Alexei Navalny 'murdered' in prison & the Kremlin's occupation playbook in Ukraine
Feb 16, 2024
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Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition leader, and Karolina Hird, Russia Team Deputy Lead at the Institut, discuss the death of Navalny, the Kremlin's occupation playbook in Ukraine, and strategies such as Co-erced Rostification and ethnic cleansing. They also highlight the alarming statistics and challenges surrounding children affected by the conflict in Ukraine and emphasize the importance of Western support and aid.
The occupation playbook in Ukraine involves coercive russification and ethnic cleansing to erase Ukrainian identity.
Russia has conducted a deportation campaign for Ukrainian children to instill a pro-Russian mindset and sever their connection to Ukraine.
Deep dives
Russian occupation playbook aiming to eradicate Ukrainian identity in occupied territories
The occupation playbook being implemented by Russia in occupied territories of Ukraine aims to erase Ukrainian identity through a variety of strategies. This includes coerced russification, where small-scale manipulations are used to replace Ukrainian language, culture, and social connections with Russian identity. Russian efforts also involve ethnic cleansing, with the deportation of Ukrainians and their replacement with Russians in occupied areas. These strategies have been largely uniform across the occupied regions, with slight variations in focus by different occupation officials. The longer these actions continue, the more difficult it becomes to reverse the effects, making international support for Ukraine's liberation and reintegration of utmost importance.
Deportation of Ukrainian children and its impact
Russia's deportation campaign for Ukrainian children involves various programs aimed at removing Ukrainian children from their homeland. This includes sending children to social and cultural programs, military patriotic training, youth engagement programs, and medical or psychological rehabilitation programs. The total number of deported children is difficult to determine, as Ukrainian authorities can only confirm the identities of a fraction of the total, estimated at around 20,000. However, Russian estimates suggest that nearly 700,000 children have been deported. The deportation of children serves the purpose of eradicating their connection to Ukraine and instilling a pro-Russian mindset. Repatriating these children becomes increasingly difficult as their identities are altered and their access to Ukraine is severed.
Consequences of inaction and the need for international support
The longer the occupation playbook is allowed to continue, the more irreversible its effects become for Ukraine. The international community must recognize the deeply human impact of this war, which extends beyond military and political considerations. Western countries should provide Ukraine with the necessary tools, including military aid and support for liberation and reintegration efforts, to reverse the occupation and bring back its people. Failure to act will further enable Russia's escalation and expansion, while supporting Ukraine's reintegration will help protect its people and reclaim its lands.
Call for action and support for Ukraine
In light of Alexei Navalny's death, there is a clear need for a strong response from the international community. Suggestions include pledging to train more Ukrainian soldiers, increasing military support, tightening sanctions on Russia, confiscating Russian assets, passing aid packages in the US Congress, and demonstrating strong leadership. The world should not succumb to Ukraine fatigue and must understand the urgency of the situation to prevent further escalations and ensure Ukraine's liberation and reintegration of its occupied territories.
Today, we bring you the latest news from Ukraine, discuss the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and interview Karolina Hird from the ISW on the Kremlin’s 'occupation playbook' in Ukraine.
Contributors:
David Knowles (Head of Audio Development). @DJKnowles22 on Twitter.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor, Defence). @DomNicholls on Twitter.
Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on Twitter.
Karolina Hird (Russia Team Deputy Lead and Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War).@KarolinaAHird on Twitter.
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