“Our” media cannot be the same as “not ours”
Photo: IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation
Recently I read material in one of the very famous RIA, which amazed me. No, not in style, awareness or freshness of thought. He struck me with how beautifully it tells about ... Russia's actions in the Donbass. Although neither Donbass nor Russia is mentioned in the article. We are talking about completely different states, well known to us. I waited three days to read at least somewhere an analysis of this material, but ...
It turned out that weed grains can be safely thrown into "our garden", however, it is necessary to pour them into a bag with the inscription "oats". And then no one will notice the substitution of this very "oats" for "wild oats". Moreover, people with little interest in the topic will be sure that they have really sown oats and will sincerely defend the crops from enemies.
I am far from thinking that this was done on purpose. Most likely, in my opinion, this is a desire to talk about a topic that has somehow been forgotten in Russia recently in connection with the upcoming large-scale events in world politics. This is clear to me. This is the work of a journalist, the highlight of the work, I would say. Only here is a little not thought out.
Like beautiful cinematic shots about the death of a hero who stood up to his full height in front of the enemies and showered these very enemies with bursts from a machine gun. 2 seconds. Nice, but stupid. And fools at the front live a little. And a living soldier is more important for a commander than a dead hero.
The virus does not attack head-on. The virus attacks from within
I will now quote pieces from the material, simply changing the names of the states in question. I will do this on purpose. I repeat, these are not literal quotes, the names of the states have been changed by me in order to make it clear how deep the seeds of this "wild oat" can be laid. So, the Ukrainian news agency reports:
“The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemns the actions of the Russian regime, which has created a mechanism for registering acts of civil status in terrorist-controlled areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Ukrainian passports and family documents are canceled and replaced by illegal ones - Russian ones. This is the apogee of the Russification policy, "the Ukrainian news agency reports."
“Traditionally, Moscow uses soft power. The schools were restored or rebuilt, the program was adapted to the Russian one. For example, in textbooks on stories “Russian occupation” was replaced by “voluntary annexation”. Thousands of teachers receive salaries from a neighboring state, Russian is taught from the first grade. Graduates are offered to enter Russian universities. "
"The problem is that Russia is behaving in Donbass as at home, although Russian troops are in the east of the country illegally, not by the decision of the UN Security Council and not at the invitation of Kiev."
“A terrorist enclave has formed in Donbass, in which the most radical groups are located,” the expert continues. “The very idea of restoring Ukrainian sovereignty there is unacceptable to them. Slowly the Russians are creating conditions for "biting off" these territories and annexing them to Russia. "
“Traditionally, Moscow uses soft power. The schools were restored or rebuilt, the program was adapted to the Russian one. For example, in textbooks on stories “Russian occupation” was replaced by “voluntary annexation”. Thousands of teachers receive salaries from a neighboring state, Russian is taught from the first grade. Graduates are offered to enter Russian universities. "
"The problem is that Russia is behaving in Donbass as at home, although Russian troops are in the east of the country illegally, not by the decision of the UN Security Council and not at the invitation of Kiev."
“A terrorist enclave has formed in Donbass, in which the most radical groups are located,” the expert continues. “The very idea of restoring Ukrainian sovereignty there is unacceptable to them. Slowly the Russians are creating conditions for "biting off" these territories and annexing them to Russia. "
I think these quotes are enough for readers to have an opinion about where such materials come from. And a conviction has already been formed about which side should be supported in this situation. Remember the many times repeated words about a single people, about the brotherhood of Slavic peoples? This is an appendage.
We really must help the people of Donbass in all available ways. We are truly one people. Yes, Russia is big, the Russian northerner and the Russian southerner look different, they speak a little peculiarly. And Russians have a lot of nationalities. There are many races. There are many ways of life. There are many religions.
But all this fades if all these Russians are defending their country. Your Russia. The answer to who the Russians are can be read on the inscriptions on the mass graves of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Ivanov, Ostapenko, Vuyachich, Abdullaev, Avanesyan, Goridze, Kim, Nerkagi, Salchak Kasygbai ...
And now real quotes from the material that was published.
“The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemns the actions of the Turkish regime, which has created a mechanism for registering acts of civil status in the terrorist-controlled areas of Idlib. Syrian identity cards and family documents are canceled and replaced by illegal ones - Turkish ones. This is the apogee of the Turkization policy, "the Syrian news agency reports."
“Traditionally, Ankara uses soft power. Schools were restored or rebuilt, the program was adapted to Turkish. For example, in history textbooks "Ottoman occupation" was replaced by "Ottoman rule". Thousands of teachers receive salaries from the neighboring state, and Turkish is taught from the first grade. Graduates are offered to enter universities in Turkey. "
"The problem is that Turkey behaves in Syria as at home, although Turkish troops are in the north of the country illegally, not by the decision of the UN Security Council and not at the invitation of Damascus."
