Recently, a study was published that said that, in the opinions of Russians, foreigners associate Russia primarily with bears, vodka, and the country’s President Vladimir Putin. Also on the list of associations were cold and hospitality.
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, commented on the results of this study, saying that “there is nothing wrong with Russia being associated with balalaikas, bears, and vodka, as these symbols evoke positive emotions in people”, TASS reports.
“Thank God that we have such symbols. We did not invent them, all this comes from life […] They just perceive us as a country of balalaika, bears, vodka. This is, firstly, a sign of fun and a good attitude towards life. And bears is a sign of our respect for nature,” Lavrov said.
According to the Minister, it is much better if associations with Russia evoke positive emotions and smiles, just opposite to what such a symbol of the United States as the Indians evokes in many people. He stressed that the Indians’ fate is incomparably worse than the fate of Russian bears because “they live in reservations”, while “bears are walking all over the country”.
Ru-Main, 13.08.2021
