'Civilians Always Suffer The Most'

Invasion Day +22 Putin forced to call up conscripts from the furthest parts of Russia, Ukrainian armed forces continue holding on three weeks into what we might have thought Putin planned as an overnight coup? Or has his plan always been very simple: to completely destroy Ukraine as quickly as possible and never mind the cost to the world or anyone at all except himself? Understandable therefore why he didn't bother to train his forces properly, maintain his equipment, bury his dead, or worry about giving them food packs six weeks out of date, or any food at all? It is Russia Putin is also destroying: unless he is stopped soon Russia will no longer be a world power, they will be a pariah state, its people, its civilians, as our incisive correspondent for today says, as much victims of Putin's obsessed maniacal oppression as those brave Ukrainians dying for freedom each new day, a Russian people consigned to another generation of slavery and self-imprisonment just as they were on the threshold of a more hopeful future, now lying in the dust. Those enlightened few we saw who managed to escape by train, air, or road, from Russia before the latest purge kicked in, are the fortunate ones, may they help to use their influence to stop this terrifying war which damages the whole world, but Russia most of all. There is good news too, the miraculous strength of the theatre in Mariupol may have saved many lives. Just as it will after the war when freedom returns and the 'Theatre of Mariupol' will be the symbol for the power of art over tyranny, the beauty of love over hatred. Long live the arts of Ukraine! Long live the Theatre of Mariupol! May you, the actors and artists and musicians of Ukraine play on and give us excess of it, the world has need of your food of love but may it never sicken or die.

Slava Ukraini!

(If you are new to the site please see 'About Hoggy' which explains what we are seeking to do here.)

Today's Letter:

From: Caitlin Marshall, Birmingham City University

Dear Hoggy,

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

For the last 3 weeks I have followed coverage of Russia’s ongoing, unprovoked, and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Through social media posts and news organisations, I have been able to see the truly devastating effects of the conflict, including seeing civilian homes being bombed and seeing masses of people board trains to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, such as Poland.

The UK Government have demonstrated their support of Ukraine by launching the 'Ukrainian Family Scheme' on 4th March 2022, in addition to imposing economic sanctions against Russia. Economic sanctions aim to isolate and exert pressure on Russia’s economy, in an attempt to deter Russia from continuing their invasion of Ukraine. Whilst some sanctions have specifically targeted wealthy Russian oligarchs, the wider sanctions impact the daily lives of Russian civilians – a lot of whom strongly oppose their country’s invasion and have demonstrated such opinions by protesting across Russia, accepting the possibility of arrest.

The imposed sanctions have meant that payment cards and the use of ATMs have been blocked, it has also seen the decline of the Rouble currency to a record low, whilst the price of commodities, like milk, double in price. Restrictions have been placed on the number of items individuals can buy in a shop – something that I am able to sympathise with, particularly when I tried to buy necessities during the COVID-19 pandemic, when limitations were imposed on the number of products which could be bought, alongside the panic of seeing deserted shelves within the supermarkets.

I feel the impact of sanctions is particularly unfair on Russian civilians who do not condone the actions of their country, I imagine that they feel like they are being punished simply for being Russian, and now they will struggle to ensure the security of themselves and their families.

In my opinion, Russia, and Putin, are right to be held accountable for the devastation they have caused to the people of Ukraine; however, I struggle to see why the human rights of Russian citizens should be ‘forfeited’ and suffer from the heinous decisions of their government.

My views do not dismiss the daily fears, violence, and displacement that Ukrainian civilians currently face. Conflict can disrupt all categories of human security, as well as violate human rights which are typically upheld by International Humanitarian Law. Civilians may often find themselves and their properties targeted, even though it is prohibited by law.

Indirect, psychological impacts of war can also develop over time, demonstrating how war can cause suffering on varying levels. The conflict has been particularly overwhelming to read about daily, it has made me feel guilty that I am able to go about my daily life whilst knowing that people are living in constant fear and violence that they did not ask for. I also cannot help but to think of the wider suffering of others in different conflicts such as those in Syria and Yemen, for example.

