As Europe is yet again left with a fascist dictator dreaming of resurrecting an empire, let’s talk Victory Day in Russia and Ukraine.
To understand modern Russian identity and how the invasion of Ukraine perfectly fits into it, you have to take a close look at the #VictoryDay.
It might surprise a lot of people, but the Soviet Victory Day was not nearly as big as it is in modern Russia.
In fact, Victory Day in Russia is basically what independence day means for most other nations.
Victory Day provides a perfect bridge between the imperial, Soviet, and d modern-day Russia. It also feeds the unresolved imperialist ambitions of Russia.
Folks, it’s a death cult.
I can’t stress enough how undermining Russian version of Victory Day for the rest of former Soviet states and allies.
Ukraine’s relevance and human sacrifice in defeating the Nazis is one of the most widely ignored aspects of WWII discourse.
There is little joy for Ukraine in the WWII story. It’s a huge tragedy.
Of course, if you create a cult of war, sooner or later you’re gonna find a war to fight. Just call some people “Nazis” enough times and you’re good.
Kindly reminder that the Z-symbol and glorification of modern-day Russia basically means open support for the genocide of Ukrainians.
#NeverAgain now has dark undertones because a fascist war of extermination is here again, in Europe.
But it’s not too late to act.
Support for Ukraine is crucial right now.
If you want your donation to have a real impact, I urge you to donate to my dear friend @bo_pavlo who’s been volunteering 24/7 to supply Ukrainian defenders with drones.
Donate here: 100drones.com.ua
Feel free to download and post/send these cards wherever you want (but please tag or message me if you do): drive.google.com/drive/folders/…
More cards are available on the Ukraine Explainers website: uaexplainers.com
Thanks! End of 🧵
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The language context of Ukraine can be a tricky topic for any outsider. In this long and personal thread, I’ll illustrate the relationship between 🇺🇦 and 🇷🇺 languages in Ukraine using my family’s history. I’m a bilingual Ukrainian raised in a Russian-speaking family in Kyiv.
The photo in the first tweet is from my family archive. It’s my great-great grandfather’s (second from the right) family photo taken in 1913. They were rural farmers living in Kyiv oblast. (I wish I could grow a mustache like that but I guess some genes haven’t survived)
I’ll start with some basic context. Russian and Ukrainian are separate Slavic languages that are partly mutually intelligible. They differ from one another more than many people think. But that’s a whole different story.
Even after Bucha and Mariupol, some people get genuinely surprised when they learn that Ukrainians don’t want to talk to Russians or show any signs of brotherhood.
The “brotherly nations” myth is too damn persistent. So let’s talk about these attempts to befriend 🇺🇦 and 🇷🇺.
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It’s true: many Greek Catholics in Ukraine have openly criticized Pope Francis after this shameful ceremony idea.
I keep repeating that seeing the human complexity in people collectively responsible for the genocide of your nation is impossible. Seeing the many shades of grey is a privilege, and it should be used wisely and timely.
So @navalny urges Russians to buy out all the ads on social media to tell people the truth about Russian invasion. Thing is, Ukraine already did exactly that in the first weeks of war. Tech and marketing companies across all Ukraine united their effort to break Russian propaganda
How did it end?
Russians reacted with indifference and hate. They claimed it was just Ukrainian propaganda lying to them about Russian casualties and war crimes.
Zero civic resistance, no public outrage.
Ukrainians abandoned these campaigns on the ~3-4 well of war.
Why didn’t it help then and why Navalny’s idea will fail now as well?
Hard to tell exactly, but: 1) 20 years of insane brainwashing can do magic. 2) Russia is deeply totalitarian now — even the idea of political protests seems pointless to Russians against war. 3) Russians run…
So earlier this week @EmmanuelMacron told 🇷🇺 and 🇺🇦 were “brothers.”
This is a very common mistake when talking about 🇷🇺 and the nations it colonized. Russia’s way of assimilation lays through such “brotherhood.”
So let’s talk Russian imperialism. A visual 🧵
First things first, this is a war of an empire against its rogue former colony.
The myth of the “Ukrainian Nazi problem” has become so widespread that even after Bucha, people still feel it's important to ask “What about the Azov battalion?” or “Did the Ukrainian victims have any nationalistic tattoos?”