How can Putin be stopped?

The world is outraged at the Russian war against Ukraine. Politicians keep saying, “It’s Putin’s war!” Of course, it is. It was Putin’s decision. But he is not alone. Large parts of the Russian population support him because they believe the propaganda on the state-controlled media. Even members of the Duma believe what the media report. Well-educated, decent Russians in Moskow say in perfect English, “I don’t believe Russia is bombing Charkov. They promised to never do that. They aren’t doing it.” They do not believe in the Russian aggression in Ukraine. How could they? They are used to believing what the state media say and show. We hear of young people who live in Ukraine telling their parents who live in Russia about the onslaught on civilian targets, of the constant shelling. They are devastated that their parents do not believe them, repeating the words of state media.[1] And there is nothing else left. The last free media outlets have been banned and anyone propagating what the government considers “Fake News” from their standpoint risk up to 10 years in the gulag. Anything resembling opposition has been banned and those responsible detained. Can we blame the Russian population for the brainwashing they are undergoing?

The western world is showing solidarity with Ukraine, condemning the Russian attack on a democratic, independent country. But there is a new danger involved. Just because somebody is Russian, that does not automatically have to mean that he or she is a bad person. They should not be despised. There are lots of Russians who are against the war. Others have been misled by state propaganda. Many soldiers who have been sent to Ukraine are bewildered by the reality they are encountering. They were told that the Ukrainian people would welcome them as liberators. They see brave citizens trying to stop tanks with their bare hands. They are conscripts who did not want to fight a war. They are afraid. Not even all soldiers are bad people. They have been misled.

The opposition has been intimidated by harsh measures. And yet, people are going out into the streets to demonstrate against Putin’s war, risking arrest. People like 77-year-old Elena Osipova, who protested in St. Petersburg against the war on Ukraine, holding up two self-written placards. On them, she speaks out against the use of global nuclear weapons, calling for a ban. "Russia, you are a monster". Surrounded by other demonstrators and accompanied by applause, the pensioner did not drop her signs even when two policemen tried to take them from her. Finally, they lead the old lady away with several emergency personnel.[2]

Nearly 7,000 scientists and academics in Russia have spoken out against the war in Ukraine, signing an open letter to President Vladimir Putin. "We, Russian scientists and science journalists, protest in the strongest terms against the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian armed forces," reads the letter published on the news website trv-science.ru. [3]

The Russian government has suppressed freedom and opposition for many years. Opposition leaders have been sent to prison. Others have been poisoned or killed. That is not a climate that fosters free speech. However, even prison bars cannot stop the message of Alexey Nawalnyi from reaching people who want democracy and freedom in Russia. He is Putin's most prominent domestic opponent.

"Show the world that Russians don't want war. Come out in the squares of Berlin, New York, Amsterdam, or Melbourne, wherever you are. Now we are all responsible for Russia's future. For what Russia will be in the eyes of the world," he said in a post.[4]

A large number of arrests during anti-war protests may keep many from going out into the streets to demonstrate, but it will not stop their opinions. Their thoughts are free despite all kinds of restrictions. Now, more and more people are beginning to call for an end to the war.

Many Russians who live and work in the western world now feel obliged to show which side they support. Even oligarchs close to Putin call for an end to the war. Oligarchs living in London are scrambling to avoid being hurt by the restrictions. While more and more Russian participation in sports is being canceled, the athletes and players are condemning  Putin’s war. Just because they are Russians they do not have to be bad people. We should not have to hate Russians because we love Ukrainians. We are all humans. There are ’rotten eggs’ in any country. It is not easy for me to write this, because in my home country Finland, we used to hate Russians due to what they did to our country. The end of the cold war put an end to the hate, but now people are becoming warier of Russians again. That may be a natural consequence. But still, there is much sympathy for those who leave Russia because of the war. The train connection between St. Peterburg and Helsinki is one of the last connections that are open now that air travel is suspended.

Some Russians “are anxious to get out of Russia because there has been a persistent rumor that President Vladimir Putin's government might soon introduce martial law to deal with demonstrations against the invasion of Ukraine.” BBC reporters spoke to one young Russian woman. She was in despair at what has been happening. "People in Ukraine are our people - our family," she said. "We shouldn't be killing them." Would she think of going back, I asked? "Not while our dreadful government is there. It is so, so sad." She said most Russians don't want this war, but they risk going to jail if they try to stand up to Putin. [5] No wonder many Russians are trying to get out of their country.

Russia has already lost due to the war it started. It has lost its reputation and respect. It is losing its financial stability and its population will have to suffer again, particularly the elderly and the poor. All this has been caused by one delusional man and his entourage who are ruling by force and brutality. Putin wanted to make Russia great again, but in the process, he has ruined everything. How can he be stopped?

Brave Feminists

The Russian state has successfully repressed most of the opposition, but not all. Russian feminists have united against the occupation and war in Ukraine. Russia’s feminists are in the streets protesting. The Jacobin Magazine writes, “Feminism is one of the few opposition movements in contemporary Russia that has not been destroyed by the waves of persecution launched by Vladimir Putin’s government. At the moment, several dozen grassroots feminist groups are operating in at least thirty Russian cities.” In a manifesto they have published, they are calling for feminists in all parts of the world to unite in opposing the military aggression launched by Putin’s government by taking part in antiwar demonstrations. They condemn the war. Feminism as a political force cannot be on the side of a war of aggression and military occupation. The feminist movement in Russia struggles for vulnerable groups and the development of a just society with equal opportunities and prospects, in which there can be no place for violence and military conflicts. They call on feminists all over the world to join their resistance. They are the opposition to war, patriarchy, authoritarianism, and militarism. Their appeal is, “We are all in danger of persecution by the state now and need your support.”[6]

Feminists are trying to stop Putin’s war. It must be stopped. The many honest, decent Russians have to do their part in ending this madness because they are the only ones who can. Past opposition leader Chodorkowsky who spent ten years in prison says the only way to stop Putin is a revolution. And he is confident that it will come. He is calling on all Russians to fight the foe – and the foe is Putin. We pledge our support.

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[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60600487

[2] https://www.derwesten.de/politik/russland-ukraine-st-petersburg-demo-krieg-putin-aktivistin-polizei-verhaftungen-krim-id234715995.html

[3] https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Fast-7000-Wissenschaftler-kritisieren-Putins-Krieg-article23171805.html

[4] reut.rs/3hEuPZh

[5] bbc.in/3pDOPji

[6] https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/russian-feminist-antiwar-resistance-ukraine-putin

Police detain a demonstrator during an antiwar protest in Pushkin Square, Moscow, February 24, 2022. (Sergei Savostyanov / TASS via Getty Images)