I envy their Olympics and their army. I have many friends and relatives in Russia. I see how they change and grow. They believe their President. They believe in their army. They are proud of their great history, achievements and victories.
It was once our common history ... victories and achievements. Not so long ago. They have found their ground. They don’t care about the West we worship. They move on and grow, despite of what we are told on our TVs and various social forums. I know that it’s us who are losing, and not them. We have become weaker, and they have gotten stronger.
No matter how loud we keep shouting "Glory to Ukraine!" we can’t stop it.
Not so long ago we were gloating when they had Chechnya.
Today the Chechens are no less Russian than the Russians themselves. They are ready to fight for their revived and great country, of which they are a part. Today we are the one to be frightened with the Chechen battalions. How did this happen???
They were killing each other just yesterday. But the reason is simple: the Chechens were able to remember that they were Russian, and they were part of the great Country and the Great People.
We gloat when they have terrorist attacks and disasters.
However, they overcome them over and over again and become stronger! Even though the whole world is against them!
They fall and rise again. Stand and grin. And just spit blood through their teeth.
We are screaming that they are slaves. That they will soon fall apart, the oil will fall, NATO will attack, and they will be struck down with another punishment. But they are us! We spit on our own reflection. On ourselves.
We must remember that we are a whole. And once we begin to understand and realize it, only then will come the feeling that once our ancestors had. A sense of inner strength, hope, faith, and pride that we are also the Russians.
It doesn’t matter who our ancestors were: Ukrainians, Tatars, Jews, Buryats, or Uzbeks. It doesn’t matter who we are by faith: Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims or Jews. This is not important. What’s important is that we are Russians! That we're a part of the Great people and the Great country.
Yes, our Great Country and our Great People still have a lot of problems. But if we remember that we are Russians, we will change everything forever! Everybody is afraid of that.
They are afraid that we will remember and will be together again.
That’s why they are building spider webs of lies and deceits. This lie and hatred is being maintained by us and in Russia.
They do not allow us to wake up. And if we do not remember who we are, you will never wake up.
About the situation, occupation and others.
Who shouts the loudest that we need to protect "our" independence, unity and freedom? The same officials, oligarchs and parliamentarians. They are terrified that they will have to answer for everything that has happened to our Motherland over the years.
Maybe this is not the occupation? Perhaps, this is the liberation? And our people came, when we lost all our hope, when we almost gave up.
Perhaps, we need to stand together and destroy all these lying politicians, oligarchs, mayors and officials, who are foaming at their mouths and screaming that we need to go and die! To die for their villas, yachts and castles, for their bank accounts, for their freedom to rob us, and for freedom from answering for their actions.
I understand that this Manifesto will be cut out from the web. There will be thousands of angry comments, screams that I'm a traitor, that I was sold out to Putin, that I am katsap and Moskal. I don't care. I know that the truth is with me.
I am a patriot of Ukraine, a true patriot, and now the fate of my people and my Ukraine is being decided.
Either we remember who we are, or we will perish.
I love my Ukrainian people, our ancestors and our culture.
I'm Ukrainian, but more than that I am Russian!
Andrey Avramenko, Kharkov
