Statement on the new invasion of Ukraine

First published in Russian on February 21, 2022

There are no excuses for what is happening - just as there is no justification for what happened eight years ago, when the Russian authorities first unleashed the war. It is impossible to turn a blind eye to the new stage of aggression - there can only be pain, tears, and disgust. This is what war brings: ruined lives, fear, horror and hatred, a crippled psyche, madness. Overnight, it wipes out achievements; it crushes dreams; it cancels plans; it plunges millions of people into misery. Right now we are sinking even further into the deepest abyss of darkness, and it will be very difficult to climb out of it. Sooner or later it will happen, but at the moment it is hard to imagine how much time and effort it will take.

It is the duty of every intellectual (and even more broadly, of every sane person) to oppose, condemn and denounce war.

I do not consider what is happening (both in 2014 and now) to be a "big mistake" or a "reckless gamble". It is cynically orchestrated tragedy, deliberate warmongering, and blunt unjustified aggression. It is callousness and immense meanness. We are not personally guilty of it, but it is you and I who will have to deal with the consequences.

The war must be stopped.