Why Russian and Ukrainian activism is not mutually exclusive
Earlier this week, I (and some Russian dissidents) got into a conversation with a Ukrainian man. He suggested something I heard before, and he was fairly polite and conciliatory about it, in the "I know I may be asking a lot, but hear me out" kind of way. And what he suggested was a valid perspective - if you're a Ukrainian. But I'm not, and since I highly doubt this is the last time I'd run into this line of arguments, I thought this would be a good opportunity to set the response down in one convenient post I can refer people to (unless I change my mind - hey, stranger things have happened).
The argument boils down to this. Americans are losing interest in the Ukrainian War, and are less inclined to support aid to Ukraine. By the time the next presidential election rolls around, they may vote for candidates who would want to pull American support altogether (the gentleman specifically mentioned Trump, but others mentioned nationalist Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and politicians play-acting as nationalists for votes, like Ron DeSantis). Therefore, we should be doing everything in our power to call for support for Ukraine. The rallies the aforementioned Russian dissidents have been organizing are a distraction, because they threaten to pull the already limited American attention span away from what really matters - Russian defeat in Ukraine, which would benefit Russians, too.
Like I said, it's an understandable position to take if you're Ukrainian. You want to do everything in your power to help liberate your country from an occupier who, by the way, seeks to stamp out your country's culture and its distinct national identity. If I was in Ukrainians' shoes, I would all but certainly be saying the same thing.
But I'm not Ukrainian. I am Russian. I do believe that freeing Ukraine from occupation is a worthy cause, but it is not my cause. Just as Ukrainians must do everything they can to liberate mine.
I made many of those arguments in the earlier post, and I since had a chance to mull over and develop them. My position boils down to these points.
No one can save us but us
I heard the argument that all Russians who oppose the United Russia regime should focus on helping Ukraine defeat Russia in this war. I maintain that this is a worthy goal - but that, in on itself,, is not enough.
One thing that seems to unite some anti-war opposition activists and right-wing "patriot" types is the idea that, when the war is over, Russia will collapse and Western powers will pick up the pieces, which seems... optimistic at best. Ukraine made it clear that it wants to restore its 1991 borders, including Crimea - no more, no less. Ukraine doesn't have the manpower, the equipment or desire to occupy the largest nation on the planet, and I don't think Western powers are terribly eager to get another Iraq or Afghanistan. The longer the war drags on,, the more I feel like the best the Russian opposition can hope for is the Yugoslavia scenario. For those who can't read Russian, under this scenario, Russia will be asked to turn over war criminals and/or try them themselves, agree to some internal reforms in exchange for lifting sanctions and renewing economic investment, but the power structure would otherwise be left alone.
Given where Serbia finds itself now, that isn't the best scenario - but even if things work out better this time around, it doesn't address the colonialist, imperialist legacy I touched on before, one that even some Russians who like to think of themselves as liberal and progressive don't think too critically about. There is still the fact that the big part of the reason people cling to Navalny is because he's the closest thing Russia had to a credible opposition figure in years and years. But something as dramatic as reshaping national self-conception requires more than Navalny and what remains of the support network he tried to build. Besides, there are legitimate issues with his ideology (some nationalist baggage, for starters). If you don't feel comfortable supporting him, fair enough - but, as I often tell people, that means you need to find someone who you can support. There needs to be support for people who have potential.
(The dissidents in Chicago frustrate me sometimes, but their willingness to self-reflect and how far they're willing to go to break from the harmful patterns I talked about earlier have impressed me. They still have ways to go, but they are the potential leaders of a new, free Russia, the kind of leaders we should help and nurture - otherwise, they definitely won't have an opportunity to live up to their potential).
If we can ever hope to see any change in the Russian society and the way it engages with its neighbors, the change has to come from the Russians themselves, from the people who love their country and are willing to fight for it. Changes imposed from the top is hollow - meaningful, long-lasting change requires investment and long, persistent work which only someone who loves their country and wants to see it thrive can put in.
Silence is complicity
This dovetails into another point - there needs to be a viable alternative to Putin's regime. A theme I keep revisiting is that people who denounce the war are living proof that Putin's vision of Russia is something that all Russians embrace. The fact that, at the onset of the war, Ukrainian-American communities took to the street and force and most Russian-Americans sat on their hands is, at best, pitiful. The fact that Russian dissidents who came here with nothing and could have easily stayed quiet, but chose to try their best to protest, is an indictment of Russian immigrants who have been here for a decade or more - especially the ones who fled Soviet Union and, one would think, would be most pissed off about seeing full relapse into dictatorship.