“A terrorist enclave has formed in Idlib, in which the most radical groups are located,” the expert continues. “The very idea of restoring Syrian sovereignty there is unacceptable to them. The Turks are slowly creating conditions for "biting off" these territories and their annexation to Turkey. "
“Traditionally, Ankara uses soft power. Schools were restored or rebuilt, the program was adapted to Turkish. For example, in history textbooks "Ottoman occupation" was replaced by "Ottoman rule". Thousands of teachers receive salaries from the neighboring state, and Turkish is taught from the first grade. Graduates are offered to enter universities in Turkey. "
"The problem is that Turkey behaves in Syria as at home, although Turkish troops are in the north of the country illegally, not by the decision of the UN Security Council and not at the invitation of Damascus."
“A terrorist enclave has formed in Idlib, in which the most radical groups are located,” the expert continues. “The very idea of restoring Syrian sovereignty there is unacceptable to them. The Turks are slowly creating conditions for "biting off" these territories and their annexation to Turkey. "
My attitude to the idea of the Turkish president has long been known. And this attitude is sharply negative. "Great Turan" is an ordinary utopia that sells well before the elections. Everyone understands perfectly well that there are few countries in the world that will agree to give up their sovereignty in order to enter a new state on the rights of any region.
Rather, President Erdogan dreams of creating a bloc of states united along ethnic or religious lines like the EU or the CIS. This fits much better with the logic of Turkey's actions in recent years. The Turks are well aware of the fading away of Europe and the United States. Therefore, they strive to take a higher place in the new world. Ankara cannot swallow other countries. The "mouth" is too small.
In the matter of the actions of the Turks in Idlib, I do not see any danger for Russia. Emotions aside, what do we get in the bottom line? The fraternal people of the Turks live on the territory belonging to another state. This state, due to objective reasons, cannot provide a normal life for these people at the moment. The long-term domination of terrorists has formed a completely different attitude towards the state among the inhabitants of Idlib.
Turks build hospitals and schools ... Is that bad? The Turks are repairing roads and rebuilding cities and villages ... Is that bad? Turks issue documents to those who wish ... Is that also bad? Not sure. People have been living for years without hospitals, schools and passports. People live virtually without any rights. They are nobody.
Can Syria at the moment, even if the Turkish army leaves Idlib, ensure the same rapid restoration of the province that we see now? Unfortunately no. There is one more factor that for some reason we do not take into account. President Erdogan has not yet talked about the annexation of the province to Turkey. All our reflections on such a possibility begin with “if” ... I would pay more attention to the forces that seek to create their own state. The separatists.
Relations between nations, even in one state, are delicate matters
It is clear that the preservation of territorial integrity is a vital issue for any state. The loss of any territory entails a whole bunch of problems. We are used to considering such events from the point of view of the "belly", from the point of view of the economy. Lost minerals, lost factories, lost manpower. This is all true.
On this occasion, I remembered our 90s. Smokers remember when filter cigarettes suddenly disappeared from our stores. They disappeared simply because the only factory for the production of fiber for cigarette filters was outside Russia, on the territory of one of the Transcaucasian republics. An example, of course, is not so-so, but it was. As was the fact that the severance of Ukraine's ties with the Donbass and Russia stopped the Ukrainian and Russian factories.
But there are other connections as well. Not so important from the point of view of the state, but the most important from the point of view of people. These are relatives, this is religion, this is the opportunity to live like a human being. By and large, for an ordinary person, his home, his family, his children are more important than the ambitions of the capital's politicians. And this person will choose not "a crane in the sky", but "a tit in his hands." He will choose stability, predictability, prosperity, the ability to raise and educate children.
Probably, many Russians have a heartache for their relatives and friends in Ukraine. Not for Ukraine as a state, but for my mother, father, brother, sister, acquaintance, friend. For specific people who are close to us. The same is happening in Syria. The exact same thoughts are in the minds of the Syrians. You cannot treat the same events in different ways. “Ours” can and should, but “theirs” cannot. In my opinion, the principle should be different - this is possible, but this is not possible.
With our rude actions or words, we can offend just an ordinary person. And then all our help in the fight against terrorism, our humanitarian convoys for the population of Syria, and ultimately the death of our guys on Syrian soil, will turn into zilch. People live in the territory controlled by President Assad better - great. People live in the territory controlled by the Turks, better - great.
The task of politicians and diplomats today is to agree on the further structure of Syria as a state, after the defeat of the terrorists. Under what conditions will Idlib return to Syria? What kind of relations will the inhabitants of this province have with Turkey, with Russia, with the United States and other countries?
Subtotals
The rhetoric used by some of our journalists copies the most unpleasant examples of Ukrainian propaganda. We laugh at the Ukrainian media, but we allow ourselves to use their manuals, their methods of influencing the brain of citizens.
I understand that I want to win. I want to win at once, with one blow. Only even when they were in the trenches, people understood that the slogan "war will write off everything" was vile. War will not write off anything. You can't get away from yourself. You can't get away from your own conscience. You can't get away from your own tribunal.
Syria today is such a complex tangle of problems that it will not be possible to resolve it with “one blow of the sword”. This knot will be more serious than the one that got from King Gordius to Alexander the Great. And we will unravel it for a long time and carefully. It is very important to keep your hands and heart clean. Do not lose yourself in a fit of “patriotic anger”.
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