Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, I’ve seen a pretty significant backlash against all things Russian. I’ve heard of people pouring out Russian vodka.  An Austin, Texas, Restaurant called Russian House dropped the country from its name.  And the University of Milano-Bicocca even canceled a class on Russian author  Fyodor Dostoevsky. (The university has reportedly backtracked on that decision.)

This goes to show how quickly war turns people into rabid collectivists. Suddenly “Russians” become the bad guys (and gals). All of them.

This is absurd.

I shouldn’t have to say this, but the average Russian didn’t invade Ukraine.  And the Ukrainian government shares some of the blame for this mess — along with western powers who thought it would be a good idea to get involved in a coup that ousted a more moderate (from Russia’s perspective) president back in 2014.

But my intention here isn’t really to focus on foreign policy. That’s messy and complicated. And despite what your Facebook friend proclaims, most Americans don’t really understand all of the dynamics involved.

The fact is, a lot of opinions about this war come down to perspective and what government propaganda you consume. It’s amazing that the same people who questioned every government pronouncement about the pandemic suddenly believe everything the regime and corporate press tell them about Ukraine.

I think the majority of Americans perceive Russia as an existential threat. And perhaps it is. Regardless, politicians in the U.S. play on those fears to consolidate power.

Guess what?

The same thing happens in other countries. I mean, have you ever stopped to think about it from a Russian perspective?

I have a Russian friend who lived in the states for many years. Not long after the invasion, I reached out to her to see how she was doing. I knew that it would be a difficult time for her.  We ended up chatting a bit and she offered some very interesting perspectives. She was even kind enough to write out her viewpoints in an essay of sorts.

She gave me permission to publish her thoughts – the perspective of one Russian woman.

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I dunno what to say.

This is how I start my conversations with all my American friends and former colleagues these days. As a matter of fact, nobody really has any answers. Liberal shrieks on one side, and the heavy metal beat of various propagandas on the other. Every event I see information about, I try to find in five different sources and three languages just to make sure it actually did take place. An old journalistic habit is not planning on dying, although I haven’t been in the profession for about five years.

I absolutely have to say one thing: every American friend who’s reached out to check in on me did NOT ask what side I was on, they only wanted to know how I was and if I needed anything.

I am OK, you guys. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for your concern.

Here, deep in the heartland, it’s all quiet. Business as usual. And it’s a bit scary in and of itself.

Every country needs a Boogie Man. Something to herd together against. Something to wave in front of the electorate to lure them to the polls. Ours is NATO and its eastward expansion.

It has worked so magically for a few decades so why change it?

Do I seriously believe that a nuclear warhead is aimed at my home right now? I guess I have to, as I have been consuming this agenda since I can remember. I can walk outside right now and ask 10 people if they think that’s true, and they will most likely say, “Yes.”

Why?

“Because nobody needs a strong Russia.”

But wait, Russia is somebody’s Boogie Man too. The missiles have stars and stripes on them! So logically, the stronger the Boogie Man, the bigger the military budget… Catch-22, really.

I think this whole massacre was meant to be a “small victorious war” to help boost the approval ratings of the one and only. The country ravaged by the pandemic, struggling with its own identity because it was getting increasingly difficult to silence the “unapproved” voices, was given a worthy enemy to be united against, but it wasn’t just NATO.

Neo-Nazism. The Euromaidan stirred up the rotting wound of the left-over fascism in Europe, bringing the radical right together. Sponsored by the power-hungry oligarchs they turned into a real force to reckon with. Added to this was the official Ukrainian push for its own identity, slowly erasing everything Russian from its past and present.

The special intolerance of fascism is in our DNA. The 20 million Russian souls lost in the Great War made sure of it. So every time it rears its head, even in the slightest, those souls boil our blood. And that’s what we see in the Right Sector marches and crimes. And the Ukrainian government’s tolerance of them. That hopefully explains why according to the official polls, both conservative and liberal, the Russians approve of the commander’s actions.

I am not a religious person. Very few of my generation are. The Religion has been in the background of our lives and is hardly a factor in this situation. But I can bet you, right now, regardless of the language and the confession, we are all praying for one thing.

For this to stop.

As soon as possible.

-Lina Tish

Lina offered one final thought in an email.

Frankly, this whole war seems like a badly orchestrated play to me… hopefully it only has one act!