It is only natural for Ukrainians to denounce the war. It is important for Westerners to denounce the war - it shows that Ukrainians are alone in this. But to have Russians say that this should not be done in our names, that this may be what Russia is now but this is not what Russia should be - that's powerful. Having Russians demand justice for Ukrainian people - that's powerful. Having Russians demand ICC trials for war criminals - that's powerful. What wasn't done wasn't done - there's no changing that - but it's not too late to make up for lost time, especially since, once again, there must be a viable alternative to Putin's regime.
I've said it before, but it's worth reiterating - this isn't about how we're not like the Russians who support the war. That's self-pitying and it's not a good look. The message should be - we are Russians, we are angry, and we will fight to free our country from tyranny and bring criminals to justice, because it is our duty as citizens of conscience who love our country and will do everything we can to make it better.
The fact that Americans love their stories of plucky rebels defeating tyrants doesn't hurt, either.
No to zero-sum games
Finally, let us revisit one of the central theses of the argument - that Americans only have so much attention span and can't handle multiple messages.
Let's set aside the fact that this is condescending toward Americans for a moment and try to take the argument to the logical conclusion. You want to end the war. Wouldn't the logical thing to do to push for something that will end the war decisively? Wouldn't the thing that definitely ends the war in one swift stroke be a regime change in Russia? Wouldn't that mean that the advocacy should focus on that?
Ukrainians would, naturally, bristle at this suggestion, and they would be right. I wouldn't advocate for it, because it wouldn't help Ukrainians right now, and would ask them to stake something on an uncertain future that probably wouldn't benefit them.
You can see where I'm going with this.
During the war, it is only natural for people to be drawn toward simple solutions. it is only natural for them to prioritize their country at the expense of everything else. I understand why people do it, but it is not the path I like to walk - and not the path I would encourage anyone to walk.
I reject the zero sum game. I reject the false binary. I support Ukrainian struggle because Ukraine deserves to be free, and Ukrainian people deserve to live in a peaceful,, safe homeland. And I try to do my part to start the necessary work that will do a better job of ensuring that the world wouldn't have to fear Russia and its cultural jingoism again.
I didn't finish the conversation with the gentleman who inspired me to do this whole post - I had to finish some articles that were due the next morning. But, as before, I welcome your thoughts and your comments.
After all, it would be foolish to pretend I don't have my own biases.
The argument boils down to this. Americans are losing interest in the Ukrainian War, and are less inclined to support aid to Ukraine. By the time the next presidential election rolls around, they may vote for candidates who would want to pull American support altogether (the gentleman specifically mentioned Trump, but others mentioned nationalist Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and politicians play-acting as nationalists for votes, like Ron DeSantis). Therefore, we should be doing everything in our power to call for support for Ukraine. The rallies the aforementioned Russian dissidents have been organizing are a distraction, because they threaten to pull the already limited American attention span away from what really matters - Russian defeat in Ukraine, which would benefit Russians, too.
Like I said, it's an understandable position to take if you're Ukrainian. You want to do everything in your power to help liberate your country from an occupier who, by the way, seeks to stamp out your country's culture and its distinct national identity. If I was in Ukrainians' shoes, I would all but certainly be saying the same thing.
But I'm not Ukrainian. I am Russian. I do believe that freeing Ukraine from occupation is a worthy cause, but it is not my cause. Just as Ukrainians must do everything they can to liberate mine.
I made many of those arguments in the earlier post, and I since had a chance to mull over and develop them. My position boils down to these points.
No one can save us but us
I heard the argument that all Russians who oppose the United Russia regime should focus on helping Ukraine defeat Russia in this war. I maintain that this is a worthy goal - but that, in on itself,, is not enough.
One thing that seems to unite some anti-war opposition activists and right-wing "patriot" types is the idea that, when the war is over, Russia will collapse and Western powers will pick up the pieces, which seems... optimistic at best. Ukraine made it clear that it wants to restore its 1991 borders, including Crimea - no more, no less. Ukraine doesn't have the manpower, the equipment or desire to occupy the largest nation on the planet, and I don't think Western powers are terribly eager to get another Iraq or Afghanistan. The longer the war drags on,, the more I feel like the best the Russian opposition can hope for is the Yugoslavia scenario. For those who can't read Russian, under this scenario, Russia will be asked to turn over war criminals and/or try them themselves, agree to some internal reforms in exchange for lifting sanctions and renewing economic investment, but the power structure would otherwise be left alone.
