Bucha. Picasso's Guernica.
We all understood what Russia is. But we didn't know what Putin's Russia was.
When I once wrote about the rapes and looting of Soviet soldiers in Europe in 1945, I heard:
- you are a russophobe, you yourself "rape" the memory of our grandfathers
- this didn't happen - our army is different, they liberated and protected
- yes, there were isolated cases, because our soldiers "had" to avenge their raped spouses and our bombarded cities.
And much more.
Now it is clear that the bombing of Kharkov, the destruction of Mariupol, missiles and MRLSs on Babiy and Drobitsky Yar, our citizens deported to Russia, are part of the general plan. This really is a special operation, which is much worse than war.
Bucha is the new face of this war. This is the face of Putin. This is the face of Shoigu with Gerasimov and Zolotov. These are the faces of Kadyrov and Solovyov. This is the face of every Russian officer and soldier. This is the face of every Russian oil and gas worker who has given Russia the financial ability to do this. This is the face of everyone who voted for Putin. But this is also the face of everyone who did not vote or voted against, knew about the falsification and remained silent. This is the face of foreign entrepreneurs who have invested in the Russian economy and are waiting to see how the war will end, cheering for Putin's army, so they would lose less. This is the face of every Western politician who has shaken hands with Putin or any Russian official in these 22 years. This is the face of those who have been blocking arms supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014, who have blocked Ukraine's moves towards NATO in 2008. This is the face of those who, for a whole month wouldn't provide Ukraine with planes that are in Poland and other countries of Eastern Europe, who are afraid of Russian missiles hitting their homes, and are ready to calmly wait for them to hit the homes of Ukrainian citizens. This is the face of those who do not want to hear about the closure of Ukrainian skies. Yes, I blame not only Putin, but almost every Russian. Not only Putin, but also most Western politicians.
Bucha is forever. Tomorrow the world must wake up different. Tomorrow is the day when the West can either reaffirm its moral values, or live on with the St. George ribbon under the lapel.
Guernica. Bucha.
(C) Alexander Krasovitsky (https://www.facebook.com/AleksandrKrasovytskyy)