Memories first. Once upon a time, the Soviet Union praised the "Afghan soldiers." Even later, in independent Ukraine, too. And the monument near the Lavra was installed. This is understandable. Several of my peers died there and were considered heroes. These monuments still stand all over Ukraine and carry flowers them.
And in 1989, academician Sakharov gave an interview in which he said Soviet soldiers shot their people so they would not be captured. Then he goes to the tribune of the Congress of USSR People's Deputies and says that Soviet soldiers killed a million Afghan civilians during the occupation.
Ukrainian Afghan war veteran Serhiy Chervonopisky answers him angrily from the tribune. Chervonopisky was awarded the State order in 2012. He became a hero in Ukraine.
Sakharov chose one path, Chervonopisky and the Dozhd journalist - the other one
I think Chervonopisky sincerely condemned Sakharov for disrespecting the Afghan soldiers who carried out the order. But Sakharov was right. They were killed in a foreign land.
The Dozhd journalist sympathizes with the "unfortunate" Russian conscripts and thinks about how to help them. Because they said they had no choice. No, they had. It was possible to run away, hide and even go to prison but not agree to kill Ukrainians.
You can sympathize with them, the murderers, or you can sympathize with their Ukrainian victims. This is an uneasy choice.
Among these murderers, who became such not on their initiative, there are friends, comrades and people of the same nationality as you.
Sakharov chose one path, Chervonopisky and the Dozhd journalist - the other one
You can sympathize with them, the murderers, or you can sympathize with their Ukrainian victims. This is an uneasy choice.
It is a shame that the journalist and those who supported him, on the channel and in real life, do not feel what exactly offended the Ukrainians.
About the author. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, people's deputy of Ukraine, journalist.
The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.