Given where Serbia finds itself now, that isn't the best scenario - but even if things work out better this time around, it doesn't address the colonialist, imperialist legacy I touched on before, one that even some Russians who like to think of themselves as liberal and progressive don't think too critically about. There is still the fact that the big part of the reason people cling to Navalny is because he's the closest thing Russia had to a credible opposition figure in years and years. But something as dramatic as reshaping national self-conception requires more than Navalny and what remains of the support network he tried to build. Besides, there are legitimate issues with his ideology (some nationalist baggage, for starters). If you don't feel comfortable supporting him, fair enough - but, as I often tell people, that means you need to find someone who you can support. There needs to be support for people who have potential.
(The dissidents in Chicago frustrate me sometimes, but their willingness to self-reflect and how far they're willing to go to break from the harmful patterns I talked about earlier have impressed me. They still have ways to go, but they are the potential leaders of a new, free Russia, the kind of leaders we should help and nurture - otherwise, they definitely won't have an opportunity to live up to their potential).
If we can ever hope to see any change in the Russian society and the way it engages with its neighbors, the change has to come from the Russians themselves, from the people who love their country and are willing to fight for it. Changes imposed from the top is hollow - meaningful, long-lasting change requires investment and long, persistent work which only someone who loves their country and wants to see it thrive can put in.
Silence is complicity
This dovetails into another point - there needs to be a viable alternative to Putin's regime. A theme I keep revisiting is that people who denounce the war are living proof that Putin's vision of Russia is something that all Russians embrace. The fact that, at the onset of the war, Ukrainian-American communities took to the street and force and most Russian-Americans sat on their hands is, at best, pitiful. The fact that Russian dissidents who came here with nothing and could have easily stayed quiet, but chose to try their best to protest, is an indictment of Russian immigrants who have been here for a decade or more - especially the ones who fled Soviet Union and, one would think, would be most pissed off about seeing full relapse into dictatorship.
It is only natural for Ukrainians to denounce the war. It is important for Westerners to denounce the war - it shows that Ukrainians are alone in this. But to have Russians say that this should not be done in our names, that this may be what Russia is now but this is not what Russia should be - that's powerful. Having Russians demand justice for Ukrainian people - that's powerful. Having Russians demand ICC trials for war criminals - that's powerful. What wasn't done wasn't done - there's no changing that - but it's not too late to make up for lost time, especially since, once again, there must be a viable alternative to Putin's regime.
I've said it before, but it's worth reiterating - this isn't about how we're not like the Russians who support the war. That's self-pitying and it's not a good look. The message should be - we are Russians, we are angry, and we will fight to free our country from tyranny and bring criminals to justice, because it is our duty as citizens of conscience who love our country and will do everything we can to make it better.
The fact that Americans love their stories of plucky rebels defeating tyrants doesn't hurt, either.
No to zero-sum games
Finally, let us revisit one of the central theses of the argument - that Americans only have so much attention span and can't handle multiple messages.
Let's set aside the fact that this is condescending toward Americans for a moment and try to take the argument to the logical conclusion. You want to end the war. Wouldn't the logical thing to do to push for something that will end the war decisively? Wouldn't the thing that definitely ends the war in one swift stroke be a regime change in Russia? Wouldn't that mean that the advocacy should focus on that?
Ukrainians would, naturally, bristle at this suggestion, and they would be right. I wouldn't advocate for it, because it wouldn't help Ukrainians right now, and would ask them to stake something on an uncertain future that probably wouldn't benefit them.
You can see where I'm going with this.
During the war, it is only natural for people to be drawn toward simple solutions. it is only natural for them to prioritize their country at the expense of everything else. I understand why people do it, but it is not the path I like to walk - and not the path I would encourage anyone to walk.
I reject the zero sum game. I reject the false binary. I support Ukrainian struggle because Ukraine deserves to be free, and Ukrainian people deserve to live in a peaceful,, safe homeland. And I try to do my part to start the necessary work that will do a better job of ensuring that the world wouldn't have to fear Russia and its cultural jingoism again.
I didn't finish the conversation with the gentleman who inspired me to do this whole post - I had to finish some articles that were due the next morning. But, as before, I welcome your thoughts and your comments.
After all, it would be foolish to pretend I don't have my own biases.