(no subject)
a horrible terror attack has happened in Moscow, at a show by one of my favorite Russian rock bands, Piknik. one of favorite, despite even the fact of the said band taking on a rather ambiguous--at best--position about the ongoing war their 'national leader' has been waging against my native Ukraine(well, it does sadly happen in life that you may find yourself on different sides of barricades with people you once held dear; Piknik may not have spoken outright in support of the war, but they def haven't protested it, and in previous years boasted touring in annexed Crimea and negating Ukrainian and Western sanctions); band whose seemingly mostly dark or at least dramatic-leaning songs actually for years have been helping me get through life; a band whose repertoire consistently struck me so close to heart that i have translated good 30 or so of their tunes into English(and some info other languages, including Ukrainian). a band whose show in Manhattan I attended in 2012, whole my brother hung out with them all the way in 1990. here are a few thoughts about what's happened.
first of, condolences to those who lost loved ones in this attack, even if they live in a city and country currently almost in a state of war with where I live now, and in full scale state of war with where I was born and grew up. If it turns out this is the work of Ukrainian or pro-Ukrainian forces or figures, it's a huge mistake, even with understanding that Russia for a decade now has caused similar and much greater pain and suffering to its neighbor and once 'sister nation', because it's one thing to say inadvertently cause collateral damage among civilian population, as Israel is sadly enmeshed in while fighting Hamas, or as Allies did in WW2 with Germany and Japan, and totally different to target such populace intentionally, like Hamas itself has done. For all my recent criticism and skepticism of Israel, we know who's the culprit and terrorist in that situation, and until now the current plights of Israel and Ukraine for vast majority of people have seemed almost inseparable. I hope it remans this way; they say terror is the weapon of the weak, and both Israel and Ukraine are strong in current trials, morally anyway.
But then, I highly doubt it could be the work of Ukraine or its inner Russian allies and sympathizers. I wrote what I just wrote more in anticipation of current Russian authorities--themselves terrorists and usurpers--pinning the blame on the most convenient scapegoat and trying to milk this tragedy for their own gain, drawing sympathy from the world, including that part of it which supports Ukraine in its fight for survival against Kremlin onslaught. Hamas and for that matter Kremlin too, are the ones killing festival and other cultural events' attendees, they are both the ones routinely costing lives of both artists and their supporters, Kremlin by the way itself engaging in blatant clampdown on all sorts of opposition leaning cultural expressions in its own country, rock concerts included; while also bombing Ukrainian powerplants, which is just as bad and maybe much worse a terror act, given the scope of its potential harm.
If anything, this looks much more likely the work of either Chechen or some other 'hardline', possibly Islamist resistance inside Russia--which have done similar things in the past, in particular the Nord-Ost show takeover in 2002, which also cost dozens of lives including some of the artists'; or conversely, as some have suggested to me, it actually might be an act of disgruntled veterans of the very war that Russia has waged. This kind of thing is absolutely not unknown to the world; even countries that waged essentially righteous armed struggles, such as USA in Vietnam or Iraq, have seen outbursts of violence by disillusioned, disenfranchised, irreparably traumatized veterans. How much more so a country and veterans fighting a totally unjust war.
But in any case, important distinction must be made. Russian people or at least Muscovites, who have been touched by this tragedy, deserve condolences, but their rulership does not. It has failed to stamp out the very threats to its society they vowed 25 years ago to keep it safe from--thus showing complete ineptitude and unprofessionalism. They've blatantly and brutally stolen election from their people, resorting along the way even to terrorist murder of their biggest opponent--all to keep themselves in power and continue waging their own terror against both neighbors' and their own population. But additionally, they've actually been a Trojan horse through which the real negative aspects of life of 'civilized' nations, such as mass shootings, have entered their own country. To wage a bogusly explained war away from home, and brazenly pretend to 'triumph' in an election, only to preside over most horrible security failure at home--that is not a sign of people worthy of sympathy; it's a sign of people needing to voluntarily step down due to cosmic incompetence. They need to leave Kremlin, Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and wherever else it is they sit right now; book a flight to one of the still 'friendly' nations to them--be it China, Iran, Cuba, their newly found ally Niger or any other country--and leave us all alone. Let the West send in some anti-terror units and experts, to part replace part back up Russian ones; let Russian people elect new leadership in a real fair process; let Russia for a while, if the need be, become a NATO/EU/UN 'protectorate', if that's what's necessary for saving this long suffering and suffering-inducing nation from its iniquities, as well--and especially--saving all of us, entire world really, from those iniquities' destructive manifestations and consequences.
