Stop talking to Russians. An open letter to the Ukrainian creative community and beyond

Hi. My name is Artem Risukhin. I am the editor and music critic at LiRoom. I haven't written music reviews or analytics for quite a while. After eight years of being in music journalism, I gradually distanced myself from it. 

But today, I realized that I couldn't remain silent anymore. I sincerely expected that this war would be a, however tragic, but a turning point for the Ukrainian culture. That now it would reload, finally putting an end to Russian narratives and disconnect from its destructive influence. But as we're more than three weeks into the war, I'm still witnessing the creative community in Ukraine trying to find and build a dialogue with "good Russians" and even appeal to Putin himself.

Thus, this column is my open letter to the Ukrainian cultural community and beyond. It's a plea, an urge to stop speaking to Russians.

It's crucial to start with a simple fact: on February 24, 2022, Putin alone didn’t attack Ukraine. 145 million Russians attacked Ukraine. Russians have been shelling our cities, killing, torturing, and raping our people for more than three weeks now. 

Kharkiv, Mariupol, Chernihiv, Bucha, Irpin, Sumy, Kherson, Mykolayiv, and dozens of other cities and villages… There's almost no place in Ukraine where one can feel safe: to fall asleep knowing that they’ll wake up at home, in a safe place, and not from a panic attack or a siren. Each of the 145 million Russians in Russia and Russians worldwide is to blame for this.

But this text is not for them. This text is for Ukrainian artists, musicians, and the creative class, which is still trying to build a dialogue with "different Russians." For those who want to talk to the "good Russians." So hear me out.

One of the leitmotifs of Russian propaganda is the mythical, almost paranoid idea of ​​the "Nazified" Ukraine. However, the bitter irony is that Russian soldiers are the ones who act like Nazis. They violate all conventions, cynically attacking and killing civilians in an attempt to wipe the whole nation. 

And if we're already in this context and historical allusion, let me remind you of the Nuremberg trials of 1946-1949, known as the Nuremberg Military Tribunals, where lawyers, doctors, judges, and business people who were accomplices of the Nazi regime were brought to justice. 

But the ones never brought to justice were ordinary Germans who knew that Jews were being burned next to them in concentration camps (set in almost all German cities until 1945) — the Germans who supported Hitler.

According to the independent polls — 71% of Russians support the war with Ukraine. And the other 29% act like these "Germans" who’ve lived near the concentration camps, saw the smoke, and smelt bodies burning, but valued their comfort more than anything.

Several days after the full-scale invasion, two of my Russian friends wrote to me. They are both liberal and are against Putin's regime. One of them said she had been thinking about me lately but couldn't find the right words. The second friend was more eloquent, expressed her regret of Putin's actions, and added, in her closing statement, a phrase which I find pretty symptomatic: "I think it’s the first time I feel so much hate, but I love peace just as much. I love tranquility, friendship, and life." 

"Tranquility" — these 29% percents love "tranquility." They don't understand why, in 2011 or 2014, all their attempts to change the regime were in vain. They don't get why democracy should be taken in coup de force, born in flames of the police riots, recycled from the OMON's shields and "Berkut"'s batons. Every time you tell a Russian liberal to take to the streets, the liberal says they're scared of getting detained. The irony is that they have been detained for a while already. It happened long before they stepped outside their cozy apartments.

I don't get what you persistently crave to see Russians do? Eat dirt? Apologize? What exactly do you want to see?

The relationship between our creative elite, which has been one foot into the Russian market for 8 years or more, reminds me of a codependent toxic couple. One person always looks for something good in another regardless of the offense to justify this person for themselves. And it goes in circles for years — pain, suffering, bullying, and destruction.

For example, the other day, Russian rapper Oxxxymiron, who hadn't clearly expressed support for Ukraine before the war, gave a concert in Istanbul to raise $50K (but eventually raised just $30K) and donate to a Polish foundation helping Ukrainian refugees. Oxxxymiron is one of Russia's top rappers. His annual revenue exceeds $1 million. Compare it with the Ukrainian fund "Come Back Alive" that only on February 24 rose about 40 million hryvnias ($1,4 mln). In just one day.

