Victor Davidoff has a comment piece in the Moscow Times today which makes some useful distinctions regarding the current hot topic of patriotism.  Critiquing Vladimir Putin’s version of patriotism, Davidoff posits a more civic perspective on this week’s slew of draconian laws, which includes a ban on the dissemination of nonpartisan versions of Russian history. His article separates patriotism from the state, using analysis of various recent poll results which indicate that many Russian citizens identify as patriots, but he emphasises that Russians understand patriotism to mean love of their home land, not love of the state. The majority of Russians do not include obedience to the state in their definition of patriotism, he says.