You are sitting in a coffee shop. Perhaps you are there to do homework, meet a friend, or read a book with a cup of coffee. It is cold outside, but inside it is safe and warm. Aside from the soft conversations surrounding you, it is quiet.
The front door opens and a deep chill seeps through the air. A couple of men walk in, blocking the door in a way that you do not realize is purposeful until one of them begins to speak, announcing that all men of fighting age must come quietly with them. If they do not go quietly, the men at the door will use force.
This is the reality that countless Russian men are living with and hiding from every day as Vladimir Putin seems to be plotting a ramp-up in attacks on Ukraine. Over 300,000 Russian men and their families have fled the country to avoid fighting in a war and over 13,000 have been arrested for protesting.
As of late August, 76% of Russians support the war in Ukraine as false narratives that Putin’s hand was forced by the West and that Ukraine is full of Nazi fascists continue to dominate public opinion. Russian media has even been banned from calling the invasion of Ukraine a “war” or “invasion,” now referring to it as a “special operation,” mirroring the language of Putin himself. Anyone accused of spreading “false information” about the situation faces up to 15 years in prison.
Let it not be ignored that Ukraine is suffering the brunt of Putin’s blows, as at least 5,587 Ukrainians have been killed and 7,890 have been injured.
The problem of Russian human rights abuses in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war is a blurry and complex one. On one hand, men are literally being taken off the street and made to fight with little training and often without previous military experience. On the other, there are various accounts of Russian soldiers attacking, killing and raping Ukrainian civilians and targeting children in strikes. In some parts, this is the fault of Putin for utilizing such advanced technology to purposefully harm civilians.
Still, who ordered their soldiers to sexually assault? To enact senseless cruelty and torture on ordinary people aside from airstrikes? Maybe Putin really did put these atrocities in motion, but as of now, it looks more like split-second decisions made on the accord of the soldiers carrying them out.
Both Ukrainians and Russians are suffering human rights abuse, but the behavior of the Russian soldiers is worsening the situation tenfold as they become more isolated and ostracized in the global community than before. It is unclear what it will take for Russia to regain any sort of respect that the rest of the world had for at least the Russian people who suffer heavy censorship and authoritarian leaders. If Russian men want the world to keep in mind the mistreatment that they themselves have experienced at the hand of the Kremlin, they must be less ruthless toward innocents in Ukraine.
Megan Diehl is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. The views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Megan about her article? Tweet her @megandiehl02.
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