Russia is turning into an enemy of humanity

Two events in Ukraine and Russia appear to have been interconnected, if not outwardly, then essentially: the operetta elections in the Donbas (Ukraine) and the National Unity Day officially celebrated on November 4 in Moscow. The rigged elections in Ukraine’s rebellious regions were staged on the eve of the Kremlin-appointed red-letter day. For a reason.

 One has to admit that the national unity festivities were a success, with preparations started by Khodorkovsky and Navalny and their Crimea-is-part-of-Mother-Russia key slogan. Followed other publications, including ones reading that Crimea is de jure part of Ukraine (e.g., Nemtsov and Zubov), yet the Russian Crimea theme prevailed.

None of Russia’s politicians, public or intelligentsia figures has called for an unconditional return of Crimea to Ukraine (because property stolen from the lawful owner must be returned). They could start with recognizing Crimea as being Ukraine’s legitimate territory, but then end up saying a referendum was necessary to determine the peninsula’s destiny, under international organizations’ supervision. Assuming that Crimea should belong to Ukraine, it stands to logic that official Kyiv should decide whether or not such a referendum is necessary. Russia would only have to withdraw its troops from the peninsula and liquidate all bodies of occupation authority.

There is the old truth that the offender must not be allowed to enjoy the fruits of the crime. However, simple truths, clarity, consistency, principled stand are alien to Russia’s current intelligentsia. A Russian intellectual will never accept the possibility of returning Crimea – and now Donbas – to Ukraine at the same time, while agreeing that there is no possibility in the situation that has developed. This intellectual will let his imagination run away with him, offering all kinds of unrealistic scenarios rather than accepting the simple truth that this should be done the only right way, no matter what.

Ironically, this inconsistent approach is being practiced by Russian citizens who do not seem to realize that, by doing this, they expose themselves to the Russian Federation’s law that envisages criminal responsibility for provoking encroachments on Russia’s territorial integrity. Let me explain.

Nemtsov, with his ten Crimean theses, has become subject to criminal prosecution under RF legislation (maybe not now; this remains to be seen). If he made an unambiguous statement, saying that Crimea must be returned to Ukraine, his case could follow either of two courses [in court]: (1) Nemtsov would reiterate his stand in the matter and acquire considerable albeit symbolic [token] capital; (2) Nemtsov would disown his previous testimony and would also acquire some capital as a political martyr.

What can the man do now? Perhaps make do with ambiguous statements, saying I didn’t mean this when I said that, that they put words into my mouth, blah-blah-blah.

The dissenting part of Russia’s intelligentsia, progressive community, are gradually integrating into the system under the conditions of that system, being not in power but merging into the masses that admire their loyalty [to the regime]. This is what today’s Russian intellectual is all about. He is that way and there is no way to change him. He is part of all those changes that are taking place despite the naive expectations of many individuals in Ukraine and Russia.

There are naive individuals who still believe that Russia’s aggression will cause resistance within Russian society, and that it will help consolidate the Ukrainian nation. What has happened is exactly the opposite. Russians have consolidated whereas Ukrainians have disunited (something well to be expected just as official Kyiv was surrendering Crimea to Russia).

There are naive individuals who believe that Ukraine will be protected by EU membership. In actuality, this membership will serve to further disunite and finally destroy Ukraine.

There are naive individuals who believe that the shooting down [by Russia-supported separatists] of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 will antagonize the West. In actuality, this tragedy caused the US and Europe to pressure Ukraine to stop its resistance.

There are naive individuals who believe that the separation of Donbas and Russia’s fait accompli occupation will cause the West to take more active measures to resist Russia. In actuality, the West is all but turning a blind eye to the whole affair.

Why shouldn’t Putin let what’s left of his hair down and keep his war of aggression against Ukraine under the circumstances? He did just that and his main advantage is that Russia wants to fight a war and is prepared to spare next to nothing to that end. Ukraine wants to be left alone, war be damned. Europe and the US want Ukraine to stop asking for help. Looking back, that was precisely how Nazi Germany wanted WW II, how Soviet Russia wanted it, while most other countries wanted to be left alone.

There are naive individuals who believe that Russians want to be left alone, that they don’t want another war. Perhaps they don’t, but if ordered, they will fight and die the way they did previously.

