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EESTI ELU reedel, 11. märtsil 2022 — Friday, March 11, 2022
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Speech of Estonian Ambassador, Toomas Lukk, at Ottawa rally English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Profiles of courage and resilience versus victims of lies and repression The contrast is starkly visible between Ukrainians fiercely resisting the Russian on slaught and Russians being overwhelmed by the Krem lin’s domestic disinformation assault aimed at his own people. While Ukrainians witness and stand up to the brutality of Russia’s still inept military, Russians to a large extent are swallowing Putin’s claim to be protecting Russia against Ukrainian fascism and its future threat as a nuclear power. What??? A sizable part of the Russian population who have seen videos of the devastation in Ukraine believe that Western broadcasts are a hoax, that Ukrainians themselves have caused the destruction. Now practically all access to this has been blocked. Even using words such as “war” instead of the official term “special military operation” is illegal. Orwellian “newspeak” has become Putin’s mandatory language. Deviating from this could cost 15 years imprisonment. Although thousands have been arrested for protesting the war, it’s difficult to measure the level of support for Putin’s war. Kremlin-backed pollsters have placed public approval of Putin at 70%. But the society is di vided and disoriented. However, according to the Levada Centre, before the attack, only 4% of respondents to a survey said Russian leadership was respon sible for any military confronta tion. Even though the invasion and annexation of Crimea hap pened eight years ago and the current attack against Ukraine is on a different scale, the Russian people’s reaction in 2014 is something that may be imbued within their culture, their strange understanding of nationalism, of Russia as a dominant world power justi fiably wielding its might – con cepts that have been fed by the Kremlin for generations. Not surprisingly, Putin’s popularity then soared to over 80%. The Russians whole-heartedly ap plauded an illegal and also brutal action condemned by the West. Is it the thought of dead young conscripts sent home for burial (the Kremlin falsifies
Russian losses) or sincere support for Ukrainians being slaughtered that drives fearless Russians to the streets in protest? (As of this writing, a private report from Estonia states that Russian casualties are not being sent home for burial for fear of heightening anti-war feelings and thus boosting street protests and open petitions. Putin des perately needs to keep the pub lic in the dark as to the lack of success so far.) Some Russian academics insist that political polls under authoritarian government are biased toward government deci sions. It was a natural fear of punishment for giving a wrong answer and this fear has likely deepened during Putin’s harsh rule. It’s fear and corruption that Putin wields as he keeps a stranglehold on Russians. Putin has systematically falsified and vaguely formulated the aims and tactics of the invasion. Some observers in Russia are convinced that the people’s state of mind has been ruined by Putin’s relentless campaign to stamp out any signs of a liberal democracy. It may not be too far-fetched to find a reason why refugees from Odessa and Kharkiv, mainly Russian-speaking cities, are heading west and not east to their land of heritage. They have not been totally indoctri nated with Putin’s systematic false messaging, aimed for years their way. Being in Ukraine, their access to Western news and comment has not been blocked as it has been in Russia. (As of this writing, a private report from Estonia states that the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers are not being returned to Russia, obviously to keep the public in the dark about the number of casualties.) An enormous shift in the mindset of Russians is needed to change course. In West Germany, it was nourished, even enforced by the occupiers – Britain, the USA and France. But Russia will not have any occupiers. An aside: Will the heartrending images of innocent Ukrainians being slaughtered have any effect on the mindset
What we are doing here today is important. Today’s rally builds a link to many similar rallies carried out in the cities around the world. Including my own capital Tallinn, where 30 000 people gathered to express their support. As President Zelensky acknowl edged, “every support is important.” As an Ambassador, I would like to convey to you my coun try’s unequivocal and un wavering support of Ukraine. Estonia’s support is ironclad, firm and sustainable. It is also broad … and expressed in poli tical, economic, humanitarian and military terms. My government and my fel low Estonians have contributed in all these ways. The whole country stands united in sup porting Ukraine, supporting its men and women on the battle field, supporting those who chose to stay in Ukraine or who cannot leave, and supporting the women and children who seek refuge in Estonia. AND I want to say it loud and clear – those people who choose to seek refuge in Estonia – WE WILL take good care of you! However, I am standing here in front of you also as a man, as a human being. My wife and me. We stand here because it is our choice. It is our choice to support peace, to express soli darity and to stand for freedom. It is our choice, borne of our
