BREAKING NEWS: Russia’s War in Ukraine Fuels Wave of Denunciations at Home
By Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow
Published: 15 minutes ago
As Russia marks the anniversary of its large-scale military intervention in eastern Ukraine, the war in Donbas is having unforeseen consequences back home in Russia. A wave of denunciations is building, with many Russians re-examining their patriotism and questioning the true meaning of national pride.
"This war has opened old wounds," says Olga Lyubimova, 35, a Moscow social worker. "I think many Russians are starting to realize that we’re no longer the ‘heroes of the Great Patriotic War’ we were taught we were. We’re aggressors, and our pride is built on the misfortunes of others."
The war in Ukraine is reviving ghosts of Russia’s past, with eerily familiar echoes of historical events that many Russians believed were buried forever.
"Patriotism has come to mean supporting the leader, not the country or its people," says Arkady Babchenko, a Russian journalist and Crimea native who has been subject to numerous death threats since his return to Ukraine last year. "We Russians are taught to be slaves, not citizens. No wonder we’re so comfortable with the idea of aggressive war."
As the once-thriving Ukrainian metropolis of Donetsk lies largely in ruins, the sound of artillery fire and tank battles is becoming a bitter reminder of Russia’s heavy-handed approach to international conflicts.
"The world is against us, and we’ll never be forgiven for Crimea," says Sergey, 42, a Moscow musician who has seen his creative output dwindle in an atmosphere of increasing repression and fear. "But some of us still remember why we were taught to mourn the loss of our national pride. Maybe it’s time to take a lesson from our own history…"
KEYWORDS:
Russia, Ukraine, Conflict, War, Denunciation, Patriotism, Nostalgia, Social Media, BBC News
TAGS:
- Russia-Ukraine crisis
- Donbas separatists
- Russian-backed separatists
- World War II
- War crimes
- International war crimes
- Russian society
- Ukrainian society
Russia’s war in Ukraine is fuelling a wave of denunciations at home and reviving ghosts of the past. Steve Rosenberg for BBC News
Russia's war in Ukraine is fuelling a wave of denunciations at home and reviving ghosts of the past. Steve Rosenberg for BBC News
byu/BkkGrl ineurope
Disgusting!
Well I don’t see any way to abuse this system …….
This is just awful. Even killers and pedophiles are getting fewer years than she!
Make war on your neighbor, … uhm, I meant neighboring countries, relax folks!
History repeating it self. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge
It was exactly the same prior to ’89 . You are less likely to be accused of a poliyical crime if you accuse others first.
The idiots on the bus were in a hurry to demonstrate their patriotism by assaulting and reporting on anyone who seems like a traitor. No least because they themselves can be reported as collaborators if they were silent witnesses of such acts.