first of, condolences to those who lost loved ones in this attack, even if they live in a city and country currently almost in a state of war with where I live now, and in full scale state of war with where I was born and grew up. If it turns out this is the work of Ukrainian or pro-Ukrainian forces or figures, it's a huge mistake, even with understanding that Russia for a decade now has caused similar and much greater pain and suffering to its neighbor and once 'sister nation', because it's one thing to say inadvertently cause collateral damage among civilian population, as Israel is sadly enmeshed in while fighting Hamas, or as Allies did in WW2 with Germany and Japan, and totally different to target such populace intentionally, like Hamas itself has done. For all my recent criticism and skepticism of Israel, we know who's the culprit and terrorist in that situation, and until now the current plights of Israel and Ukraine for vast majority of people have seemed almost inseparable. I hope it remans this way; they say terror is the weapon of the weak, and both Israel and Ukraine are strong in current trials, morally anyway.
But then, I highly doubt it could be the work of Ukraine or its inner Russian allies and sympathizers. I wrote what I just wrote more in anticipation of current Russian authorities--themselves terrorists and usurpers--pinning the blame on the most convenient scapegoat and trying to milk this tragedy for their own gain, drawing sympathy from the world, including that part of it which supports Ukraine in its fight for survival against Kremlin onslaught. Hamas and for that matter Kremlin too, are the ones killing festival and other cultural events' attendees, they are both the ones routinely costing lives of both artists and their supporters, Kremlin by the way itself engaging in blatant clampdown on all sorts of opposition leaning cultural expressions in its own country, rock concerts included; while also bombing Ukrainian powerplants, which is just as bad and maybe much worse a terror act, given the scope of its potential harm.
If anything, this looks much more likely the work of either Chechen or some other 'hardline', possibly Islamist resistance inside Russia--which have done similar things in the past, in particular the Nord-Ost show takeover in 2002, which also cost dozens of lives including some of the artists'; or conversely, as some have suggested to me, it actually might be an act of disgruntled veterans of the very war that Russia has waged. This kind of thing is absolutely not unknown to the world; even countries that waged essentially righteous armed struggles, such as USA in Vietnam or Iraq, have seen outbursts of violence by disillusioned, disenfranchised, irreparably traumatized veterans. How much more so a country and veterans fighting a totally unjust war.
But in any case, important distinction must be made. Russian people or at least Muscovites, who have been touched by this tragedy, deserve condolences, but their rulership does not. It has failed to stamp out the very threats to its society they vowed 25 years ago to keep it safe from--thus showing complete ineptitude and unprofessionalism. They've blatantly and brutally stolen election from their people, resorting along the way even to terrorist murder of their biggest opponent--all to keep themselves in power and continue waging their own terror against both neighbors' and their own population. But additionally, they've actually been a Trojan horse through which the real negative aspects of life of 'civilized' nations, such as mass shootings, have entered their own country. To wage a bogusly explained war away from home, and brazenly pretend to 'triumph' in an election, only to preside over most horrible security failure at home--that is not a sign of people worthy of sympathy; it's a sign of people needing to voluntarily step down due to cosmic incompetence. They need to leave Kremlin, Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and wherever else it is they sit right now; book a flight to one of the still 'friendly' nations to them--be it China, Iran, Cuba, their newly found ally Niger or any other country--and leave us all alone. Let the West send in some anti-terror units and experts, to part replace part back up Russian ones; let Russian people elect new leadership in a real fair process; let Russia for a while, if the need be, become a NATO/EU/UN 'protectorate', if that's what's necessary for saving this long suffering and suffering-inducing nation from its iniquities, as well--and especially--saving all of us, entire world really, from those iniquities' destructive manifestations and consequences.