Navalnaya: But how could they have stopped him, when for over 20 years he systematically destroyed every avenue of political resistance—without facing any serious international consequences? Russian people aren't the victims.

Shifting responsibility on someone else solves zero problems. Even in a system of repression, agency matters. If Navalnaya sees herself as a leader of the so-called Russian opposition but fails to accept the burden of agency, she isn't rejecting Putinism, but validates it.

Strength is not denying responsibility. Strength is admitting it. @Kasparov63 shows what honesty in opposition looks like: facing Russia’s crimes head-on instead of pretending they belong only to Putin.

Navalnaya: The West needs a democratic, free Russia Indeed we do. But, if the self-proclaimed leader of democratic movement fails to grasp russian history of conquest & oppression, its colonizer–colonized double bind, then what hope is there for the millions of her compatriots?

To speak of democracy without de-imperialization is to promise the impossible.

Navalnaya: It is also in Europe’s interest to distinguish between Putin and 🇷🇺, between the Putinist dictatorship and ordinary Russian citizens. Let’s not kid ourselves. russian culture isn't just Pushkin; it's one that normalizes Moscow's endless colonial conquest & erasure

Let us not conflate guilt with responsibility. The crimes in Ukraine are not the work of a few “bad apples,” but of hundreds of thousands of russian soldiers. I'm not just talking about the heinous war crimes that russian people commit every day.

By invading Ukraine, moscow-centered terrorist organization has committed the crime of aggression. Every single thing russian invaders do in Ukraine is a crime.

And these crimes are not universally condemned by the russian "society": they are sustained either through active support or passive acquiescence. To deny this complicity is itself a form of aggression—and it guarantees the cycle of Russian violence will never end.

Navalnaya: Above all, it's in 🇪🇺’s interest to communicate its perspective on global affairs to Russians & show them how they can be part of a free 🇪🇺 How lovely. let's shift the burden from 🇷🇺 that invaded or occupied nearly every European neighbor it could reach, to 🇪🇺 itself

Yulia Navalnaya published her op-ed 2 days ago — the same tired script. When I first came across her “advocacy” in Europe, I wrote this 👇 I stand by every word: https://kyivindependent.com/op...

I agree with @TheEconomist: “Europe needs a better Russia strategy.” But inviting a Russian to explain it, while Ukrainians bury their dead, isn’t how you’ll get one. I’d be happy to contribute a different perspective.

@ChakhoyanAndrew Пошелнахуй

@BolsheNeVovan Thank you russian person for making my point about russian culture so vividly clear 👏 I give you a medal 🎖️ you like medals, right ? https://euromaidanpress.com/20...

@ChakhoyanAndrew I have three tests for such people: "Should russia's empire fall and colonized peoples be freed?" "Should Moscow pay for its actions against Ukraine and others, and its war criminals face trial?" "Are you doing all you can to make that happen?" It seems few would pass.

@abstractedaway Excellent list! Very, very few would pass…

@ChakhoyanAndrew Putin didn't personally kidnap 20,000 children from their families Russians did Putin didn't chop a Ukrainians head off and film it like ISIS, Russians did Putin didn't rape and torture children in Ukraine Russians did

@ghostofRoc I get called Russophobic for criticizing a “society” that’s always the victim, never responsible. But cultures rooted in celebration of violent colonial conquest are toxic. A russian child is born innocent, and then poisoned by russian culture. https://euromaidanpress.com/20...

@ChakhoyanAndrew A side note. Pushkin was the one that normalized Moscow's endless colonial conquest & erasure, supported Russian imperial expansion and the subjugation of colonized peoples descr. them as "primitives" needing to be "cleansed" or brought into the Russian order.

@kisa_osya Very important caveat! Posted this after one of russia’s heinous attacks

@ChakhoyanAndrew Why on earth did @TheEconomist publish this unnecessary article?? Nothing new from YN. I would have expected a piece on #Moldova’s consequential elections instead but nothing there. @zannymb, I’m beginning to doubt the quality of your editorial decisions.

@ASabadus @TheEconomist @zannymb Thank you for saying this, Aura! For me the biggest puzzle is exactly what you said: why would The Economist publish this thing?

@ChakhoyanAndrew All Russians are responsible. They've had years to deal with Putin.

@Dixie202021 Responsibility is a hard thing, but accept it, they must

@ChakhoyanAndrew It’s this simple

@teemu72 I get called Russophobic for criticizing a “society” that’s always the victim, never responsible. But cultures rooted in celebration of violent colonial conquest are toxic. A russian child is born innocent, and then poisoned by russian culture. https://euromaidanpress.com/20...

@ChakhoyanAndrew I’m really happy that I skipped the whole pretending to give a shit about Ukraine and ruining my life by moving to Georgia or something movement, just so hopefully some ukranians wouldn’t call me a faschist. It didn’t work, because russophobia is a mental illness.

@ChakhoyanAndrew Running out of drinks 🙈

@ChakhoyanAndrew Traitor. The only goal of this traitor is to sell Russia to woke culture to predate all resources.

@ChakhoyanAndrew @threadreaderapp unroll please