One of the recent posts of Russian journalist and publicist Arkady Babchenko about his compatriots caused a predictable storm of indignation in the information space. In short, Babchenko wrote that in a situation of forced relocation of residents of demolished five-story buildings outside the Moscow Ring Road sympathizes only with those Muscovites who have the strength and courage to at least get to the Peace March (an action that did not entail any repression), and He does not care about the fate of the rest, writes Ksenia Kirillova for "TSN".

Needless to say, what a wave of indignation caused his words, including among representatives of the Russian opposition. Immediately there were a lot of people: respected, sincere and good, started to list examples of their friends who were afraid to go to the peace March and at the same time remained worthy of compassion. With all due respect to these people, I will try to explain why citizens of other countries and those Russians who have managed to fully solidarize with these citizens are really indifferent to Russia's problems.

First, it is worth mentioning that the very fact of forcing people to certain feelings looks, to put it mildly, strange. If a person does not call for the killing of others, but shows only his own personal attitude towards them, he is entitled to do so as he sees fit. Making love or pity someone is impossible in principle.

Unfortunately, most Russians, including dissidents, persistently do not understand and do not want to understand what terrible and devastating evil their country has become for the rest of the world - and not just for Ukraine. As an international journalist, I communicate with many experts in different countries and every day for several years I hear only one thing: corruption, blackmail, lies, propaganda, interference in internal affairs, the threat of an invasion. And all this is not just words. Behind these words is the daily, painful destruction of what people genuinely love, a spectacle reminiscent of a slow death.

In order to feel this evil, it is not necessary to climb under bullets or to bandage the wounded in the hospital. War - is the daily transformation of normal life into hell, this constant existence in the regime of pain and fear. Even if your loved ones survive, even if you survive yourself, even if the bombs do not explode nearby, you can not forget the pain and fear that are poisoning the existence.

I experience this horror of the collapse of what I love, for the third time in three years. The first time it was when Russia, having started a war with Ukraine, began to change beyond recognition, turning from an simply authoritarian corrupt country into a genuine "evil empire", with real repressions. The second time - when in Ukraine, no less native to my country than Russia was once, near the houses of my close relatives bombs began to explode, and friends went to the front volunteers. The third time - when due to Russia's interference in the American elections and the advancement of its agents, the norms, principles and values ??that America admired the whole world began to crumble and undermine. And yes, it was unbearable to see how Russian propaganda creeps into American reality, lies, slander, insults, as Russian proteges in power try to destroy American institutions, intelligence, courts and the press, as from the American president is the justification of the murders and the Bolshevik term "enemies People ".

And if at least some number of people opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, who of the Russians tried to do something against Russian intervention in the affairs of the United States? Who was hooked when one of the main Russian propagandists, in fact, promised France new terrorist attacks that could help bring another Russian protege, Le Pen, to power? Who said at least one word against the deployment of the Russian airbase on the territory of Belarus or the smooth occupation of Armenia? Against the fanning of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, against the support of Assad, who is poisoning civilians with chemical weapons?.

Russians are so fond of resting in beautiful and sunny Montenegro, but how many of them are thinking that it was in this beautiful country that their government, with the hands of Serbian radicals, planned an armed coup? At a time when, after another provocation with the "Crimean saboteurs", my Ukrainian friends were awed with horror for a possible new invasion of Russia to Ukraine, this time from the occupied Crimea, when Belarusian experts predicted the likelihood of an armed invasion of their country when the Balkans was preparing Coup, when Russia continued to poison the existence of everyone it could reach - my Russian friends were engaged in the fact that they agitated each other to vote in elections to the State Duma, participated in party Disassembly and local intrigues and hung signs with the names of those who were repressed for the city houses.

By the way, I never demanded from them that they stopped hanging the tablets or engaged in foreign policy. I believe that everyone has the full right to do what he sees fit, and to equip the life of his own city, and not other people's cities. But then it is also quite logical that one should not ask for help and compassion from people living in countries that were victims of Russian aggression. As Russia tries to destroy the advanced democracies of the world, there will be fewer and fewer countries on this planet that will help other categories of offended Russians, and they can blame themselves only for themselves.

Based on the above, it's time for Russians to understand that party disassembly, electoral intrigues, all their internal problems, plaques, relocations and so on should not be called beautiful words "struggle with the regime". All this activity has no significance for other countries, it does not provide any assistance to the victims of Russia, no relief of suffering for these victims, no redemption of guilt or attempts to hinder the evil created and stop it. What most Russian liberals are doing is solving the internal problems of their city or country, in other words, it's their private affair. I emphasize: I do not blame these people, do not interfere in their lives, do not call on them to quit solving their problems, I just do not quite understand on what basis do the citizens of the executioner state demand from their victims sympathy and assistance in their private affairs?.

Those who really want to claim the role of "fighters with a dictatorship" must understand that the fight against it is first of all counteraction to its crimes. Such a struggle does not tolerate halftones, it is necessary to sacrifice a lot for participation in it, to refuse many things, since there is no other way to do something useful for the victims of Russian wars. And only those who have really helped the victims, who make personal sense with their own shame of involuntary involvement in the crimes of their country, have the right to count on sympathy and gratitude from those to whom he helped.

The arguments that you have children, families, real estate, favorite work and so on, do not matter, because the victims of Russian wars and provocations also had children, homes, family, work and a normal life. Have you ever tried to explain to victims of other people's violence that the well-being of a rapist is more important than their own well-being? Do you understand that all your arguments are reduced, in fact, to one phrase: "We cherish our quiet life, and therefore we will not interfere with our government to destroy your country". What kind of relationship do you expect after that?.

I'll try to give a clearer example. Suppose (God forbid) that one of your loved ones was the victim of another IGIL terrorist act. Do you survive at this moment that these terrorists have wives and concubines, whom they may be raping? Are you sorry for the elderly mother of a suicide bomber? If you find out that those who call themselves opposition to the militants are hanging historical plaques on their homes, will you feel some gratitude to these people? Does it worry you, how comfortable will be the living conditions of the inhabitants of those Muslim cities, the majority of whose population supported the terrorist act? Will you sympathize with those who are resettled for the territory of Rakki, away from the Russian military base? No? And why? Among them, perhaps, there are good people who have done a lot of good to their coreligionists.

Among my acquaintances there are quite a few people who really opposed some of the Russian crimes and even suffered for it. Unfortunately, the possibilities of people living under a dictatorship are, indeed, limited. Their protest could not be called effective, but they at least did everything that was in their power, and everything they really could. I admire their courage, and I will always try to do everything possible to help them, although, I repeat, such opportunities in the world due to the efforts of Russia are becoming less and less. These people turned out to be hostages of the state, and changing something is not in their power. But the boldness and honesty of these people makes them really worthy of sympathy.

I also know a lot of people who were afraid to speak out against Russian wars too actively or efficiently, but at least recognize their fact, realize the common guilt and do not require compassion from others. I help and I will help these people only for this - for just understanding, for understanding, for recognizing the very fact of someone else's pain, for sympathy and the ability to take responsibility for what is being done by their country. I know as well as I do that sometimes it is absolutely impossible to change the situation, but one of their intentions to do this in my eyes is no less valuable.

But those who do not recognize the crimes of Russia or simply do not try to correct them, have no right to demand a relationship other than as accomplices in the crime.

This does not mean that you will not be helped or sympathized - it means only that you have no right to demand such sympathy or consider your problems as priority ones. Before asking for help, it would be nice for these people to learn how to help others, first and foremost, the victims of their collective crimes.

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