Putin accuses Western-oriented Russians of being a "national traitor"

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

プーチン氏、欧米志向のロシア人を非難　「国の裏切り者」

2022.03.17 Thu posted at 19:00 JST

（ＣＮＮ） ロシアのプーチン大統領は１６日、テレビ演説を行い、欧米志向のロシア人を「国の裏切り者」と呼んで痛烈に非難した。ウクライナ侵攻以降、プーチン氏は反対派への締め付けを強化している。

プーチン氏はこの中で「西側諸国はいわゆる『第５列』、国の裏切り者、ここで金を稼ぎながらあちらにいる者に頼ろうとするだろう」と発言。「私が言う『あちらにいる』とは、地理的な意味だけでなく、彼らの思考や隷属的な意識を踏まえた表現だ」とした。

こうした人は「オイスターやジェンダーフリーなしでは生きられない」とも指摘した。

「第５列」は敵対勢力の同調者を指す表現で、スペイン内戦に端を発する。

ロシアは現在、ウクライナでの軍事作戦が泥沼化し、欧米の制裁による経済危機に直面する。プーチン氏は国の苦境の原因は欧米の影響にあると主張することが多い。

プーチン氏はこれまで、ロシアのＬＧＢＴＱ（性的少数者）の権利を組織的に削減。先週には、プーチン氏と共同歩調を取るロシア正教会トップのキリル総主教がウクライナ紛争について、「ゲイ・プライド」に代表される西側のリベラルな価値観とロシア圏の根本的な文化衝突の延長との見方を示していた。

Translation

(CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a television speech on the 16th, calling Western-oriented Russians "national traitors" and blaming them. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Putin had tightened his squeeze on opponents.

Putin said "Western nations will try to rely on the so-called 'fifth column', the traitor of the country, who are there and making money here". He also said "what I say 'being over there' is an expression that is based not only on the geographical meaning but also on their slave consciousness."

He said these people " can't live without oysters and gender equality."

"Fifth column" was an expression that referred to a sympathizer of hostile forces, which originated in the Spanish Civil War.

Russia was now facing an economic crisis due to Western sanctions as military operations in Ukraine become bogged down. Putin often argued that the cause of the country's predicament was the influence of the West.

Putin had so far systematically reduced Russia's LGBTQ (sexual minority) rights. Last week, regarding the Ukrainian conflict, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, coordinated with Mr. Putin in showing the view that the Western liberal values ​​represented by "Gay Pride” was an extension of the fundamental cultural conflict in the Russian region.

              So, Russian President Putin is calling Western-oriented Russians "national traitors" and blaming them that they "can't live without oysters and gender equality". I think he has a very shallow understand on the reasons whey many Russians have become western-oriented.