Here is an interesting You Tube video I came across last evening. It is from a channel called “Russian 2022: Growing Crisis.”
This Russian guy, Constantin, who speaks perfect, fluent English, gives a very intense, poignant, insightful monologue about his anguished fear living in Russia today: “Russia: Fear Is Growing, Things are changing fast.” This Russian is speaking out of his humiliation and shame at the murder and mayhem occurring in Ukraine in his name as a patriot. Like most of us felt the day of Shock ‘n Awe in Iraq, and all the ensuing.
He is expressing a cathartic cry out for how dismal life is under Putin’s iron-fisted, authoritarian rule (he says “since February 24th,” the attack on Ukraine). He is a native-born Russian, who came to live in the U.S. for five years, when a young man, after his university days. He says he loves America, but he yearned for his Home Country to settle down, build a life, and raise a family. So he returned to Russia, south of Moscow, and succeeded at all his dreams for a productive, pleasant family life (wife, 5 kids).
Surprisingly, Constantin reports that by 2004, things were good in Russia. He says there was no prosecution nor persecution for any criticism of Russian government leaders. He says that there was relative freedom of the media and all manner of dissent. The economy was smooth and prosperous. This started to change, slowly, by 2012. Gradual, not oppressive.
Constantin reports a bared-teeth, iron-fisted sudden shift to fascist totalitarianism as of February 24th, 2022, when Putin viciously invaded Ukraine. He says that the nation was appalled, even Putin’s closest insiders were bewildered and stunned. It took “a few days” for the citizenry to react, with the huge demonstrations against the invasion that we saw on the news. Russian media from all corners spoke forthrightly in opposition to this “war” against a beloved neighbor, Ukraine.
Then The Hammer came down. It quickly became highly illegal to refer to Russia’s sudden attacking aggression as anything except a “Special military operation.” Constantin says that at first, to violate that new “law” just brought arrest and maybe a few days in jail. But quickly, by Spring, any criticism of the invasion would be a 15-year prison sentence. He says the oppression and dismal isolation and economic stress are shredding the whole country into a Russia he doesn’t recognize. Six months later now, he says Russian life is untenable.
Constantin says that his fear is rising, to chokehold levels now. He gives a graphic litany of the reasons for the fear, that are not surprising to us. They are just like the fascist authoritarianism we have all seen before, and that is now threatening us here in our Democracy. Constantin’s soul is anguished, with shame and despair of his country; and the pervasive fear he now lives with every day, and increasing, since last February. It is a soul-baring, poignant look, as through a glass darkly, of what life in Putin’s Russia is like today.
I was riveted, watching and listening to him pour it all out to the world. I felt fear for him, thinking throughout his soulful outpouring (however carefully worded, and he does walk that thin line of dangerous speech) that he may well not be here today or tomorrow, for what he has posted to You Tube.
I recommend sitting quietly, as if you were there with him, as a friend on safer ground than he is. (But for how long before we are confronted by the same savage fascism?) He does a prayer at the end, as his sign-off. I expect many here will want to skip that. If it made him feel better, what’s the harm, but it doesn’t add anything to his poignant, cathartic message.
Have a listen: (Slava Ukraini 💪🏾🇺🇦)