Many Ukrainians have publicly supported Oxxxymiron. Even the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Fedorov has thanked him via his Telegram channel. For what? For the fact that Oxxxymiron whitewashed himself in the third week of the war when sanctions packages began to hit the Russians? For cynically calling a fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees "Russians Against War"? And most importantly — Why?

Speaking of sanctions. Oh, I love this one: McDonald's, IKEA, Spotify — the "unbearable pain" of Russia's liberal youth. The very youth you're appealing to by writing your tearful posts and stories. While Ukrainians stand in line to defend themselves and hide in shelters, Russian liberals queue for a double cheeseburger or fight for an Ikea shark until nightfall.

Death of mother and son in Irpen, buried under the house they have been saving up for decades. Shelters of Kharkiv and Mariupol, where families hide, drinking water from the heating systems, spending nights with bodies of their dead friends, running for their lives over the freezing streams under bombed bridges. Do you think Russian youth can relate to this pain as they cry because their Instagram accounts get blocked?

Who are you appealing to?

LiRoom has recently received a letter from the ENKO music label. Ukrainian artists and media personalities recorded a video entitled "PUTIN, STOP KILLING". Before I explain why this idea is lunacy, let me stop there and remind you of a crucial issue: Ukrainians are not being killed by Putin.

Ukrainians are being killed by Russians.

Ukrainians are killed by a fighter jet pilot Oleksandr Krasnoryatsev, who drops bombs at Chernihiv hospitals. Just like Russian pilots whose parents live in the Ukrainian city of Poltava do. Ukrainians are killed by Ksenia Sobchak, who changes her rhetoric depending on her own comfort: she writes that the US and Russia are at war in Ukraine. The next moment, she is worried about "unprecedented" sanctions against Russians. Ukrainians are killed by Konstantin Ogiy, the commander of the Russian SOBR, who orders to open fire on unarmed civilians. Ukrainians are killed by Maryna Smirnova, who puts up a white and blue flag on her social media profile, preaching "for everything good, against everything evil." Ukrainians are killed by a Russian streamer Viktor Zuev, who compares the war in Ukraine to a football match. Ukrainians are killed by "daring" Russian comedians and bloggers who clammed up on the day of the invasion and have been silent on the matter since, although a few months prior they had concerts in Kyiv. Ukrainians are killed by Russian fans of the letter Z. Ukrainians are killed by relatives of Ukrainians who live in Russia and believe the Russian TV propaganda. Ukrainians are being killed by Russians — by all 145 millions.

Who are you talking to?

The Ukrainian creative elite has this permanent Stockholm Syndrome that keeps them from severing ties with Russia. Hip-hop artist Alina Pash doesn't understand why she is so hated because of her shady Crimea journeys or attempts to have it both ways. Kharkiv-native singer SunSay settles in Lutsk, hoping that everyone will forget about his 8 years of being an apolitical "dove of peace". Travel-blogger Anton Ptushkin records the video, explaining "where he was these 8 years", warming up the false Russian narrative of "the Donbas, bombed by the Ukrainians." Alan Badoev, Ukraine's prominent music video director continues shooting videos for Russian singer Ani Lorak…

I know. I know you want to believe that Marina Ovsyannikova, the editor at the key source of Russian propaganda, Channel One, is a brave journalist who, after 8 years of horrific lies and three weeks of sanctions, finally understood that this war must be stopped. She is one of the people responsible for this war in the first place. I know you want to believe that it was a live broadcast, and Marina is the voice of Russian consciousness. But, unfortunately, the voice of Russian consciousness is a morse code of heavy Russian bombers signaling at 5833 kHz, USB, which fly from Crimea to bomb our cities every night and day. And if you want to address them, feel free to do so.

The narrative that this is Putin's war against Ukraine is a trap into which Europe is already falling. There are already suggestions to give shelter to Ukrainians AND Russians who flee from the Russian regime (or maybe sanctions?). It gets even more insane —  some suggest giving shelter to the Russian army deserters… And you play up to this narrative. When you say "PUTIN, STOP THE KILLINGS", or "stop the war," you delete all those who drop bombs from this equation, those who support the regime, who hate Ukrainians, who kill by silence and inaction.

