Ilyin's mother was an ethnic German and German was his second native language - so the philosopher could have easily assimilated into the Western European environment after being expelled from the USSR.

Written in 1925, On Resistance to Evil by Force is one of the most important tracts composed by white émigré philosopher Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin. Responding to the pacifist pretentions of Count Leo Tolstoy, Ilyin mounts a tenacious defence of the Orthodox tradition of physical opposition to evil. As he explains, in the face of evil which can be contained by no other means, a forceful response is not only permissible, but becomes a knightly duty. Further, heroic courage consists not only in recognising this duty, but in bearing its heavy moral burden without fear. [...]

The Singing Heart: A Book of Quiet Reflections is a collection of reflections on human nature and morality; the beauty of nature and its relationship with man as created being and God as creator; man's duties, responsibilities, and destiny in life; and the interplay of heart, mind, and soul. These reflections from a "singing heart" are beautifully written in a language steeped in love for Russia and the Orthodox faith and provide a glimpse into the soul of a man who refused to be beaten by the cruelty of his time but found beauty in the darkest of days.

[...]
"The Gospel teaches not flight from the world, but the Christianization of the world. Thus, the sciences, the arts, politics, and the social order can all be those spiritual hands with which the Christian takes the world. And the calling of a Christian is not to chop off those hands, but to imbue their work and toil with the living spirit of Christ. Christianity has a great calling, which many do not ever realize. This purpose can be defined as the creation of a Christian culture."

This book is Ivan Ilyin's attempt at a spiritual and practical handbook at creating Christian culture in an increasinly post-Christian world.

As Putin ages he appears to be drawn increasingly to themes of history and philosophy, and so he discussed issues related to the history of the Great Patriotic War (World War II), noting his ongoing interest and occasional occupation with historical documents. Regarding philosophy, he repeated his appreciation of early 20th century political philosopher Ivan Ilyin, whose work he keeps on a bookshelf and, he says, he often picks up and reads. Some Western propagandists have done their best to paint Ilyin as a 'fascist' so they can taint Putin to the hilt, as is the wont of much of Western 'thought' about Russia today. Ilyin was opposed to both fascist and communist totalitarianism and supported what he thought of as a Russian - that is, a controlled - form of constitutional republic that would have been more limited than Western models. His first claim to fame was a balanced refutation of Lev Tolstoy's radical pacifism.

Ivan Ilyin argued that Russophobia underpinned European desires to dismember and exploit Russia.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one of its initial usages was by John Stuart Mill in 1836. Mill wrote "the real cause" for increasing British military budgets was that "Ministers are smitten with the epidemic disease of Russo-phobia."

"Satanic men are recognized by their eyes, by their smile, their voice, their words and deeds. We, Russians, have seen them alive and in the flesh; we know who they are and whence they come. Yet foreigners up to this point have not understood this phenomenon and do not want to understand it, for it brings them judgment and condemnation." Ivan Ilyin (1883-1954)

Putin also noted his respect for Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948), the moderate traditionalist political, historical, and philosophical thinker, who was forced by the Bolsheviks to emigrate in 1922 with thousands of other mostly traditionalist philosophers, clergymen, historians, legal scholars and the like. Berdyaev was indeed, as Putin noted, one of the most profound Russian thinkers of his generation, and his works have undergone a popular revival in post-Soviet Russia. A Russian Orthodox Christian believer and anti-communist, Berdyaev organized a compilation of articles under the title 'Vekhi' or 'Landmarks' and a followup collection of articles written by the flower of the traditionalist wing of the largely communist nihilist, utopian and maximalist Russian intelligentsia while in emigration. He also was the leading figure of the Russian émigré community in Europe, most of all Paris, where he continued to publish works about Russia at the émigré publisher YMCA. The Vekhi group and YMCA authors included other brilliant philosophers and theologians, such as the intuitivist philosopher Semyon Frank and the innovative Orthodox theologian Father Sergei Bulgakov.

Putin's praise for two anti-communist pre-Soviet Russian thinkers reinforces his position as a convinced anti-communist, a position he began to take immediately after the Soviet collapse Bolsheviks. So much for our erstwhile Western propagandists' assertion that Putin is rehabilitating Stalin. The attraction to Ilyin, Berdyaev, and presumably other Vekhi-oriented thinkers is likely part of Putin's effort either to discover, develop, or justify his own traditionalist leanings. These thinkers have much to offer both Russian and Western readers to this day.

• Alexander Solzhenitsyn: Live not by lies
• Solzhenitsyn and the struggle for Russia's soul
• Solzhenitsyn - Banned all over again
• Flashback Solzhenitsyn breaks last taboo of Russia's revolution: The Jewish role
• A World Split Apart: Solzhenitsyn's Warning to the West
• SOTT Focus: The Truth Perspective: Solzhenitsyn's Warning to the West: Why It's Still Relevant Today

• SOTT Focus: MindMatters: Why Is Russia Like That? 400 Years of Russian Security Culture, with Gordon M. Hahn
• SOTT Focus: MindMatters: Wall Street and the Russian Revolution, with Richard B. Spence
• SOTT Focus: MindMatters: Mr. Jones and the 'Holodomor' Red Pill - What Happened During Stalin's Famine?
• SOTT Focus: MindMatters: Interview with Gary Lachman: The Return of Holy Russia
• SOTT Focus: MindMatters: The Best Thing About Communism Was The Jokes

• What happens in our brains when we 'hear' our own thoughts?
• 'I think I can:' How talking to yourself brings self-improvement
• How to silence your inner critic: Practical ways to stop negative self-talk