“Russia’s war against Ukraine has several fronts – there is not only an eastern, but also a western front”

German businessman and political journalist Fritz Ehrlich, who has worked in this country for many years, immediately condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine. He wrote an article, “Why Russia Needs Wars and Why Sanctions Are So Important,” for Den’s issue of February 24, 2015. Mr. Ehrlich also wrote the following address recently: “Imagine that terrorists are attacking not one city but hundreds of cities. Imagine that they are not dozens but thousands. Imagine that they have not only Kalashnikovs, but also tanks and missiles. Imagine them blocking our ports with their warships. Imagine them shooting at us from crowded schools, kindergartens, and hospitals. Imagine them saying that our nation does not exist at all and our land is their land. And imagine that the entire world believes this… Imagine that these terrorists have the right of veto at the UN Security Council… And now you can imagine how the Ukrainians suffer” (https://www.facebook.com/fritz.ehrlich.7).

The Day has asked Mr. Ehrlich if Germany is aware of what is going on in Ukraine, of Russia’s role in the so-called Ukraine crisis which is in reality the result of Russian aggression, and of what causes the growth of revanchism in Russia and what makes the Kremlin wish to foist on its neighbors the “Russian World” which shows intolerance of a different opinion – as is in fact the case with Islamic State.

“OUR MAIN WEAPON IS THE TRUTH, OUR AMMUNITION IS FACTS AND ARGUMENTS”

“Most people in Germany support the aspiration of Ukrainians to live in democracy and classify Russia’s actions towards Ukraine as aggression. But far from all, and even those who support Ukraine on some points, share the same viewpoints. Such a thing as ‘Russian World’ is little known in my country, but Moscow’s actions generally arouse criticism. You have already named the problem, using the word combination ‘revanchism in Russia.’ We know that there can be no ‘revanche’ in reality because nobody invaded Russia and Ukraine had never laid claim to Russian lands. So, the question is: ‘Revanche for what?’ For the demise of the Soviet Union? For the former client states’ aspiration for democracy and freedom? For the Moscow elite, the collapse of the Soviet Union was the 20th century’s greatest tragedy, which means argumentum a contrario that Moscow has always viewed its ‘allies,’ or ‘Soviet republics,’ not as equal ‘brothers’ or ‘partners’ but as ‘dependents,’ ‘servants’ or ‘slaves’ that will never have the right to self-identification. As Putin and his followers reject the fact that the corrupt, rotten, and dogmatic Soviet system itself is to blame for this collapse and the natural aspiration of peoples for freedom and democracy is a Western fable, they quickly found the guilty – the European Union, the US, and NATO. In the theater of Russian politics, the Kremlin has chosen, once and for all, the role of a ‘victim,’ and Moscow’s propaganda of course feels very well and is trying – unfortunately, not without success – to foist this vision on Western people. Therefore, Germany has reached no consensus about Russia’s aggressive role in contrast to the case of, say, Islamic State. There are various reasons why our society is divided on this, and even the behavior of Ukraine and some Ukrainians may be adversely affecting the opinion of Germans. Firstly, we must be clearly aware of one thing: there is no mechanism for the formation of one viewpoint or another in such a pluralistic society as Germany. People want to shape their opinions by themselves – they will mostly believe those who have better arguments and confirm this not only in word, but also by their practical behavior. But, by contrast with Ukraine, nobody has attacked Germany and many cannot immediately understand who is friend and who is foe. Moreover, many Germans question the very wisdom of this division. You will agree that, before Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the majority of Ukrainians opposed admission to NATO and the percentage of those who approved of European Union membership was not as large as it is now. If you compare the public opinion situation in Ukraine before the war with Russia with the current situation in Germany, you will see one of the reasons why not all the Germans support Ukraine in this case. The mass media, and now the Internet, are playing a decisive role here. Russian spin masters and special services have enormous experience and are using our democratic and public platforms for a very professional propaganda. Germany gives in to propaganda not less than, say, Ukraine. Having a large financial budget, Russia is trying to mobilize not only the so-called repatriates from the former Soviet Union (there are about two million of them in Germany, and they still often speak to one another in Russian and mostly watch Russian TV channels), but also other strata of the population. There are not so many Germans who can compare everyday life in the Soviet Union, East Germany, Ukraine, and Russia after the collapse of the USSR with everyday life in Germany after reunification, are not susceptible to this propaganda, and can properly construct a mosaic of truth.