conscience, to stand up against tyranny and against the Kremlin’s “choice of war”. During these dark times, our choices are limited – it can only be right or wrong. There is no space for gray areas. Today we are all here as Ukrainians in our hearts and thoughts – we stand for Ukraine here or at home. No matter where. We are Ukrai nians as long as it takes to stop injustice. There is somebody on this Earth – in the Kremlin – who has dared to take the decision of which country has a right to exist into his own hands. Ukrainians have defied this explicitly – fighting Russian invaders, and defending their freedom and sovereignty. The global stance regarding
of a substantial part of the U.S. public? A recent statement of a Republican candidate for the Senate, J.D. Vance, was posted on-line in Breitbart, a regular source for EKRE’s Uued Uudised: “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.” Years before, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and an avid Trump acolyte, dismissed the importance of the Baltic States as being just the “back yard” of St. Petersburg. Mr. Trump’s Western-unity-destroying, iso lationist policies have clearly yielded results. In distinct divergence of the atmosphere dominating Russia, the war has brought out the best of human nature in Ukraine. Ukrainians have demonstrated valiantly that truth, dignity and courage matter. Ukrainians will not bow down to a brutal regime even when the reality is unyieldingly bleak. We have witnessed unarmed people trying to block Russians on the road to Europe’s largest nuclear reactor. We have ad mired elderly civilians arming themselves with AK 47s to fend off overwhelmingly superior firepower. We have heard Ukrainians answer Russian agi tators with expletives. We have fought back tears learning of
schools being bombed and chil dren targeted. We have listened to the anguish of young moth ers leaving their husbands, per haps forever, to escape to the West. We are all familiar with the stand President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainians have made not to give in. We admire their hope and defiance despite a devastating fate that currently faces them. Compared to them we seem paralyzed by our soulwrenching helplessness. Western countries are willing to pay the price for a cause that we support, but only to a cer tain point. We are not ready to absorb the high cost of gaso line, oil, gas. Western imports (Canada and the USA finally announced embargoes of Russian energy imports) pay for Putin’s war machine. Ukrai nians killed battling ruthless ag gression pay the price for free dom. From Ukraine we are wit nessing an idea that to some may seem archaic – that fight ing a righteous fight, in face of overwhelming odds, is virtuous and dignified. Their innate dignity is something we can honour and from which we can learn. They know something exists which is more important than fear. Slava Ukrayini! Heroyam Slava! LAAS LEIVAT
Photo: ©Ülle Baum
the Russian invasion was clearly demonstrated when United Nation member states cast their votes on the resolution regarding “Russian aggression against Ukraine”. One hundred and forty one (141) countries voted in favor of the resolution and condemned Russian aggres sion. Thus, the international community’s message is crys tal clear – Russia, get out of Ukraine! And this is also our call here today. Dark times need leadership. Since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine, we have seen how Ukrainian soldiers fighting for freedom trust their generals, who have become their role models. The world has also seen how the President has grown into a true leader of his Nation. A Man, who is cherished by the whole world. I speak of Presi dent Zelensky. His video message, some days ago, saying “Good morn ing my fellow Ukrainians … I am here with you …” is infinitely more powerful than Putin’s shallow attempt to sum mon the Russian people behind his goal of “demilitarization and denazification”. Putin fails big time as a president and as a leader. He is neither of those things. As he has said himself: “Once KGB, always KGB”. I have been in diplomacy for many years, met diplomats around the world, including Russian diplomats. Many of them have family relations in Ukraine. I am confident that not all of them accept Russia’s invasion in their hearts. In Russian, there is a word “sovest” – conscience (in English). Here is my call to Russian diplomats: find your conscience! Say “No to aggres sion”, say “No to war” and say “No to killing”. A few days ago, I called my friend in Ukraine. Given the circumstances, we had a short conversation. At the end he said, we (Ukraine) will win this war and agreed to meet in Kiev, in a sovereign Ukraine. I very much look forward to that day. (Continued on page 11)
