{"id":137246,"date":"2022-03-08T10:53:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T09:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=137246"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:10","slug":"the-people-that-support-this-regime-and-this-war-are-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/03\/08\/the-people-that-support-this-regime-and-this-war-are-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The people that support this regime and this war are<\/em> evil’"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is it like for Russian students, seeing Putin\u2019s army invade Ukraine? Polina is from Saint Petersburg and has been living in the Netherlands for almost five years now. She\u2019s a master\u2019s student in Media studies and very outspoken against Putin. \u201cI\u00a0just really<\/em>\u00a0hope he’s going to be punished and overthrown, and we all have freedom and a life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Polina doesn't want to be recognisable for the safety of her family. Her appearance has been slightly altered for her protection.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMigle Alonderyte<\/a>, \t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAli Alshamayleh<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What are your thoughts on this war?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awful, and it shouldn\u2019t be happening. There\u2019s the shame that it\u2019s my country invading. On the other hand, I\u2019ve never voted for Putin. Neither did my family or any of my close friends. But I also worry for my family being there while I\u2019m here. I know most European countries say they won\u2019t kick Russians out, but that is a thought that goes through your mind now and then. I still grew up there and have friends there, but I won\u2019t be going there anytime soon myself. So it\u2019s a huge mix of emotions, stress, shame, worry, and you just don\u2019t know where to put yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you worry about the most regarding your family?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNot being able to see them. Will they be able to escape if everything becomes worse? What will happen with the Russian economy, my family\u2019s finances, and Russia\u2019s position in the world? What opportunities will they have? Those are the questions that I worry about daily. I can\u2019t really say that I worry about their safety yet, but we can\u2019t predict the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Since Friday, new laws were implemented in Russia to crack down on free speech. To protect her family in Russia, Polina didn\u2019t want her last name or her picture published in this article.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018If they want to say that I\u2019m a traitor, they would already have all the information for that\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Your parents oppose Putin as well. Are they able to speak out against him in Saint Petersburg?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThey see the world the same as I do. They\u2019re also against this government, against Putin, against war. Against everything that is happening right now. And they\u2019re able to speak out, but there\u2019s two ways to look at it. Yes, my mom and dad can speak openly about politics with their friends. But my dad can\u2019t really go to a protest, because he\u2019s the only one working and has a family of five to support. And he also has responsibilities for his employees and business. He can\u2019t risk being arrested, because a lot of people will feel the consequence. He does try to change people\u2019s minds around him if he gets the chance. He\u2019s kind of like me, we speak up a lot. And speaking up is already very important to help people learn the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a risk involved for you in speaking out against the war as a Russian. Why do you do it anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see a threat to me personally, and even if I did, I don\u2019t really have a road back at this point. I\u2019ve been studying communication my whole life, and I wrote an insane number of articles on how corrupt and awful my government is. If they want to find something on me, it\u2019s already out there. A new law in Russia now says that if you support Ukraine, especially financially, it\u2019s considered treason. And treason in Russia equals to twenty years of prison. So if they want to say that I\u2019m a traitor, they would already have all the information for that. One more article, I don\u2019t see it having any impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t that worry you, though?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt does, of course it\u2019s on the top of my mind. With the new rules and laws that are introduced daily in Russia I\u2019m worried for myself, and my family. Originally, I didn\u2019t want to anonymise my name. However, now the laws are getting worse and worse, speaking out too much or too directly can make it complicated for me to come back to Russia, be a risk to my parents or even condemn me to prison. It is, of course, easier to speak out in the Netherlands than in Russia, as I\u2019m somewhat safer here. However, I have people that can be affected by my speaking out, which makes me consider what I say and where twice. The Russian government doesn\u2019t care about their people. All they care about is imprisoning us and killing us. And while speaking out is one of the ways to kill the regime, safety of people I love is also important for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018I can see some people changing their opinions, because although they don\u2019t care about politics, they do care about getting the latest iPhone and now they can\u2019t\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Do you run into prejudice about Russians?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, all the time. I don\u2019t remember that a person didn\u2019t ask me if I supported Putin after I told them I was from Russia. That\u2019s a common joke, just like that we would love vodka. Which is fine, as long as people say it as a joke. But now, prejudice is something that I feel from more people. Even though I go to protests \u2013 I went to all the ones I could \u2013 people assume that I won\u2019t go to any. But in general, I don\u2019t feel hate aimed at myself right now, but I do feel it aimed at the people in Russia. And I can associate myself with that, because although I live here, I have a Russian passport, I was born in Russia, and I am Russian. So if you hate on people there, you\u2019re kind of talking about all Russians as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you feel about the sanctions? Do they hurt your family and friends in Russia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re ruining the economy, so of course. But I think the sanctions are great, they\u2019re helping. I can see some people changing their opinions, because although they don\u2019t care about politics, they do care about getting the latest iPhone and now they can\u2019t. A lot of sanctions are targeting\u00a0the elite, and I strongly believe there\u2019s a chance it will end the war if the elite turns against Putin \u2013\u00a0 which won\u2019t happen soon because they are the ones that benefit the most.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the other hand, I hate the sanctions, because I can\u2019t see my parents for now. I was meant to meet them in Europe but they cannot get there. I hate that, and I hate that I need to spend less money because I don\u2019t know how long my parents are able to support me with the ruble devaluating so badly. I worry about my father\u2019s business. I\u2019m also worried for my little brother and the risk that he will be drafted to the war that he doesn\u2019t support. With these sanctions, moving abroad could be his only chance for a successful future. Will he be able to go abroad?So I think the EU is doing this right, maybe not even enough, but in a way I am on the receiving end of the measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does this war mean for your feeling about being a Russian?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cShame. Because I love Russian culture, it\u2019s beautiful, the nature there is beautiful. Russian people can be beautiful too, they are often very welcoming and heart-warming. But now everyone is being seen as evil, with good reason. And the people that support this regime and this war\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>evil. They think that killing people is okay. But I notice myself being quieter. It\u2019s in small details. For example, I was planning on baking, and then didn\u2019t say that I was baking a Russian pie, I said I was baking a pie. It\u2019s just something I unconsciously started doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you talk to Ukrainians about the war?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I have a lot of Ukrainian friends. But I didn\u2019t have discussions about it. Because they don\u2019t hate all Russians, they hate the people that support this. They hate that their people are being killed. And that\u2019s very fair. I\u2019m supporting them, my sister is hosting refugees from Ukraine, we donate what we have and stand with people from Ukraine in protests. Even if Ukrainians would say something negative against me at this point, they kind of have the right. Because they see my culture and my country attacking them. So it\u2019s justified if they hate Russians. They\u2019re suffering a lot more than any of us. Words of hate do hurt a lot more when it comes from Europeans that are not involved. There are so many people who didn\u2019t even educate themselves on the topic and try to blame me personally. I\u2019m always open for the discussion. But they need to study first and then come to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope for a quick resolution and everything going back to reasonably normal soon. And I\u00a0just really\u00a0<\/em>hope he\u2019s going to be punished and overthrown, so that we all have freedom and a life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read how a Ukrainian student experiences the war<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t