an ideology of cynicism and might-makes-right. In an at-least-nominally democratic state, state legitimacy and conflicts between politico-economic interest groups are mediated by institutions generally respected by the population. In states lacking that, they are mediated by guns.
Thats exactly how I would expect individualism to manifest itself in a lawless society.
How would you expect to see individualism manifest itaelf in a lawless area?
FWIW I'm not American nor in this supposed American mindset prison.
But I think it should be pretty clear this point which ideological-imperial-economic sphere is the better place for the average person to live in, though personally I'm a fan of neither.
(What I do find fascinating is how easily certain sycophants in the western far right and useful idiots generally have fallen for an ideological line out of Russia, and how difficult it's turning out for them to see the evidence of Russia's failure...)
Of course the idea that any geographic area has some kind of ideology is a complete self-justifying myth.
They're right, it seems. Same pathetic dysfunction as the late western Roman empire (and to some lesser degree the east), same story that played out constantly through 3rd, 4th & 5th century: some mercenary militia deployed to a border war or conflict revolts, and some crude warload declares himself the next Emperor, and turns around and marches on Rome, and the cycle repeats.
Where legitimacy of state authority is not established by respected democratic elections, and authoritarianism and might-makes-right rules, really not a surprise when things break down into rival militias, and the population lacks a democratic frame of reference or an ethic of participation and simply defers to whomever has the most guns and the most money to hand out
Who is looking "degenerate" now? What's worse, tolerating some homosexual/trans rights, or an armed militia of ex-convicts invading your capital city?
(Anyways, re: TFA the US (and most other states) uses weird rewritten history national mythos crap, too. Manifest Destiny, the "framers", etc. etc. it's a bit bizarre to watch from the oustide, too)