Since February 2022, Vladimir Putin has kept the invasion at a distance from much of Russian life. Ukraine’s long-range campaign is carrying its consequences across the country.
I want to like this post because as usual it's well written and emotionally connected, but honestly the energy here explaining how ordinary Russians are suffering is wasted. Zelensky and the Ukrainian military is doing whatever it can to stop Ukrainian cities and citizens from being bombed every night. Wildberries is a critical part of the modern Russian economy of which ~50% of the taxes is going to military spending to manufacturer ballistic missiles, drones and artillery to rain down on Ukrainians every damn night. Peter Magyar blocking the fast tracking Ukraine into the EU is going to backfire for Hungary. If your goal with these posts is to truly help Hungary then couple it with helping the Ukrainians as they are definitely interlinked.
I agree entirely that Ukraine is acting in self-defence and has every right to strike infrastructure sustaining Russia’s war. In fact, the essay’s point is that this is ultimately advantageous for Ukraine, because as the war becomes harder for ordinary Russians to ignore, it increases the likelihood of political and social pressure building inside Russia itself. My purpose was not to create an equivalence between Russian inconvenience and Ukrainian suffering. My attempt was to examine what happens when a war deliberately kept distant from Russian society begins to enter ordinary life, and whether that shift can begin to alter attitudes within the country in ways that may benefit Ukraine.
You are also right that Hungary’s position on Ukraine cannot be separated from its own future. Péter Magyar’s resistance to accelerated accession deserves scrutiny, particularly if Hungary expects solidarity from its neighbours.
Holding several loyalties at once only works, as long as some of the loyalties cause less pain than others. When the loyalties to Putin cause widespread enough pain, some will shrink, drastically
Yes, I think that is the central pressure point. Loyalty can survive repression, propaganda and even private doubt for a long time. It becomes harder to sustain once the costs reach people repeatedly and begin altering daily life, income and personal security.
A trivial tidy proposed : Seven. -- "Olga, who sold children’s craft kits, described the financial afterlife of the attack in six words : 'None of our obligations have gone away.' ”
But all the Olgas . . . Megkapják méltó jutalmukat.
I want to like this post because as usual it's well written and emotionally connected, but honestly the energy here explaining how ordinary Russians are suffering is wasted. Zelensky and the Ukrainian military is doing whatever it can to stop Ukrainian cities and citizens from being bombed every night. Wildberries is a critical part of the modern Russian economy of which ~50% of the taxes is going to military spending to manufacturer ballistic missiles, drones and artillery to rain down on Ukrainians every damn night. Peter Magyar blocking the fast tracking Ukraine into the EU is going to backfire for Hungary. If your goal with these posts is to truly help Hungary then couple it with helping the Ukrainians as they are definitely interlinked.
I agree entirely that Ukraine is acting in self-defence and has every right to strike infrastructure sustaining Russia’s war. In fact, the essay’s point is that this is ultimately advantageous for Ukraine, because as the war becomes harder for ordinary Russians to ignore, it increases the likelihood of political and social pressure building inside Russia itself. My purpose was not to create an equivalence between Russian inconvenience and Ukrainian suffering. My attempt was to examine what happens when a war deliberately kept distant from Russian society begins to enter ordinary life, and whether that shift can begin to alter attitudes within the country in ways that may benefit Ukraine.
You are also right that Hungary’s position on Ukraine cannot be separated from its own future. Péter Magyar’s resistance to accelerated accession deserves scrutiny, particularly if Hungary expects solidarity from its neighbours.
Thank you for your comment, as always!
Holding several loyalties at once only works, as long as some of the loyalties cause less pain than others. When the loyalties to Putin cause widespread enough pain, some will shrink, drastically
Yes, I think that is the central pressure point. Loyalty can survive repression, propaganda and even private doubt for a long time. It becomes harder to sustain once the costs reach people repeatedly and begin altering daily life, income and personal security.
Very thorough Peter. Good work.
Thank you, Julius. I’m glad you found it useful.
A trivial tidy proposed : Seven. -- "Olga, who sold children’s craft kits, described the financial afterlife of the attack in six words : 'None of our obligations have gone away.' ”
But all the Olgas . . . Megkapják méltó jutalmukat.
Thank you, Alex, I can always count on your hawk eyes!
Very grateful that you have chosen not to take offence -- all best wishes
Thank you for informing us of much we had not thought about.
Thank you so much, Mary!