“It is logical now to ask yourself: ‘How can the situation be improved?’ It is very important in this case to know two things. Firstly, Russia’s war against Ukraine has several fronts – there is not only an eastern, but also a western front. The latter is represented by my friends. There are no shootouts at this front, but it is no less important. Secondly, any front will suffer a defeat without support and ammunition, no matter how hard the fighters try. We need no money, for we are doing this free of charge. Our main weapon is the truth, and our ammunition is facts and arguments. We are impotent without them. If we were given more and the Ukrainian side backed us better, we could struggle more successfully. In Germany, we could defend Ukraine comparatively well and expose the lies of Russian propaganda even without any financial assistance, without special support from Ukrainian Embassy officials. We would like to receive much more support from the Ukrainians who have resettled in Germany. Far from all of them stand next to us with placards in hand in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin.”

“WE CAN SEE RUSSIA SLIDING TO STATE-SPONSORED NAZISM”

Does that what is going on in Russia remind Germans of the 1930s events, when Hitler came to power in a democratic way?

“It does. Militarization, the imperial spirit of ‘Russians are above all,’ hegemony, myths about ‘invincibility,’ import sanctions patterned after Goebbels’ slogan ‘guns before butter…’ If you imagine the Moscow media as a single ‘ministry of propaganda,’ this will draw a full picture. People in Ukraine can see it better and feel it deeper than those in Germany. We have trainloads of bribed and well-organized trolls who have occupied the chats of all major newspapers and magazines, television, and websites of ministries and politicians. In my country, one should produce enough evidence if he or she wants to compare Hitler with Putin. The problem is that many people in the West still believe that Crimea historically belongs to Russia and the Donbas conflict is a civil war, not a Russian aggression. For this reason, we have formed various groups in Facebook to challenge the basics of Russian propaganda. For example, one group is for gathering evidence of the presence of Russian regular and irregular forces in Ukraine. In another group, we tell the truth about Russia. There is also a group that gathers the facts that prove that MH17 was downed by no other than the Russian armed forces. We can see Russia sliding to state-sponsored Nazism, and we are constantly proving this on the basis of facts and examples. But my friends are on the verge of exhaustion. I must say that, especially in the first six months of the war, the Ukrainian services were practically unaware of how important reliable information is for us in the West. We drew no support from the ministries of defense and the interior, or from any other organizations. We were simply ignored. I myself traveled to the front several times and was so much surprised to see the actions (to be more exact, inaction) of some generals, and I still receive information about the situation from the soldiers and officers of, first of all, volunteer units, who are really aware of the importance of our intentions. We thus managed several times to spread the truth before Russian propaganda told its lies. But, on the whole, I must say that we have lost a lot of time. One of the results of these missed chances is that a lot of myths of Russian propaganda are still alive and kicking, and comparing Putin with Hitler arouses surprise, if not indignation, in Germany.”

ON SCHIZOPHRENIC IDEOLOGY OF THE “LEFT” AND HOMOPHOBIC AND HEGEMONISTIC VIEWS OF THE “RIGHT”

Now that there are people in Germany, who understand Putin, and left-wing parties are becoming increasingly popular, do you think or feel that denazification was incomplete in Germany and there was no destalinization and decommunization at all in Russia?

“You are right. The people who ‘understand’ Putin are usually recruited from the ‘left’ and ‘right’ wings, but, in my view, incomplete denazification and destalinization are not the main causes of this. If this were the case, Social Democrats would have supported the Maidan, while Germany’s more conservative forces, such as Christian Democrats, would be ostensibly supporting Russia. But in reality it is just the reverse. The causes are different, and they interact with each other. To grasp this easier, let us talk about the political map of Germany. Firstly, I’ve noticed that many Germans, who support Putin, know badly or do not know at all Russia or Ukraine. Ninety percent of them have never been there. Many of them see no mental difference between the Soviet Union and Russia. The better-educated supporters of Russia are fond very much of Yevtushenko’s poem ‘Do the Russians Want War?’ They cannot imagine Russia as aggressor. This vision is particularly widespread among the Social Democrats – many of them sympathize with Russia rather than with Ukraine. Their opinions are traditionally close to opportunism. By all accounts, they are not indifferent to the destiny of Ukraine, but it is more important to them that the war should not reach Germany, and they insist that this can only be achieved by way of negotiations. On the other hand, the more conservative Christian Democrats and a lot of the ‘Greens’ support Ukraine’s aspiration for freedom and democracy, in spite of slander and threats on the part of trolls. The ‘Right,’ naturally, support Putin because they find a lot of like-minded people in Russia with racist, homophobic, and hegemonistic views. Incidentally, a lot of German ‘right-wingers’ came from the Soviet Union. They are playing with the idea of a united Germany-Russia – of course, under Russian rule.

