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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Why do so many Russian-speakers support Putin and this war? Still."
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Why do so many Russian-speakers support Putin and this war? Still. Even in Ukraine (though their number is declining). And in other former satellites, or even Canada and the US. Why? How? WHY?
Its not just the Kremlin propaganda. Let me tell you a deeply personal story. 1/n
When Russian missiles hit my hometown of Odesa on Feb 24, my mom jumped on the first bus out of the country. Her obvious destination was Moldovabecause of geographical proximity, but also, because our family lived there until 1995 when we moved to Ukraine.
My mom has a network of friends thereRussian-speakers who, unlike our family, still live in Moldova. From the bus, she called her old friendIll call her Tanyawho still lives in Moldova, and asked if she could spend the nightshe could only find a hotel room for the day after.
Tanya was irritated. It was her birthday, and my moms unexpected visit was at an bad time. The Russian invasion shook up the entire world, forcing millions of Ukrainians to walk over the border with Moldova in the middle of winterand Tanya was having a party!
Tanya is not a monster (at least not fulltime)she is a highly educated woman that plays the piano and casually quotes Russian literature in everyday conversations. But if you ask her about the Bucha massacre, shell tell you it didnt happen.
There are millions like her in Moldova, Ukraine, Russia itself, and even in Western countries like Germany, Canada and the US. We call them the "deceived generation," the last victims of Soviet propaganda.
The break-up of the USSR marked the start of nation-building (actually re-building), pitting Russian minorities against the ethnic majorities. After more than 50 years of repression (think Bucha), the ethnic majorities finally got a say in the politics of their own states.
This nation-building consisted of downplaying or outright rejecting everything Soviet (read Russian) in favor of national (Moldovan, Ukrainian), and the corresponding change in the distribution of power and wealth.
All of a sudden, ethnic Russians who refused to learn the national language, started getting passed over for promotions in favor of those (including ethnic Russians) who spoke the national language.
In Moldova where I lived, everything around meTV programming, store signs, street signs, and ever street nameschanged from Russian to Romanian.
Other changes included an increase in the hours of Romanian (in schools for Russian-speakers, like the one I attended), as well as the content of literature and history classes.
I was a child, so none of this was a big deal. I quickly picked up Romanian, as children do. For the Russian-speaking adults, however, it was not so easy. It is difficult to learn a completely new language as an adult. But the real obstacle was the hubris.
Decades of Soviet propaganda (backed with repression) taught the ethnic Russians about their undeniable superiority over everyone else. Why should they learn some backward language like Romanian or Ukrainian if Russian is the purest and the most beautiful language?
How and why should they accept a government made up of non-Russians? And anyway, there was no point in trying, because Russia was going to come back and re-absorb all the former satellites soon enough, setting everything back how it was.
I kid you not, these were the conversations I listened to as a kid in our Russian-speaking circle of friends. More surprisingly, these are the conversations I still hear (even from my own relatives) today, 30 years later.
These people still hope that Russia will come to save them from the inferior national majorities AND give them their coveted Russian pension. These people are still waiting for Russia to give back the money they lost (na knijke) when the Soviet Union broke up.
These people did not cause the Russian invasioncontrary to what they think, protecting them is the last thing on Putins mind (he doesnt actually want to pay them pensions). But these people are complicit in the crimes being committed against Ukrainians.
Deep down, they know that the Bucha massacre did happenthey just dont care, because the victims are inferior. Just ask them about Russian crimes in Chechnya. #StandWithUkraine #StopPutin #BuchaMasacre #MariupolMassacre
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"Why do so many Russian-speakers support Putin and this war? Still." (Original Post)
Nevilledog
Apr 2022
OP
Russian propaganda has a deep racist streak. That streak shows up in their social media interference
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2022
#3
Why do we have un-American pos here in our country supporting fascist Russia?
rockfordfile
Apr 2022
#5
The Magistrate
(95,247 posts)1. An Interesting Piece, Ma'am
For Pan-Germanic substitute Pan-Slavic, with Mother Russia the chief of the folk, and you have real similarities to the state of play in the wake of the Great War, and the splintering of Imperial Germany.
elleng
(130,923 posts)2. "deceived generation,"
'It is difficult to learn a completely new language as an adult. But the real obstacle was the hubris.'
'These people did not cause the Russian invasioncontrary to what they think, protecting them is the last thing on Putins mind (he doesnt actually want to pay them pensions). But these people are complicit in the crimes being committed against Ukrainians.
Deep down, they know that the Bucha massacre did happenthey just dont care, because the victims are inferior. Just ask them about Russian crimes in Chechnya.'
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,002 posts)3. Russian propaganda has a deep racist streak. That streak shows up in their social media interference
dalton99a
(81,513 posts)4. Kick
rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)5. Why do we have un-American pos here in our country supporting fascist Russia?
I'd a lot of it has to do with $$$. All of them are anti-Semiticracist pos that would betray their country for anything.
Sneederbunk
(14,291 posts)6. Russia has it's own version of MAGATS.
uponit7771
(90,344 posts)7. Russians in UKR sound like MAGA in the US