The Distorted Mirror
When I think about the term "distorted mirror," it often comes to mind as I read international press reports or watch foreign television, including some of our own. The portrayal of Russia as an occupier, aggressor, or enemy leaves me perplexed about what's happening in the world. I want to tell these critics that Russia deserves prayers, not condemnation. We should wish Russia well, hope for its prosperity, success, and strength. However, to truly understand this, one must study the history of the Russian people and Russia seriously—not through the lens of Solzhenitsyn and others like him. Unfortunately, there are far too many so-called historians whose main goal is to tarnish and vilify Russia and the Russian people to please Russia's true enemies. And yes, Russia does have many enemies, diverse and numerous.
Russia's Role in History
What's particularly strange is that those whom Russia has saved from complete destruction often turn out to be its fiercest adversaries. I won't delve into the depths of history to prove this point. Instead, I'll highlight some surface-level historical facts.
The peoples of Europe should be eternally grateful to Russia because it was the Russian people who bore the brunt of the brutal and relentless Mongol-Tatar invasion, absorbing their full military might. One can only imagine what would have happened to a flourishing Europe if the Russian people hadn't been able to stop them. Russia saved Europe from Napoleon's domination. What would have happened to Europe if the Russian people hadn't defeated Napoleon? And he was still relatively young—who knows what more he might have done to Europe? Russia provided military assistance to several Balkan countries in their liberation from Turkish rule. Russia pulled the peoples of Central Asia out of the medieval era and introduced them to Russian and European culture. Russia saved the peoples of the Caucasus from Turkish and Persian domination. If it weren't for Russian soldiers, they would now be northern provinces of Iran and Turkey, with no high culture in Azerbaijan, Armenia, or Georgia.
Misunderstanding Russia's Intentions
Today, when various types of Russophobes raise their voices in these so-called independent republics, they should read the history of their peoples. Without Russia and the Russian people, they would have no statehood at all. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers and officers died defending the peoples of the Caucasus from Persians and Turks, and their sacrifices are now unjustly forgotten. If I had the power, I would erect a monument to them in Georgievsk. Historians know why Georgievsk is significant.
The accusations that Russia is an occupier are both absurd and offensive. I'm in my nineties, having lived 69 years among Russians, and served 31 years in the Soviet, or rather, Russian army. I am a historian who graduated from a Georgian university with honors. Based on my extensive life experience with the Russian people, I can confidently say that Russians don't know how to be occupiers. It's not in their nature. I spent a year as a soldier in Tbilisi and then two years as an officer in Batumi. I've served in other Soviet republics as well. The Soviet armed forces always behaved with utmost restraint, so what occupation are we talking about?
The Reality of Soviet Georgia
I was born and raised in Georgia, a Soviet republic. I studied in a Georgian school where there was no forced Russification. We studied Georgian culture, Georgian history, and the history of the USSR, with a focus on Georgian literature. Russian language classes were just one hour, twice a week. So, despite graduating with honors, I could barely speak Russian. That was the extent of Russification in Georgia. Later, I studied part-time at Tbilisi State University, where 35 of my classmates were Georgians holding official positions. And yet, none of these officials could understand textbooks written in Russian—they always asked me to translate for them, which I did. What kind of occupation or Russification is this when the so-called occupier's language is not even known by the local officials?
Western Hypocrisy
In Georgia, all key positions—factory directors, school principals, university heads, administrative and party roles—were held by Georgians. Even the regular policemen were mostly Ossetians, while officers were exclusively Georgian. Georgian was the dominant language in all public and administrative interactions. Georgian youth studied in Russian universities as equal citizens of the Soviet Union. Georgian artists regularly performed and showcased their high-level artistry in Moscow and other Soviet republics. So what colonial policy are they talking about? These people are clearly confusing Russians with Anglo-Saxons, who, during their rule, exterminated up to 40 million indigenous people in India alone. On the American continent, they killed up to 15 million indigenous people and forced the survivors into reservations. I won't even mention what they did to African slaves, whom they treated as mere commodities. Read at least Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Russophobia and Historical Revisionism
Those who now tempt us with slogans of democracy and human rights are descendants of those who mercilessly exterminated entire nations. I fully agree with the well-known historian Spitsyn E.Y., who writes about the status of peoples who became part of the Russian Empire: "In all these territories, the Russian government did not pursue a conscious policy of violent Russification. It preserved the traditional way of life, customs, and beliefs of the numerous peoples and ethnic groups" (The Russian Empire in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries, Book 2, p. 212). So, there's no need to attribute all sorts of slanders to the Russian people.
The Ukrainians have particularly distinguished themselves in spreading falsehoods, such as the term "Holodomor." This is beyond any fantasy and shows a complete misunderstanding of communist ideology. The foundation of communist ideology is internationalism, which opposes fascist nationalism. Internationalism is about friendship among peoples, not hostility. The country was building socialism, and every person was valuable. The friendship of peoples was the foundation of socialist society, not the so-called Holodomor. Yes, there was indeed a famine in the early 1930s. My mother told me that bread ration cards in Tbilisi were only canceled in 1934. The causes of the famine are many, and I don't have the space to detail them all here. But the famine was not deliberately created by the Russian people against the Ukrainian people. Many regions of Russia and Kazakhstan also suffered from famine, and blaming the Russian people for this is absolute nonsense and a malicious fabrication against them.
