As a Westerner, being married to a Russian and knowing all her friends and relatives don’t make me an expert but have an informed outsider opinion. I have come to a different, more psychological analysis, with many exceptions. In as far as a culture or country can have a psychology the overall Russian condition, I have concluded, is a Memetic Disorder that hampers societal progress and the pursuit of happiness. What’s more is this patient has no desire, nor even believes in psychotherapy and so won’t seek therapy. This leads Russia down the path of “having to learn the hard way” which indeed they excel at. Unfortunately, they forget the hard way too. I would characterize the disorder as a combination of depression, delusion, confusion, addiction and a possibility of cultural autism. The cure for this would be one guided infusion each of DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca applied to the entire nation. However, the actual cure could be pharmaceutical weapons of peace in the future or just thermodynamics finally diluting the memetic disorder and mixing with more successful and healthier populations.

As for the Mystic Eastern Russian, China, Japan and Korea are a thousand years ahead. I think you are confusing poetic for mystic since science and math and chess are quite left brained activities Russians are good at but they will never be the left handed Jimi Hendrix or the Beatles taking us on a Magical Mystery Tour. This is not for lack of talent but for the disorder. The west is plenty mystical.