This will be a short video, there will be a normal video later today.
You’ve certainly all heard of what’s happening around TV Rain channel which is currently located in Latvia.
In Russia, TV Rain always took a stance that was independent from the government,
several times the government tried to shut it down and yet it survived,
there was even a time when it had to broadcast from an apartment.
After the war began, TV Rain was shut down in Russia and their whole staff had to leave the country and relocate to Latvia,
which always accepted and still accepts many Russian journalists.
TV Rain has been against the war since the first day of those events in 2014, and no one has ever had any problem with it.
A few days ago, one of TV Rain reporters, when talking about problems that conscripts face,
poorly expressed himself and some people managed to make it look like he was calling to help the conscripts.
There was a massive scandal, the journalist was fired (i hope that TV Rain management will reconsider).
Many people on twitter and even the head of the Latvian Ministry of Defense began calling to shut down TV Rain in Latvia now, too.
Among all the tweets, comments taken out of context, some old videos and all that,
I've found a thoughtful and reasonable comment that was made on Latvian TV channel TV-3.
I watched it, I liked that it was respectful and had real arguments and I feel that I need to respond to it.
Let’s first hear the original comment.
Statements made by TV Rain channel are being discussed, interpreted, defended, commented, condemned.
But the idea was this: they express their compassion toward Russian guys whom Putin has thrown into his meat grinder.
And this is the problem. Many of the Russian opposition think that they are anti-Putin, but they do not oppose their country.
While we may respect it, it must be pointed out that it is not possible for as long as the war continues.
Putin’s army is the instrument of genocide.
Every single one of those poor soldiers is a part of a cog that keeps this instrument working.
Maybe new conscripts' feet are freezing, but they have no right for either boots or compassion coming from Latvia.
No matter how terrible it is to be serving in Putin’s army, any sign of compassion for the army that is engaged
in acts of genocide means helping the genocide.
The more of Russian soldiers are freezing in trenches, the less people in Ukraine will end up killed or raped.
Unfortunately, it’s as horrible and as simple as that.
Before I move on to my arguments, a few words about why exactly I decided to answer.
We are not a TV channel and not an official media, I am not really a journalist even,
even if my daily videos could pass for a TV show.
In Russia, youtube takes the role of the television, that’s why i think it is appropriate for me to respond to a TV channel.
I don’t work for TV Rain and I didn't discuss my response with anyone who does, but unlike TV Rain
and its employees I don't depend on Latvian government: they can’t take away my residence permit and send me to Russia,
when I may be criminally prosecuted. I live in Israel, I don't owe that right to my political views and as such, I can talk freely.
The respected presenter said two important things: neither boots nor compassion must come from Latvia to the Russian soldiers.
I understand that stance and I totally agree about the boots.
There is no doubt that to help equip the Russian army now when it’s waging an unjust and insane war would be a crime.
and neither TV Rain, not other Russian independent media, journalists and politicians support such an idea.
But it’s more complicated when it comes to compassion.
Any conscientious Russian journalist, and TV Rain is a Russian media which is temporarily in exile,
must be highlighting and talking as much as possible about the topic of the situation with Russian conscripts,
about the problems that they face and the dangers that threaten them.
Russian society is deprived of truthful information, many people don’t know about all the risks and problems,
and don't know enough about the horrors of the war.
Some conscripts and their families thought that they were just going to something akin to a military training event.
Not only is it the duty of any honest journalist to let people know about what is truly happening,
but it is also what changes people’s opinions.
By gathering information about the problems of Russian conscripts and by spreading this information,
TV Rain doesn’t call to provide them with better equipment to help them fight better.
TV Rain makes Russian people ask why this war is needed at all. It cannot be done without compassion.
No one would listen to a journalist who wishes death to their relatives or friends who went to the army.
Regardless of whether they wanted it or not, because mobilization is not voluntary.
But they will listen to a journalist who shows compassion and calls for this insane war to stop.
TV Rain has always been an objective media but was never a neutral one — it always took a certain stance.
And now this stance is that Russia must immediately stop the war and withdraw its troops.
And they try to reach Russian viewers in such a way that they would hear them and trust them.
I think that it is a moral obligation of any Russian political journalist to openly declare their anti-war stance.
But as professionals, they must make sure that they are heard.
A Russian journalist cannot and must not assume the tasks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine which are now defending
their country on a battlefield.
For over nine months, Ukrainian soldiers have been courageously fulfilling their objectives in their own land.
But the objective of an honest Russian citizen now is different: to affect the audience within their own country,
to create a public demand for the early end of the war and for withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
The idea that you shouldn’t show compassion to Russian soldiers is the idea that Putin is trying to spread.
In order to keep sending more and more people to Ukraine, he must devalue their lives in the eyes of Russian society.
Putin himself openly declares that it’s better for a Russian to die in war than to die from alcohol or in a car accident.
Like a Russian man has no other options.
Putin said this at the meeting with the mothers of Russian servicemen, I don't know if Latvian media said anything about that.
And those who sing with him in unison among the pro-Putin media have even invented a new name for Russian conscripts:
Kuzmichs. Kuzmich is a caricature image of a simple Russian man, who apparently has no prospects in peace time.
But he is perfectly fit to be sent to the slaughter. “Have no compassion for him, war is his natural habitat anyway.”
Devaluing the lives of Russian conscripts is an important tool in the arsenal of Russian internal propaganda.
It is necessary to make it easier for the system to be sending people to the front.
A Russian journalist who holds anti-war views must oppose Putin’s discourse by showing compassion.
No one calls for Ukrainian soldiers to have compassion for Russian soldiers.
To them, of course, they are enemies wearing enemy’s uniforms. To them, they are legitimate targets.
But Russian journalists must talk to Russian citizens in a way that would make any tolerance for conscripting
people disappear in Russia.
A Russian journalist must talk to Russians in a way that they would never let their relatives, friends, neighbors
or simply compatriots go to war. And demanded that those who are already there to be returned home.
And showing compassion is the best motivator for this. In the end, it would be beneficial not only to Russia
which will be able to save more lives of its citizens.
It will also be of great help for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
which will have less enemy soldiers to fight and thus it will have to lose less people.
And maybe they won’t have to fight at all — if the Russian society succeeds in stopping the fighting and in withdrawal
of the Russian army from Ukrainian soil, TV Rain has long been successfully bringing down the war of Russian disinformation,
and we are thankful to Latvia which helped the channel to resume its work in a difficult moment.
I personally hope that TV Rain survives, as it survived in spite of all pressure, including the one from the state,
and will keep its collective, its principles, and its unique skill —
to be able to reach out to millions of Russians with reasonable ideas.
It is my opinion that it is actions of Russian independent media, who broadcast in Russian but aren’t affiliated
with Russian government and at the same time not included into the Ukrainian system of information war,
bring us closer to the point at which the war will become unacceptable for the Russian public,
at which Russia could change in a way that would make the continuation of the war impossible.
Europe in general, and Latvia in particular — are friends to Russia. To true Russia, not Putin’s Russia.
And I hope that European countries will continue to help exiled Russian media to talk to their Russian audiences.
And I call for journalists, like the TV-3 channel, to support their Russian colleagues who are now working in exile.
And the Latvian channels have been supporting journalists for many months.
I ask my viewers to send this response of mine to TV-3, so that they’d consider showing this video.
Thank you, there will be another video later today.