Putin is not waging this war from his bunker. This war is being fought by Russia itself, every Russian citizen. And you must not have dialogues with them. Because they only hear themselves.

Now, more than ever, you need to accumulate your resources. You need to talk to the Western media and the Western audience, which has discovered Ukraine because of the escalation of the 8-year war (although in fact — this war has been going on for centuries).

KALUSH band, instead of shooting the video where they demand Putin not to kill Ukrainians should focus more on the massive audience of the Eurovision Song Contest, where they are going to represent Ukraine this year. Get a grip on this audience, tell it about the ongoing genocide of Ukrainians. KALUSH has this opportunity now. If Jerry Heil wanted to relocate to the United States so much, she now has a chance to talk to the US directly. Stop nurturing your Russian audience. Enough of flirting with it. Enough of these tearful and fake social media videos of how sorry you are for your fellow Ukrainians followed by posts supporting your Russian friends. Enough of the "Let's not hate each other" narrative. This pacifism is now equal to collaborationism.

Dear artists and media personalities, this is not working. We must cultivate this hatred to survive. Save your love and compassion for Ukrainians. May this hatred be the driving force, the purification of our land, our nation from the Russian influence. How can you sympathize with the killers of your own children? 

Come to your senses and join the war

Pink Floyd removes music from Russian platforms over Ukraine. Benedict Cumberbatch uses every opportunity to talk about Ukraine, invites Ukrainians to his home. He sounds more supportive and strong than the Ukrainian creative elite, which is still longing for the "good Russia." Tom Odell plays for Ukrainian migrants at the station, constantly mentions Ukraine. Dee Snyder from the legendary band Twisted Sister supports Ukraine and reminds us of his Ukrainian roots. Brian May remembers the Queen concert in 2008 in Kyiv. The Kardashian sisters support us without narratives about the Russian people. Duran Duran, Nick Cave and Iggy Pop, Axel Rose, and many more. These performers speak to the world, supporting Ukrainians. They use their resources and audience to help us. And they are sincere in their actions while a huge part of Ukrainian pop stars continues to speak with a Russian Z-shaped void.

While Andriy Khlyvnyuk, Antytila band, Yarmak, TNMK, and dozens of other Ukrainian artists are defending Ukraine with weapons in their hands. While Ukrainian writers organize volunteer headquarters, and instead of poems — read announcements for migrants at railway stations. While Svyatoslav Vakarchuk and Serhii Zhadan support our nation physically and mentally, you must shout to the world, storm the Western media — you have this carte blanche now, they will listen to you. Write songs, create visuals, write social media posts and share lyrics. Talk about war crimes and consequences. Encourage people to support Ukrainians financially (but only to proven resources and people!). Mobilize your audience.

Your words and your music are our air defense. Your heroes should not be Russians at the protests and propagandists with posters, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the State Emergency Service, the Territorial Defence Forces, doctors, civilians, and children. You have to carry them as a flag to the international community. Enough with talking to the aggressor and the murderer. Enough with talking to tyrants. The only thing Russians need to hear is the sound of the door to the civilized world slammed in front of them (and every Russian should constantly hear endless sirens that have been in our heads for weeks now).

We'll win this war. We will have a unique opportunity to rebuild Ukraine with new narratives and meanings. Right now, we are building Ukraine in the post-Russian space. This is Ukraine fighting for the whole world. So let's have a dialogue with it. Let's develop creative bridges with democracies. 

For the sake of the children who are now hiding in the bomb shelters, who are dying, losing their parents. For their sake, we have to create a free Ukraine without fear and pain. There will be no place for Russia and Russian culture in this Ukraine, and there will be no place for bloody terror.

Russians are the ones killing Ukrainians. Simple as that — ordinary Russians are responsible. And you don't have to talk to them. You have no right to do so.

This is what the whole world needs to hear now. This is what the whole world needs to know right now. This is the only way for us to stop the war and win.

Glory to Ukraine!

Artem Risukhin