Putin will not save Ukraine from fascism.

We’ll start with those who support Russia’s intervention to both sides of the front. Yes, officially, one of the goals of the intervention is the “denazification of Ukraine.” But even if we don’t dig too much into the reasoning of the Russian ruling class and the dominant ideology, we can understand that it’s just a phrase. Shortly before, Vladimir Putin himself came out with a speech full of attacks on Lenin and Bolsheviks.

From the onset of the uprising in Donbass, agents of the Russian government exerted all their force to push the left and the communists out of the political field and replace them with monarchists and nationalists. And when the intensity of mass struggle decreased and the self-proclaimed republics became merely dull enclaves, the local left suffered even worse repressions. Yes, you won’t get your ass kicked for wearing communist symbols or breaking out the Soviet flag over there. Still, organizing strikes or Marxist circles is barely easier than on Kyiv-controlled territory.

The war will not bring about the economic ascent.

Sanctions, real and imaginary, have become a perfect reason for the Russian ruling elites to conduct a new round of anti-social reforms. Of course, one must not exaggerate the willingness of the notional West to break all economic ties with Russia. However, the terms of trade will become more severe, and big business is already piling the associated costs on us.

Some unpopular and harmful measures have already been taken under the cover of diplomatic hysteria. For instance, the privatization of water protection lands. This will let big business off the leash even further, even though they initially did not give a damn about ecological restrictions.

The playground argument doesn’t work.

Of course, many will say that the West and Ukraine were the first to start. However, we’re not in a children’s playground, and the situation is more complex. Yes, we can’t discount the provocative actions of various levels of rudeness. But on the overall, diplomatic methods of regulation had not been depleted. As to the armed provocations from the Ukrainian side in the last few days before the invasion—if we assume they were not fake—the response to them was asymmetrical.

Pot calling the kettle black.

All above said, we are not ready to self-chastise and consider the Ukrainian government an innocent victim. Not at all. We can’t forget that for the past eight years, a small-scale conflict simmered in Donbass, with Ukraine as the primary aggressor backed by the full support of its Western allies.

Moreover, the coming to power of the current regime was dirty and bloody. So if you’re shedding tears over the victims of Putin’s army now, please spare a tear for the victims of the massacre in the Odessa Trade Union House, the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, who died under the shelling by the Ukrainian Army and the opposition figures murdered by fascist thugs.

The foreign countries won’t help out.

A large part of anti-war citizens has liberal values. And therefore tends to harbor illusions about some exceptional civility inherent to Westerners. Yet, just look at how the great powers of the West are leaving their ally out to dry with utter cynicism. Unwillingness to help Ukraine in action is concealed by diplomatic dilly-dallying and hysterical outbursts from the side of various small countries—Czechia and Latvia, Belgium and Netherlands. Financial sanctions and loud proclamations are a great way to get off scot-free…

And should we even appeal to the opinion of those who are themselves guilty as charged? Especially funny is the whining of Latvian elites about the horrible aggression and breaching international law. Perhaps these fine folk would like to start separating people by citizens and “non-citizens” and get rid of their local SS-member monuments? Then we’ll talk.

Essentially, the two sides are equally reactionary and bring nothing good for ordinary citizens even in the long run. Meanwhile, the negative consequences are easy to observe already. There are various messages about losses in the Russian army. We don’t know whom to trust. Moreover, the amount of detained anti-war protest rallies is growing.

And if only these losses and hardships were justified by some visible improvements for the citizens of Russia and Ukraine. But, no, the war is only bringing about misery, even in the case of the best case scenario for the Russian army, which will lead to the regime’s fall in Kyiv. But even the current successes of the Russian military do not guarantee such a course of events. Especially if the operation drags on and factors that made us consider a large-scale war impossible come into play.

Some good news.

…The happiest thing for us, no matter how strange, is the very reserved reaction of both the “patriotic” and “liberal” parts of society to the war. There is nothing near the uproar of 2013-14. Besides, the more reasonable part of the left and many liberals have a shared, healthy position. In that case, the reaction to ROT-Front’s Alexander Batov’s statement was very revealing. His thoughts were endorsed even by many people alien to communist ideas. We can not miss such a moment to consolidate the reasonable part of society.

We continue to stand against war and ask our readers not to be seduced by arguments in favor of it. But, on the other hand, we would like to warn you of dangerous actions caused by your righteous anger at the adventurism of our rulers. So please keep calm and think soberly. Neither of the chairs offered to us is worth sitting on…

Laboratory of the Future

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