A SCREENSHOT OF THE FACEBOOK PAGE WHERE EHRLICH POSTED HIS APPEAL IN GERMAN, SO THAT HIS FELLOW CITIZENS BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT UKRAINE IS EXPERIENCING AS IT FIGHTS RUSSIAN AGGRESSION. THIS APPEAL HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN TRANSLATED INTO ALMOST ALL EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

“But these ‘right-wingers’ do not wield such clout as ‘left-wingers’ do. The reasons why they support Putin are more delicate. Back in the Soviet era, all the ‘Left’ parties of the world used to receive not only moral, but also material and financial aid from the USSR’s special services. As the special services were only formally reorganized after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the old structures and dependencies continued to exist. It was officially reported more than once that the Russian special services funded radical forces in Western Europe. This is of little wonder because the German ‘Left’ are striving to change the social system and attacking such mainstays of our system as NATO, the EU, and democracy. And Putin is glad, for he has the same enemies. During the Maidan, the German ‘Left’ supported the Russian position, and it must be said again that there are very many ex-Soviets or ex-Russians among them. Incidentally, the Rosa Luxemburg Conference organized by the ‘Left’ in Berlin was shown on January 9 a video message from Russian citizen Aleksey Markov who serves in the terrorist formation Ghost and kills Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine. The organizers were not ashamed at all to introduce him as a ‘humanist.’ This schizophrenic ideology of the ‘Left’ has reached its apex in that many of those who oppose capitalism in the West and support Russia ignore the fact that Russia itself is a capitalist country – in a very antisocial and cruel variety to boot.”

ON THE THREE FACTORS OF UKRAINE’S INFLUENCE ON THE EXTENSION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA

What do you think of the role of German business? Does it influence the country’s policies? How can you explain the fact that the Minister-President of Bavaria, where Nazism was once born, favors the lifting of sanctions against Russia?

“I can allay your fears – Nazism has nothing to do with this. On the contrary, Horst Seehofer has reiterated that his attitude to the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of a part of the Donbas remains unchanged. But you are right: he said it is necessary to check if sanctions are an effective means against the Russian aggressive policy. I am not going to defend him. I was not even ashamed to say that the behavior of Vice Chancellor and Social Democratic leader Sigmar Gabriel was a ‘betrayal of the Ukrainian people,’ when he said a similar thing. But politicians often use such comments to see the reaction of our people, so it is very important to give an immediate and tough response.”

Let us appraise unemotionally the role of German business.

“Firstly, the goal of a company in any country is to earn a profit. If a German company has long been in the red, the tax inspection is authorized to classify it as a hobby, not a business, and can shut it down. Secondly, Germany’s economic structure greatly depends on the export of our products – except for China, no one else in the world exports as many goods and services as Germany does. Therefore, business traditionally wields a great deal of clout in Germany. Readiness of business to support sanctions depends on some factors. Are the sanctions really dealing a more painful blow to Russia than to us? Does Russia deserve this kind of actions on the part of the European Union? Thirdly, are the sanctions effective? And the last: is it to the benefit of Ukraine if German companies are hit?

