These are words from a recent song by one of the vocalists of the band Kasta
Vladi. The phrase, after 10 months of full-scale war in Ukraine, continues to bealmost the main question of Russian society. How is it that from being very"great" nation, Russians have suddenly become outcasts all over the planet? Yetmany continue to ignore the great-power chauvinism that brought us here. ---- Theinvasion of Ukraine in 2014 and the subsequent full-scale war earlier this yearare not the only massacres the Russian government has engaged in. Take, forexample, the war in Chechnya. Recall a bit of history - when the USSR collapsed,part of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR seceded into the Chechen Republic, out of thecontrol of Moscow's elites. For dreams of independence the Kremlin drownedChechnya in blood, killing up to 100 thousand civilians according to variousestimates. The dead Russian soldiers were counted then as now, but thanks to thework of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers it is known that at least 14,000soldiers died in the first Chechen war alone.Grozny was razed to the ground then, just as many Ukrainian cities are destroyednow. Then Russian society responded moderately to the military action against theindependent republic, and in the presidential elections 81% of the populationvoted for the Russian empire: 52% for Putin and 29% for Zyuganov. We all know howthe war in Chechnya ended for the Chechen people. The Russian Federation was ableto hold Chechnya and thus sent a signal to all the other peoples who foundthemselves under Moscow's boot - we will drown the uprising for independence inblood and we are ready for any losses.Next was South Ossetia and the silence of Russian cities against Moscow'simperial policies. The occupation of Crimea and the introduction of troops intoeastern Ukraine were not a serious threat to Putin's political power in theKremlin either.In 2015, the Moscow regime sent its troops to Syria to support the dictatorBashar al-Assad, against whom the local population rebelled back in 2011. Theactions of the Russian military in Syria are one reason why the deaths of Russianofficers are celebrated across the planet. At least half a million people havedied in the country's civil war, and some of those people were killed by Russiantroops.What was the reaction of Russian society to this? None. Xenophobia and racism,such important components of great-power chauvinism, helped not just to justifyinaction, but also to make Syrians once again "savages" who did not deservefreedom (as it had been done to Chechens, Georgians, Dagestanians, and others).And now we are asked "how is it fucking possible" after three decades of imperialpolicy of the Russian Federation (and before that the USSR and the RussianEmpire) that the soldiers of the new empire march into neighboring countries toconquer new territories and enslave new peoples? How is it fucking possible thatduring a bloody war you care more about closing McDonald's than you do about thehealth and safety of your neighbors? How is it fucking possible that Russianstell the whole world about Putin's bloody regime, but many in their entire liveshave never once tried to fight the regime. How is it fucking possible that in acountry of 144 million people only several dozen thousands (at best) come out toprotest?That's how it's possible that while you're sleeping and dreaming about the greatRussian state, that state becomes a reality and not everyone likes the look of itanymore. Don't try to make excuses for your inaction all these years. Much moreimportant is what you are doing now. And without risk you can't stop Putin andhis horde. So think about whether you should move to Germany or France or try tofight and stop whining about the "good" Russians.Alexei Stoev for pramen.io (opinion of the author can differ from opinion of thecollective)https://pramen.io/en/2023/01/how-the-fuck-is-that-possible/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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