Moscow observed the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Soviet Repressions on October 30, including the remembrance ceremony, in the course of which there were public readings of the victims’ lists – perhaps for the last time, considering that the Memorial Society can be banned any day in Russia. Remarkably, on that occasion no one seemed to notice the connection between his/her own habitual obedience to the regime (something commonly regarded as the only right, indisputable kind of behavior as a communal member) and the lists of the victims, individuals who had as unquestioningly served as cannon fodder [for the glory of Stalin and Soviet state]. They were not a people, a nation or society. They remained what they actually were. The masses. They had begotten their hangmen and torturers, they had eulogized them – or simply put up with their existence – but the result was the same.

So much for “national unity” in Russia at that time. Russia is regrettably having the same kind of national unity, and it will sustain this unity in the foreseeable future.

Russians were killing themselves. All other peoples may have grievances concerning them, including the totalitarian consensus between the masses and elites (characters who have fought their way up the proverbial ladder from among the masses). All except the Russian people. Russian casualties were all accomplices.

Deaths among the masses are the result of a revolt of the masses. Those deaths among the faceless masses were never identified as a tragedy for the Russians. The masses can’t be a hero. Joseph Brodsky wrote that the masses can’t be a choir that dies instead of the hero of a tragedy. The self-destroying Russian masses keep dying. Elsewhere, the victims are individuals killed by the political order enforced by Russians.

This is something no one has mentioned, acknowledged or become aware of [in today’s Russia]. And so we’re moving within a vicious circle, including the Memorial’s probably final demonstration of obedience and loyalty.

Another such demonstration was a rally of Moscow medics protesting against the health care reform. Here one could see servility rather than obedience, with people begging Putin to have mercy on them. Some carried portraits of Stalin and posters comparing Moscow’s hateful bureaucrats to the spawn of hell, Kolomoisky.

The medics’ rally left one oppressed with the knowledge that the existing political system is gaining strength. No more pro-Putin rallies with busloads of “supporters” brought as per strictly defined quotas. Such rallies, along with carefully selected posters and rehearsed slogans and applause, are no longer needed as various social groups gather to sing glory to the leader of the nation, of their own free will.

On November 4, the main procession on Tverskaya [Square] was not organized by United Russia, but by the All-Russia People’s Front, a totalitarian movement that is replacing the party system. Among the participants was Elizabeth (Yelizaveta) Glinka, the grandniece of Stalin’s trusted aide Alexandr Poskrebyshev, responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children, posing as a philanthropist. She epitomized the continuity of the Russian political elite, marching with Molotov’s grandson Viacheslav Nikonov.

People who belong to, or with, this elite are not dismissed but sent on certain missions. Glinka is now a US citizen, yet this didn’t seem to bother her or authorities when she visited the Russia-occupied Donbas. Later she was tasked with becoming a devout progressive public figure. She did just that and is now getting progressive members of the masses involved in the “common cause,” while belonging with the elite. This is one of many examples that demonstrates the diversity of mechanisms being formed within Russian society.

When such measures [i.e., ruling-party-organized rallies] were standard practice, the progressive community was convinced that the participants in such pro-Putin rallies would eventually vote against him, considering their past experiences of coercion and humiliation. Even then I disagreed, saying that was precisely how the solidarity of the downtrodden masses was made, that it was one of the pillars of Soviet power. Now this solidarity has become complete, being enhanced by a violent hatred of the once “fraternal” Ukrainian people.

We could have lived normally, in peace, without enemies, but for our intellectuals who cursed Gaidar in 1992 instead of demanding an end to the Transnistrian adventure and stopping the Russian military in Abkhazia where Basayev was being cultivated, so our military would have an enemy to fight. The situation could have been different but for our nostalgia for the Soviet Union, even though it served to disunite the “fraternal” peoples the way the Soviet communal apartment served to turn the tenants into lifelong bloodthirsty enemies. So many opportunities lost, with our intelligentsia remaining hopelessly unaware of them.

Try to imagine how much energy Russians are expending, with billions of nerve cells wrecked, never to be revived, just to make their neighbor suffer. They even steal that neighbor’s children. Also, try to visualize all those strong social groups made up of such hate-thy-neighbor individuals (among them army men and intellectuals) with this ungodly objective being uppermost on their agenda. They keep siccing Russians on other peoples. Worse still, this is being perpetrated by professionals, especially by intellectuals who want pogroms and repressions on an increasing scale in Russia. In fact, our interior and defense ministries want this, too. These energetic people want more social space for themselves.

Russia is becoming an enemy of humanity. It really is. The reason behind this morbid transformation is a strong social organism that keeps gaining strength and momentum with each passing day. I mean Russia’s “spiritual unity” and opposition to the rest of the world. The international community is not prepared to combat this evil. Regrettably, it does not seem to be making any plans in that direction.