“It becomes clearer in this context that Russia is spending colossal material, financial, intellectual, and diplomatic resources in the West to warp the true picture of events in Ukraine, including the aggression against your country. They are trying hard to convince our people that Russia is the victim of an aggressive foreign policy of the EU and NATO and that what is going on in Crimea and the Donbas is not a war but a liberating separatism from what they call ‘Kyiv fascist junta.’ Accordingly, one of the tactical methods of Russian propaganda in the West is to put it across that Ukraine is not worth any new sanctions of Germany and the EU against Russia. Any new corruption or homophobia scandal, any swastika on the helmet, and any abuse of power play into the hands of Moscow and make it more difficult for us in the West to wage a struggle for the truth. The aforesaid makes it clear that you can exert a very powerful influence on some points, as far as the continuation of sanctions is concerned. Firstly, do not stop your aspirations for democratization, fight corruption, build a grassroots-based system of influence, control, and thinking – what we call a developed civil society – and thus take your country into your own hands.”

Exercise strict control over the flow of any budgetary funds as well as grants and loans from the West, and see to it that funds go to the proper place. Then show that you are prepared to defend your country and culture, i.e., show that you deserve to have new sanctions imposed against Russia. Secondly, prove more effectively and professionally the essence of Russian aggression by way of gathering reliable information and evidence. Concentrate them. And, thirdly, speak out about this thing. Our people should know this, so furnish this evidence also to your western front, to us. For some reason, your embassies and other Ukrainian organizations are keeping a low profile, to put it mildly. The main struggle for the truth is being waged in social networks and is fully shouldered by my friends without any support from official Ukraine. In spite of our countless sleepless nights, it is too little and too ineffective. This requires a concentration of forces and support, which will not vanish miraculously or turn again into some puppet organizations.

“All the Ukrainians know that Russia is waging an information war against you, and all your media have reacted adequately in most cases. Your people are informed very well. But far from all of you, and still fewer in my country, know that Russia is also waging this war in the West – on a full scale and professionally. I have described the main points. Without being aware of having a western front, on which my friends are fighting, Ukraine may lose the battle for human hearts in the West and thus lose support, as far as continuation of business sanctions is concerned.

“Obviously, not all the sanctions are advisable. Take, for example, German high-quality meat – we even eat it raw as ‘Hackepeter’ or ‘fresh Mettwurst’ – I would not advise any Russian to make and eat fresh mincemeat… Moreover, our meat is cheaper. Exporting this kind of things forces Russian producers to raise their competitiveness and spend money on this, but they stubbornly do not want or cannot afford to modernize their production. So why not do this? But there are also very advisable sanctions, such as in the field of high technologies, the military, credit and banking sectors.”

“.IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LIFT OR REDUCE SANCTIONS BECAUSE IT WAS SAID CLEARLY THAT THIS REQUIRES OBSERVANCE OF THE MINSK-2 AGREEMENTS”

Will Ms. Merkel manage to continue the policy of extending sanctions against Russia and persuade other countries not to lift sanctions?

“Ms. Merkel and her conservative Christian Democrats are playing, on the whole, a very positive role in this matter. It remains a fact that Minsk-2 has not been fulfilled. The words of Russian politicians are no more than a lot of hot air. Therefore, it is in fact impossible to lift or reduce sanctions because it was said clearly that this requires observance of the Minsk-2 agreements. The problem is that a decision to continue [sanctions] is to be made unanimously by all the 28 EU member states. Not all politicians in all these countries are mature enough to understand the importance of this issue. But I think sanctions will be extended. Let me explain why. Firstly, the European Union’s economic situation is very reliable. The share of Russia in the trade balance is rather small and diminishes with every passing day. Secondly, many Russian companies are unable to pay for Western equipment, the ruble has fallen by half in the past two years, so Western goods or services are now twice as expensive for Russia as they were just two years ago. Thirdly, Russia has fewer and fewer resources to pressure the West because the market is glutted with cheap oil and gas. Besides, diversification of suppliers is in full swing in the West, and Moscow has understood that the attempts to scare the West with loud words about gas supply reduction are a boomerang: Gazprom will just go bankrupt in a very short term without supplies to the West. Fourthly, it is more and more dangerous for Russian special services to corrupt politicians. There will be no more ‘Schroeder 2.0.’ When his party colleague Gabriel recently visited Moscow, our people took a very suspicious view of this. And people look into the pocket of such persons as Tsipras even in a super-corrupt Greece.

“So, the question of extending sanctions is more of a political than economic nature. This is why politicians will find it easy to make a necessary decision on extending sanctions unless, of course, Russia comes up with something that will greatly discredit Ukraine at a crucial moment.”