As Ukrainian forces reclaim swathes of their territory as a demoralized Russian occupier retreats, Vladimir Putin steps up the threat of a nuclear attack. World politicians strongly warn the Kremlin, and commentators compare the current moment with the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and other episodes of great tension that could have ended in a nuclear disaster. During that time, about 15.000 Ukrainians reacted to the possible end of the world in a less abstract way: they allegedly signed up for a mass sex party in the vicinity of Kiev.
Participants of Orgy on Ščekavicja: The Official Channel are expected to "decorate their hands with sticks indicating their sexual preference. People interested in anal sex should draw 3; those interested in oral sex were asked to show 4 sticks". Now there are other similar groups, such as the one preparing an orgy in Deribasivska street in Odesa.
Why would anyone be interested in such an event after 8 months of Russian bombing and brutal armed conflicts? As one willing participant says: "It's the opposite of despair. Even in the worst situations, people will look for something good. That's the mega-optimism of Ukrainians."
Her testimony should be taken at face value. In times of extreme suffering, an orgy can be a life-celebrating endeavor. There is no need for a "deeper" pseudo-Freudian explanation that collective trauma accelerates the breakdown of individual inhibitions and conventional social norms. A truly uncivilized sexual act is one undertaken by Russian soldiers and their leaders. According to Pramila Patten, the United Nations Special Representative for Sexual Violence in War, Russian commanders are handing out Viagra to their troops. Sexual assaults on Ukrainian women are the result of a "conscious tactic of dehumanizing the victims," Patten said.
To the great shame of my country, Matjaž Gams, a member of the Slovenian State Council, reacted to the story of the orgies in Ukraine by saying that when civilization enters a period of decline, "strange, morbid ideas" appear. But what is more strange and morbid: sexual entertainment (where all activities are voluntary and consensual) or indiscriminate Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians (including systematic rape as a military tactic)?
The latest nuclear threats were made at the time of Putin's illegal annexation of 4 Ukrainian territories that are not fully under Russian control, but which the Kremlin claims are "inalienable parts of the Russian Federation... Their security is treated the same as the security of any part of Russia". The implication, of course, is that Ukraine already deserves a nuclear strike, because it is conquering territories that should be under the Russian nuclear umbrella. No wonder betting sites are offering odds on a nuclear attack this year, with thousands of people betting their money on a yes.
Adding further credibility to the threat, Russian officials ordered the evacuation of Kherson, which is now almost entirely surrounded by Ukrainian forces. The message is clear: if the Ukrainians retake the city, it will be a perfect target for a nuclear bomb. In the fight against "Satanism", as Putin recently called it, everything is allowed.
But the argument of Western peacekeepers that Europe should send a large delegation to Russia to open negotiations on terms for peace is equally morbid. Of course, we should do everything possible to prevent another world war; but to achieve this we must begin with a realistic understanding of what Russia has become. This means that we should abandon the idea of Eurasian unity and reject the argument that Europe should form a bloc with Russia in order to avoid becoming a minor partner of the USA in the conflict with China. Russia is currently a bigger threat to Europe than China.
In order for Europe to continue negotiations with Russia, it would also have to put pressure on Ukraine to accept some compromises. This is exactly what the Kremlin wants, because it would reinforce Putin's argument that Ukraine is just a proxy for the West, not a real state with its own influence.
What to do then? Since Russia obviously cannot be ignored the best option is to reach out to the opponents of the war in Russia and its satellites. As recently pointed out by Slavomir Sierakovsky, the administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a natural ally in the Belarusian opposition, which is quietly doing everything it can to thwart the mobilization of its society for the Russian war. But such an alliance did not happen. On the contrary, Ukrainian officials show contempt for Belarusians, portraying them as "weak and conformists". According to Sierakovski, this is not only immoral, but also "politically stupid".
Russian opponents of the war are in the same position, targeted by Putin's establishment as traitors and treated by Ukraine as Russian aggressors. This is how the meaning of the Ukrainian war is obscured. It is not a conflict between "European truth" and "Russian truth", as claimed by Putin's ideologue Alexander Dugin and some Ukrainians. Ukraine is a front in the global fight against the new nationalist fundamentalism that is gaining strength everywhere, including the US, India and China.
What Ukrainians have eroded their moral supremacy with is not harlotry in the suburbs of Kyiv, but failure in efforts to universalize their resistance.
Project Syndicate, 27.10.2022.
Translated by Milica Jovanović
Bonus video:
