As the war goes on, Russian liberal public frequent various broadcasts on Ukraine. Even in the Ukrainian media, Russian opposition politicians, independent journalists and public intellectuals are welcomed as sympathetic speakers. Attention to the Russian liberal voices can be problematic for Ukraine’s success in the war. Ukraine’s victory may be the end to Putin’s regime, but if liberal politicians in Russia took power in the Kremlin, they wouldn’t change its strategy for relations with Ukraine.
Navalny’s 2014 comment about Crimea as a Russian territory illustrated how Russian liberals are susceptible to expansionism. The root causes of Russia’s war against Ukraine began to take shape long before Putin came to power. The predominant Russian narrative through the XXth century was the idea of restoring the Russian empire. Russian liberals supported this narrative before 1917 and throughout the Soviet era, publicly denying Ukraine’s will for independence and devaluing Ukrainian culture as inferior to the great Russian culture. Brodsky’s “On the Independence of Ukraine” greatly summarizes how little liberalism is there in a Russian liberal opposition when the Ukrainian question is at stake.
So, how can the Russian liberals threaten Ukraine’s victory? Can one consider Russian liberalism in isolation from the Russian geopolitical machine? We’ll find out in Ukraine in Flames #43.
Also, check Ukraine in Flames #28: Should we trust Russian opposition media.
Speakers: Viktor Trehubov, captain of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Taras Shamayda, journalist, coordinator of the “Space of Freedom” civic movement Olha Vorozhbyt, Deputy editor-in-chief of “The Ukrainian Week” www.tyzhden.ua Halyna Petrenko, director of NGO “Detector Media”.
UKRAINE IN FLAMES project is created by Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Ukrainian Catholic University’s analitical center and NGO “Euroatlantic Course”. We are aiming at searching a loud support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia on the 24th of February 2022.
If you want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, check the link with recommendations by Ukraine Crisis Media Center – https://uacrisis.org/en/help-ukraine.
NGO Euroatlantic Course collects donations to support Ukrainian Army and civilians – https://eac.org.ua/en/main-page/.
