An American tourist in Russia
It’s been a crazy month. On 31 August I very cautiously suggested that the Ukrainian attacks are meant to disrupt and destabilize Russian operations. Some readers thought I was nuts for saying this, and let me know in the comments. Looking back, I was right, but also wrong. We need to remember that the battles happening in Ukraine right now are one small piece of the big picture, and not even the most important piece.
It’s been a while since I have posted here. I feel that blogging is futile for me. No one cares, no one will listen. It’s discouraging. The [western] world is ready for another Bucha because this world needs to see Russians as cruel creatures who only “look like Europeans, but are not” ©. Another tiny step further, and they will gladly state that Russians are not humans.
Recently Maria and I watched the 1934 Soviet film Chapaev, a biopic of Vasily Chapaev, a Russian folk hero from the Civil War. 88 years later, this movie aged well and is still as relevant as ever. Movies tend to grow stale over time and become unwatchable (who wants to watch a typical film from the 1930s, for the love of God), but this isn’t one of them. Chapaev is just as watchable and exciting as any contemporary war movie, and the lessons are just as important now as they were when it first hit the silver screen.
The military conflict in Ukraine has become the biggest “hot” story of the week and sparked a wave of hysteria across the internet. These developments are significant, but everyone is losing their heads for basically no reason. In this post I’ll provide some answers, based on my own personal knowledge and experience (and trying not to stray outside topics I’m qualified to opine on). I will also address some questions fielded by my readers in the comment threads of my previous posts. I will also, finally, get around to properly filling out a brief autobiography of myself, my relationship with Russia, and why any of you should care.
