Uncritically Embracing Russian Liberals is a Mistake by the West - opinion
Alexei Navalny (Photo:www.instagram.com)
Another illusion is being built about the prospects of “Russian Liberals.”
What the Russian writer Viktor Shenderovich says is very characteristic of everything used in the world to think of Russian democracy and Russian liberalism. It is something that many in the West do not want to see. They hear some words, and some phrases, but do not want to delve into the essence of this whole process.
What did he actually say? He said that we are together, but we are all together because we live in this time and place. Some are closer, some are further, but we are all going somewhere in the same direction. So the only question is, how do we go there? And what Shenderovich says is a terrible position: He accuses us of Nazism.
Then this sick idea of greatness will crumble
And if you heard his interview, he stated why we're parting ways: Because Ukrainians are actually Nazis. Take this logic further. So we destroy the Putin regime with our blood, then they come to power because the West believes them to be liberals who will make a wonderful Russia of the future. Then they will accuse us of Nazism. They will say that "They are Nazis. We talked about it during the war." This is the essence of what is called Russian liberalism.
Of course, I am far from blaming everyone who is there. There are really, maybe a dozen or so, people with their heads on right. Many left Russia long ago. But when I hear such things said by someone who has said reasonable things in the past, I am reminded again of a saying by Lenin – If you scrape a Russian democrat, you can very quickly find a Russian chauvinist.
Russian "liberalism" today is a chauvinism. Even people jailed for ten years in Russian prisons (I mean Khodorkovsky) are saying: "No, no, we need Russia." And what kind of Russia do you need? Of course, they mean one, which is integral, large, and nuclear. Who will guarantee that after a nominal liberal comes to power in the Kremlin after the defeat of Putin's regime, another Putin will not appear? I talk about this all the time. Where was the guarantee that Putin would not appear after Yeltsin? He appeared.
Because the issue here is, I would like to emphasize, that this is not about the leaders of Russia, but about the Russian people who demand to have a dictator, a tsar, who wants to continue doing terrible imperial policies.
The issue we really disagree on with the so-called Russian opposition is that Russia can no longer exist. From the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, it needs to be crushed. Then this sick idea of greatness will crumble. Because, so far, all this is the result of the mental illness of the Russian people, which is called "velychie". Until we improve it, the situation will not change.
This group of Russian "liberals" now travels around Europe and America and holds meetings. Recently there was a meeting in Berlin. They made an inspiring declaration—for all good things, against all bad things.
So they are masters of beautiful texts, statements, appeals, and everything else where you can write anything. But, they cannot do anything concrete to overthrow the Putin regime. Because they, unfortunately, and this must be said frankly, do not represent anyone but themselves. They are not legitimate.
They are often compared to Svitlana Tikhanovskaya. Tikhanovskaya has legitimacy because the electoral victory was stolen from her; people voted for her. Nobody voted for these people. In addition, they continue to meet in the European Parliament and the European Commission and carry out extensive informational work to be believed and taken seriously.
And this will be another huge mistake of the West, which will say: “Look, is Khodorkovsky a bad guy? Excellent. And is Navalny, who was jailed, a bad guy? No, he’s great. And the same Shenderovich, sitting in Israel, prophesying how to build a beautiful future Russia, is he bad? No, he's good." And on this, another illusion about a Russia that can be changed will be built.
It should be changed in a different way. Not giving power to a group that will simply disappear in three to five years, because nobody wants this liberal Russia. The Russian people need a tsar, a man who will keep them in submission. It is a slave nation, and this should be said with sincerity and frankness. There is no need to be afraid to say it because it is true.
This truth must be conveyed to our Western partners because they look at the Russians through their Western liberal glasses. They need help understanding what it is about. They think they are just as normal as everyone else. But, unfortunately, they are not. Putin is not just Putin. Putin is a person who expresses the thoughts and values of the people. He would have been gone a long time ago if it were otherwise.
Last year, according to Russian polls, just two percent of the Russian population spoke in favor of Western values, and 60% said that the West is a threat, "we don't need your liberal gender and other joys. We have our own."
Therefore, I am simply afraid that our Western liberal colleagues will again buy into the thesis that a group of such intelligent, sensitive people will change something. I can't say anything about Kasparov - an outstanding not only chess player, but also a human rights defender, a person who wants to build something for his people. But he is so far from home that he does not understand that his kind does not take root in Russia. You know, it's like planting a seed, but it just didn't get there due to certain circumstances - the soil is not the same, it pushes it out, and the seed doesn't germinate.
Therefore, it is necessary to proceed very surgically. This disease has affected 120 million (or however many) people and can only be solved by surgery. You need to separate its parts. Other peoples living there were violently annexed by Muscovy, who were colonized and still suffer from this at the hands of Muscovy, who were forcefully denationalized.
Therefore, we must explain these things to our Western partners to prevent another step in the wrong direction.
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