They have spent centuries, getting hammered down, by their leadership class - they only understand behavior, a few steps above caveman level. I read an anecdote once, that summed it up, well. During the waning days of WWII, an American, and Russian unit linked up. A Russian got killed, and a GI reached down, and retrieved the Russian version of his “dog tags”, and handed them to a Soviet officer. The officer was puzzled by the gesture, so the American explained it was done, so his family would be notified, of the death. The officer replied “When the war is over, and he doesn’t return home, then they will know that he is dead”.
That's a little harsh on a civilization that has produced half the world class symphony and most of the ballet on the planet, as well as all those Russian specific expressions of Christian faith.