In recent days, Russian opposition figures Ilya Yashin and Volodymyr Kara-Murza have found themselves at the center of controversy after calls to lift sanctions against "ordinary Russians." These statements caused outrage in Ukrainian social networks, where they are criticized for a position that is perceived as disrespecting the Ukrainian victims of Russian aggression.
Lawyer and combat veteran Masi Nayem wrote that "sanctions on "ordinary Russians" can be lifted, but it is better to kill them instead." For this he was banned from Kh.
His sister, Mariam Nayem, outlined "concrete minimal steps" that, in her opinion, the Russians should take "to restore cooperation with Ukrainians." This is "recognition of Ukraine's long struggle for independence and the despotic character of Russia's past and present policy", condemnation of the war "as born of Russian imperialism", public apology for past and present insults.
Yermak, the head of OP, also spoke. He called only to strengthen the sanctions, not to cancel them.
"The common goal of all Russians should be the liberation of Russia from the crazy dictator Putin and his regime, not the fight against sanctions. Sanctions should only be strengthened as long as Russia continues its armed aggression," Yermak writes.
And the ex-speaker of the Ministry of Defense Malyar writes that the topic of "good Russians" is "a project and narrative of the FSB", which they "managed to touch the strings of the Ukrainian soul - credulity and empathy", or "Stockholm syndrome", or "echoes of imperial cultural expansion ". She believes that this topic leads to "a decrease in the moral stability of society in front of the enemy."
But there were also those who disagreed with the criticism of the Russian opposition.
"I am not sure that this cancellation, if you look at it pragmatically, brings us closer to our goal - victory. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend (and tool). I believe that it is necessary to focus on the main goal and cooperate with everyone who is against Putin, the war and the Russian army. I also understand how the Western world feels about Russians. They divide bad and good Russians, and this is a reality. When we attack all Russians together, it surprises foreigners, they cannot understand us, and sometimes it even hurts us," writes former Minister of Economy of Ukraine Tymofiy Mylovanov.
At the same time, the Australian blogger Emu Brigadier, who supports Ukraine, writes that Russians who do not support the war no longer seek intimacy with Ukrainians. According to his assessment, at the beginning of the war, they tried to publicly condemn the war and support Ukraine, but when Zelensky called on the EU not to let all Russians in and deport them to Russia, and Ukrainian ambassadors began to exert pressure for this, "Russian liberals saw it as treason."