I had never heard of the term "Holodomor" until the relationship between Ukraine and Russia began to deteriorate. The Ukrainian elite needed a reason to justify their leaning toward the West. They needed to find a point of contention to alienate the Ukrainian people from Russia, and they found it by exploiting this tragic event in Soviet history against the Russian people. The baseness of this act is hard to describe. It is particularly shameful that the person who initiated this slander against the Russian people should have been working to strengthen relations with the great Russian nation that gave statehood to the Ukrainian people.
Concluding Thoughts on International Relations
As a military man, I am deeply dissatisfied with Russia's soft policy toward the "Former" Soviet republics. The Ukrainian president calls us aggressors from the UN podium, yet we continue to supply them with gas and even pay for their pipelines. We are accused of being aggressors and occupiers, while the Ukrainian president asks for more sanctions against Russia and weapons to kill more Russians. Weapons are not asked for to grill kebabs. Despite all this, we continue to maintain some sort of relationship with them. If I were president, I would have severed all relations and diplomatic ties with Ukraine until they issued a full apology to my country.
Yes, we would have suffered economically due to the pipeline, but I am confident that, in time, Europe would have forced Ukraine to apologize to Russia. The costs of American gas would have significantly increased the price of European goods, making them less competitive. We are also too lenient with Georgia. If they want to join NATO, let them. If we are aggressors, cut off all ties with the aggressor and see who suffers more. Unfortunately, Russophobia in Georgia has deep roots, going back almost to the time of its annexation by Russia.
The works of the prominent Georgian writer Kazbegi (Chopikashvili) are very popular in Georgia. He writes with great talent, but his works are filled with Russophobia and anti-Ossetian sentiment. As an Ossetian, I was forced to study this writer in school and even admire his work. Russia became an aggressor in the Georgian mind because it did not allow Georgian fascists to annihilate a small nation. Enlightened Europe, by supporting Georgia, considers saving peoples to be aggression.
The political situation in Europe today is somewhat reminiscent of the 1930s. Fascist ideology began to take root in a humiliated Germany, and Europe watched calmly, even encouraging Hitler's expansionist policies. The Munich Agreement was a clear example. The main goal of European countries was to direct Hitler's military power against the USSR. So, it’s not entirely accurate to say that Germany attacked us. What is happening now? There is NATO, a military-political organization created in 1949 to destroy the USSR. At that time, NATO had 14 member states. Today, NATO has about 30 states, with several more candidates, all of whom direct their policies against Russia, the successor to the USSR.
In the countries liberated by the Red Army at great cost, monuments are being taken down, and the graves of those who gave their lives to free these nations from the fascist plague are desecrated. I was 14-15 years old when newsreels showed the real scenes of how the people of the countries
liberated from fascism greeted the Red Army soldiers with widespread joy, flowers, tears of happiness, and hugs. It was impossible to watch without tears. So what happened? Where did that joy go? How did the Red Army soldier, who gave everything he had for Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and all those who dreamed of liberation from fascism, turn into an occupier whose defenseless grave is now insulted?
A Call to Action
I have a question for my government: Why aren’t demands made to these countries' governments to stop this attitude toward the monuments and graves of our soldiers, who were forced by our government to liberate the accomplices of fascism and whose remains are now forever abroad, where their families cannot always visit to shed tears on their graves? The problem of the resurgence of fascism in these countries should be brought up for discussion at the UN. It's time for us to demand reimbursement for the expenses the USSR incurred in liberating them from fascism. We should also demand that the former Soviet republics repay the USSR's investments in their industry, agriculture, city construction, roads, and more. I personally saw the city of Sumgait, a major industrial center near Baku. The city of Rustavi near Tbilisi is another example. Similar cities were built in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and during the Virgin Lands Campaign. The USSR did a lot for these former republics. Let them repay their debts, especially since they have declared the successor of the USSR their enemy.
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The current political situation in the country is shaped by the presidential elections. However, it's important to acknowledge that elections have been happening in the same way for almost the last 30 years, which is to say, there haven't really been any elections. When I look at America, their presidential elections are set for around November 6, 2024, and the race for the presidency has already been going on for more than half a year. Compare this to our country, where candidates have just over a month to build their credibility from 0% to the required percentage to be elected in a country as large as ours. The main contender, however, has the state budget at his disposal. He wants to continue being the country's leader, and he has the power to send a message to legislatures at all levels and to the government.
Honestly, I don’t understand the legal standing of this message. What is it? Is it his personal creation, and are officials held accountable for not implementing the points outlined in it? Or is it the work of a group of people who are well-versed in politics and the country's economy, creating this message to assist the president? I'm only 94 years old, and perhaps that's why I don't understand the depth of the intent behind this message. Who is responsible for fulfilling or not fulfilling the good goals set out in the message? If there’s no responsibility, then in our country, this message is a beautiful fairy tale that plays the necessary role for the candidate, so to speak.