77 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
77 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
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# Ukraine, Russia, and a World Tragedy
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## A message to those inside Russia
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### Written March 4, 2022.
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It is with a very heavy heart that I write this. I am normally opposed to the use of open source
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projects to communicate political positions or advocate for things outside the immediate relevancy
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to that project.
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However, the events occurring in Ukraine, and specifically the unprecedented invasion of Ukraine by
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Russian forces operating under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin compel me to speak out.
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Those who know me, know that I have family, friends, and colleagues in Russia, and Ukraine both. My closest friends
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have historically been Russian friends my wife's hometown of Chelyabinsk. I myself have in the past
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frequently traveled to Russia, and indeed operated a software development firm with offices in St. Petersburg.
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I had a special kinship with Russia and its people.
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I say "had", because I fear that the actions of Putin, and the massive disinformation campaign that his regime
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has waged inside Russia, mean that it's likely that I won't see those friends again. At present, I'm not sure
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my wife will see her own mother again. We no longer feel it's safe for either of us to return Russia given
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actions taken by the regime to crack down on those who express disagreement.
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Russian citizens are being led to believe it is acting purely defensively, and that only legitimate military
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targets are being targeted, and that all the information we have received in the West are fakes.
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I am confident that nothing could be further from the truth.
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This has caused many in Russia, including people whom I respect and believe to be smarter than this, to
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stand by Putin, and endorse his actions. The claim is that the entirety of NATO is operating at the behest
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of the USA, and that the entirety of Europe was poised to attack Russia. While this is clearly absurd to those
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of us with any understanding of western politics, Russian citizens are being fed this lie, and believing it.
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If you're reading this from inside Russia -- YOU are the person that I hope this message reaches. Your
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government is LYING to you. Of course, all governments lie all the time. But consider this. Almost the
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entire world has condemned the invasion of Ukraine as criminal, and has applied sanctions. Even countries
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which have poor relations with the US sanctioning Russia, as well as nations which historically have remained
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neutral. (Famously neutral -- even during World War II, Switzerland has acted to apply sanctions in
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concert with the rest of the world.)
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Ask yourself, why does Putin fear a free press so much, if what he says is true? Why the crack-downs on
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children expressing only a desire for peace with Ukraine? Why would the entire world unified against him,
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if Putin was in the right? Why would the only countries that stood with Russia against
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the UN resolution to condemn these acts as crimes be Belarus, North Korea, and Syria? Even countries normally
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allied to Russia could not bring themselves to do more than abstain from the vote to condemn it.
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To be clear, I do not claim that the actions taken by the West or by the Ukrainian government were completely
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blameless. On the contrary, I understand that Western media is biased, and the truth is rarely exactly
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as reported. I believe that there is a kernel of truth in the claims of fascists and ultra-nationalist
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militias operating in Ukraine and specifically Donbas. However, I am also equally certain that Putin's
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response is out of proportion, and that concerns about such militias are principally just a pretext to justify
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an invasion.
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Europe is at war, unlike we've seen in my lifetime. The world is more divided, and closer to nuclear holocaust
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than it has been since the Cold War. And that is 100% the fault of Putin.
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While Putin remains in power, there cannot really be any way for Russian international relations to return
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to normal. Putin has set your country on a path to return to the Cold War, likely because he fancies himself
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to be a new Stalin. However, unlike the Soviet Union, the Russian economy does not have the wherewithal to
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stand on its own, and the invasion of Ukraine has fully ensured that Russia will not find any friends anywhere
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else in Europe, and probably few places in Asia.
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The *only* paths forward for Russia are either a Russia without Putin (and those who would support his agenda),
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or a complete breakdown of Russian prosperity, likely followed by the increasing international conflict that will
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be the natural escalation from a country that is isolated and impoverished. Those of us observing from the West are
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gravely concerned, because we cannot see any end to this madness that does not result in nuclear conflict,
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unless from within.
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In the meantime, the worst prices will be paid for by innocents in Ukraine, and by young Russian mean
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forced to carry out the orders of Putin's corrupt regime.
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And *that* is why I write this -- to appeal to those within Russia to open your eyes, and think with
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your minds. It is right and proper to be proud of your country and its rich heritage. But it is also
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right and proper to look for ways to save it from the ruinous path that its current leadership has set it upon,
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and to recognize when that leadership is no longer acting in interest of the country or its people.
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- Garrett D'Amore, March 4, 2022
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