My first translation as a senior
One of the characteristics of Russia that should be recognized first of all is its boundlessness. It seems to us that Moscow is far away from Western Europe, though it`s actually situated relatively close to the western border of Russia. The geographical center of the country is probably in Novosibirsk, especially since Siberia occupies almost the whole eastern part of Russia. Everything is wide-scale here: geography, history, passion, emotions, and tragedies. The same boundlessness is at the heart of the Russian understanding of God that emphasizes His greatness and the awe that He inspires. No other understanding of the divine would resonate in such a wide-scale country. Similarly, the emotional side tends to be wide-scale. The characters of Dostoevsky seem to be hideous, absurd weirdos to the people brought up in a far more moderate western culture, while the author himself claimed them to be quite close to reality. Not many of those who lived in Russia would argue with that.
Russia is proud of her centuries-old history. The country was christened long before the USA was discovered, therefore there are messianic claims clearly appearing in the Russian sense of self. They were mostly evident at the epoch of Marxism, when Russia was delivering the absolute truth to the world, being completely sure about its national exclusivity. However, these claims have a long history which originates in the famous prophecy that Moscow became the successor of the godly duty that earlier belonged to Rome and then to Byzantium: “The two Romes fell, today`s the third and the forth will never exist”. That`s why it will be very wise of those who come to Russia for the first time to foster sincere respect for this country.