I have been surprised by the extraordinary acts of kindness and compassion which have been demonstrated on a global scale during this conflict within Ukraine. Globalisation has meant that we are much more connected. Communication to those in Ukraine can happen with a simple send of a tweet. I have witnessed people offering places for civilians to stay, as well as other messages of encouragement and support. More recently I have seen an influx in people saying that they have been booking stays at Ukrainian homes through Airbnb, just to simply donate money directly to Ukrainian hosts. I imagine that these acts of kindness provide a morale boost for those subjected to the conflict in Ukraine.

The people of Ukraine have demonstrated immense courage in combatting a powerful state like Russia. I hope that with the continued support and compassion demonstrated worldwide in supporting Ukraine, this can help bring an end to the conflict and suffering, sooner rather than later.

For both Ukrainian and Russian civilians, the ongoing war will prove to have a negative impact on human security for the foreseeable future. War is conducted by military forces and governments; however, it seems that civilians are always the ones who suffer the most.

From Caitlin.

Hoggy's response:

Dear Caitlin,

'Yes, Civilians Always Suffer the Most'.

Thank you for such an incisive and illuminative discourse on the war so far: a powerful 'voice'. You write well, and persuasively, it is a privilege to publish your views here. I have borrowed your summary line as the title for today's post and trust you will be happy to agree to this?

Yes, I agree, it is the civilians in war who always suffer the most.

And your letter also reminds me of a famous 'cartoon', using that descriptor in its artistically accurate sense, from the Second World War, a frightening glimpse into a current repetition of the history 'we were destined to repeat' if we didn't learn from it the first...or second...time. The cartoon showed a line of desperate people in a concentration camp with the heading 'Don't forget friends, some of us are Germans too...'

We should not forget that many of those now lined up in Putin's prison camps are Russians too. The brave Russians who are making a stand and suffering imprisonment for their courage; even the duped and indoctrinated masses of the Russian people are victims of Putin's cynical and psychopathic imperial barbarism.

But there is this argument too: Putin, as any dictator, has been able to seize power because in the final analysis, the people allowed him do do so, and it is that failure of the collective will of all the individuals to fight for the rights of humanity as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that has allowed Putin to become 'untouchable' and has caused the 'punishment' to fall upon them all.

This code of global behaviour, adopted by the United Nations, of whose Security Council Russia perversely held the rotating monthly presidency at the time of the invasion, has been trampled into the New York sidewalks where it sits, and calls into question the whole purpose and efficacy of the United Nations: Putin has damaged the world as far as that. Russia may yet be removed from the United Nations security operation but what is really needed is a free Russia sitting peacefully amongst the other free nations of the world, a Russia stripped of Putin and his cowardly minions.

But as you rightly say it is the Ukrainian civilians who are suffering the most. The war needs to be ended. And now. Our voices must be heard: which is part of the purpose of this letter writing blog. Your voice is being heard for the world Caitlin, and I acknowledge you and all our writers.

With best wishes and thank you for this stand for humanity,

Hoggy

Dear Hoggy,

Thank you for publishing this excellent article. Caitlin is an outstanding final year student from Birmingham City University Criminology and Security Studies course. This is an interesting and engaging blog post regarding her thoughts on the Ukraine conflict and I am very impressed both with this insight and the wonderful and powerful work that is already being displayed on the site.

Thank you very much indeed for the opportunity for such voices to be heard.

Kind regards,

Jonathan Jackson

Senior Teaching Fellow Policing and Security

Birmingham City University

Room C370

The Curzon Building

4 Cardigan Street

Birmingham

B4 7BD

Dear Jonathan,

Thank you very much indeed for these words, and I note for the record that all views expressed in this blog are of course those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the organisations that they are attached to. Hoggy definitely wishes to be associated with both yours and Caitlin's comments however.

Best wishes,

Hoggy.

A Yimp.