[augustuspolius]

I am curious to know whether this Western perception was supported or opposed by the Soviet state. They have definitely “prioritized” Russian culture internally, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this conflation was at least in part created by the Soviets.

[kgeist]

Well, the original Russian culture was destroyed/changed by the communists as much as the Ukrainian one (collectivization, anti-religious movement, industrialization, etc.) The Russian culture before the revolution was very different from what was under USSR. There was little left in the USSR of it other than the language and a few fairy tales.

[augustuspolius]

Never really thought of that in this way. Do you think Russian poets, writers, composers, artists of the early and mid 20th century were a product of the Soviet culture more than the Tsarist/pre-Soviet world?