I hope that the Ukrainians have ever forgiven for Donbass and Crimea

On the threshold of 2015 journalist online edition of “Explorer” (Ukraine) has communicated to the well-known Russian human rights activist, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmiloy Mihaylovnoy Alekseevoy. About losses and victories of Russia, that awaits the country in the new year of the revolution and evolution of the former empire. And, of course, about the Ukraine.

As “a citizen who is a fan of my country,” Lyudmila use the pronoun “we”, referring to the Russians. And on behalf of all Russians asked for forgiveness from the Ukrainians for the fact that Russia did with Ukraine.

– “Observer” sums up 2014. In your opinion, what was the greatest victory and greatest Russian loss in the past year?

– Olympics was successful. But not a loss, but the real tragedy is incomparable with any Olympics – it is the story of the Crimea and Ukraine. This is our common tragedy. Your – the fact that we are conducting themselves well, and our – the fact that we are conducting themselves well. Unfortunately.

I am afraid that what we have done, it will be necessary to disentangle several generations. When people die, when there is blood – it is remembered for a long time. I know for myself, in the Great Patriotic War, which I experienced. To begin to treat the Germans as normal people, it took quite a few years. Thank God, now I have overcome it. And I hope that the Ukrainians we ever forgive.

– What are the prospects of Russia in the new year?

– One thing I can say – just at the level of citizens who are suffering for their country. Once we behave with Ukraine, the Crimea, we are literally spoiled relations with the world. We were alone. Previously we thought that we all enemies, now do most of the countries belong to us warily, with caution.

We are trying to improve relations with the Chinese, but, first, they used to be good. And secondly, the Chinese – the people of pragmatic, and they have their own interests for the sake of us and did not think to sacrifice, and rightly so. Each country thinks of itself.

We are to blame for what happened. I say “our fault” because the majority of the population approves the actions of the authorities. This means that we are all citizens, not just the government – we are guilty. Let us ordinary Ukrainians – only because it is still a part of the population for it is a shame. I am ashamed. And I’m not the only one.

– I do not want to believe that the Russians are so susceptible to propaganda. There are in fact people think …

– Because for many centuries we have an empire. “We want to be a great country to all of us were afraid.” Here I say “we,” the majority of our citizens. Of course, I want Russia to be a great country, but I believe that we have a great country. We gave the world Pushkin, Lermontov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. We have something to give to the world. We do not need to fear us. But people want us to be afraid of – it’s post-imperial syndrome. And we are more difficult to recover from this than the other post-Soviet states, because they – not an empire, and we – the empire. This is a very serious illness, it is necessary to be treated by it.

I thought that we are in the 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union have recovered, but it turns out – no. Imperial syndrome is alive in our citizens. And for this it is necessary to ask for forgiveness.

– The majority of Russians support Putin today policy towards Ukraine. Can we expect any progress in the public mind in the near future?

– I hope. Because we flew ruble – on the one hand, due to the fall in oil prices, on the other hand, because of our isolation in the world.

I do not believe that we have the power idiots and fools. No. It’s actually smart people. They just have to, and I’m sure they will think that we are not up to the imperial ambitions – we just need to get out of the crisis. I hope I would like to hope so.

– On January 15 planned protest against the sentence Alekseyu Navalnomu. Can it turn into a revolution?

– No, of course, no revolution, we will not. In a large country other rules of life, development and evolution. If Ukraine – two parts, that Russia – a patchwork quilt. We have more than eighty regions, and there is no one in the region, similar to the other. With their economic problems, with its culture, quality of life, the psychology of people. We are so different.

For example, if we compare the Krasnoyarsk region and the Krasnodar Territory – is a completely different field. The nature, problems, people are different. I’m not talking about the same Tambov Region and Kalmykia and Bashkortostan. These are different things. And so it can not be that a country like Ukraine, rose. We do not have a single problem. We have different problems in each region.

But I think, thank God, that we will be no revolution, because if it is, it will be very bloody. We need to slowly, painfully – for themselves and for their neighbors – to get out of the empire status. We will do this. We and geography, and cultural traditions, and religion – Europe. Russia is sure to be a European country. The only question is how long it will take.

But this does not mean that we should turn our backs on Asia. Our planet is very small. China comes on the heels of America and catching up – and catching up, by the way, walking on the same path that America.

We will be a European, democratic state. I hope, not through revolution, but through a painful and slow evolution.

Sourse, 24/12/2014