By Dr. Jaclyn Maria Fowler
Department Chair, English and Literature
Over the last couple of weeks, Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s superior military power has brought the world the most remarkable stories of bravery and cunning. Ordinary citizens – many of them without weapons – have stood together in solidarity against the Russian invasion of their towns and cities.
For example, when Russians occupied the southern city of Kherson, Ukrainian citizens turned out in the thousands to protest. In fact, one man mounted a moving Russian tank to wave the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.
In displays reminiscent of the famous peaceful demonstrator who stood his ground as Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in 1989, some Ukrainian citizens have knelt in front of Russian tanks to stop their forward motion. Not to be outdone, Ukrainian farmers have pulled abandoned Russian tanks and missiles behind their tractors, while other citizens have thrown Molotov cocktails from car windows at passing Russian columns.
Perhaps the best story may be an urban legend, but it’s still worth knowing. By chucking a jar of cucumbers from her window, one Ukrainian grandmother contributed to the fight for her homeland by downing a Russian drone.
It is amazing how much the nation is consolidating, how many people are going to the defense, what are the queues at the military and registration office, and how more than 100,000 people were mobilized. – Mykhaylo Tymo, UCU Student and former student of Dr. Fowler
Taking Over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The commitment of brave civilians in Ukraine has been astounding. While the world has been enthralled by watching by the David and Goliath story taking place in Eastern Europe, the global interest turned to fear late last Thursday night as Russians fired at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
The world held its collective breath. But my former student Anastasiia S. lived through it and wrote about it in her journal.
She said, “4th of March [Russian] troops attacked Zaporizhzhia AES. Now they control [the] nuclear power plant (6 blocks!). It means they can kill us a couple of times. They are idiots, so they can. At first, we were shocked, but now I think we have more important things to do than to worry.”
Russian shelling led to a fire in a building close to the six-reactor core of the nuclear power complex. While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAE) monitored the situation, the group condemned the Russians who took control of the facility. The IEAE reminded Russia that those trained to safely run the power plant needed to be free of undue pressure.
In the days following the Russian takeover of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, panic among the Ukrainian population increased, triggering a rush of citizens to the west of the country where Anastasiia S. is located. By Day 12 of the invasion, almost two million Ukrainians – mostly women and children – had left the country.
Overcoming the Iron Curtain of Putin
Meanwhile in Russia, the economy is being systematically cut off from the rest of the world by Western sanctions on Russian banks, the oligarchic class, and oil exports. In addition, major companies are stopping service to and/or in Russia, including VISA, Mastercard, Netflix, BBC, Bloomberg, Apple and Microsoft. However, Anastasiia noted that there are many companies that have yet to cease their operations in Russia.
While sanctions cripple the Russian economy, President Vladimir Putin has dropped the proverbial iron curtain down on his own citizens. The term “Iron Curtain” came into being during the Soviet era when government policies shut Russians off from the rest of the world in an effort to shape the news that Russians heard.
Putin has closed down social media websites. Also, in a move with Orwellian undertones, has forbidden journalists from using non-sanctioned language to describe the events in Ukraine and threatened criminal penalties for anyone who does not comply. For example, no Russian can use forbidden words like “war” and “invasion” to describe military operations inside Ukraine.
However, Putin has not been able to stop information from permeating past the Russia-Ukraine borders. The ties between Russia and Ukraine are familial, linguistic and cultural. Many Russians have family ties to Ukrainians and vice versa, so they keep in touch and pass news back and forth.
Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine also text their families in Russia. Even hackers have been able to bring the scale of the atrocities home to Russia; in fact, the Anonymous hackers were able to stream videos of the war directly into the living rooms of ordinary Russians. And this strategy of getting the real news to the Russian people is working.
Related link: Putin’s Attack on Ukraine Shows the Dangers of Believing Your Own Hype
Internal Protests
Despite a newly imposed 15-year sentence for protestors, ordinary Russians are risking their freedom to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All over Russia, citizens are taking to the streets.
Russian oligarchs, entertainers and sports stars are adding their voices to the protests. In fact, one Russian tennis star, Andrey Rublev, bravely wrote “No War Please” on a TV camera after winning a tournament in Dubai. These acts of protest, however small, are acts of bravery in Putin’s Russia.
There are also those who want to wash their hands of all responsibility. Anastasiia discussed “the voices of psychotherapists and psychologists from Russia on social media. They are against the war. The war is a bad thing. They are deeply concerned and want to help with our traumatic experiences. AND OF COURSE – Russians mainly are good people who are just not lucky with the president and his government.”
Anastasiia observed that these Russian psychotherapists and psychologists are unwilling to take responsibility for their actions over the years that led directly to the atrocities we now see in Ukraine. “STOP!!!” she wrote. “Aren’t your clients taking up arms and killing Ukrainians? Isn’t it your money that you pay as taxes are made this war? Isn’t your worldview supporting the death machine all these years?”
Upheaval for Everyone, Including Children
In the end, however, it is the cost to ordinary Ukrainians – especially children – that matters the most. The war has brought upheaval and tragedy to their everyday lives.
In Lviv, Anastasiia wrote, “Children stay at home. No education. No friends. No walks outside. Great people start to provide online courses on different platforms; children of any age can join.
“Yesterday, my son had a lesson in interesting science. They talked about chocolate. It is hard to talk about chocolate from a scientific point of view if you haven’t eaten chocolate for the last 10 days.”
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