“This year, May 8 is an important day of remembrance in the shadow of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The media have been speculating for days about what Putin will present to his people on May 9, the day on which Russia celebrates its victory over German fascism, as the latest trophy of victory. Putin justifies the war against Ukraine, which began in February, as a “special operation” to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine: Ukraine is being led by a fascist terror regime that is also committing genocide against the Russian population.
This framing is bizarre, untenable – and shameful in view of the real victims of fascism. No, Russia’s act of war cannot be legitimized with a few Nazis in Ukraine or with a possible eastward expansion of NATO. The aggression and the victims it claims must not be relativized with this more than questionable narrative. In fact, the Russian leadership itself is now behaving in a dictatorial manner and fascist advisors are thinking along with it. Would it otherwise be forbidden to speak of “war” in Russia? Would the last remnants of freedom of the press, freedom of demonstration and freedom of expression be banned? Is it possible to simply separate internal and external conditions in a system? Certainly not!
From the outside, we can only hope that the war will end as quickly as possible, that Russia will withdraw its troops and live up to its responsibility for the consequences of the war. Unfortunately, however, there is no “day of liberation” in sight. Some fear that it will escalate into a world war or even a nuclear war and see the apocalypse ahead. They want Ukraine to end the war, to capitulate. But we cannot speak for the people of Ukraine. According to those who fear another world war, we should at least not supply weapons so as not to provoke Russia. I think this argument is wrong. We must not deny our values because we are afraid of Putin’s reaction. And one thing is clear: appeasement policy did not hinder the plans for a Greater German Reich in the last century.
We will have to argue fiercely and work out what the peace and security policy for our country and the world can and should look like in the future. But now that the victims of a war of aggression are defending themselves and understandably asking for our help, we must not sit back and relax. We don’t even have to believe that Putin is waging a war against our liberal system. What counts now is solidarity and compassion.”
