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Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
The Real Danger of the Trump-Putin Summit
It's symbolic that Alaska has been chosen as the location for Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's meeting on Friday to discuss Ukraine giving up occupied territory to Russia in the name of 'peace.' In 1867, the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia, then a colony of the Tsar, for a measly $7.2 million (around $150 million today). It's as if whoever selected the location is suggesting there's nothing particularly dramatic for lines on maps to be redrawn, that you can swap parts of countries as if they were mere real estate. But this ignores something vital—people. Russia's occupation of eastern parts of Ukraine isn't just a land-grab. Its aim is to wipe out independent Ukrainian identity; to re-define who the local people think and feel they are at the barrel of a gun. It's a vast project of enforced social engineering that takes us back to the Age of Empire, when colonizers imposed their will on conquered subjects. It's reminiscent of some of the darkest parts of the 20th century, when totalitarian dictatorships used terror to compel obedience on captured nations. If any 'deal' brokered in Alaska ignores the rights of Ukrainians in occupied lands then it will legitimize the return of some of the most evil chapters of our history. So whatever happens Friday, it's imperative to never normalize Russia's occupation. Some of the crimes Russia commits are blatant violations of international law. A U.N. report looked at accounts of civilian detainees in Russian-occupied Ukraine and found that 90% had been 'tortured or ill-treated.' Children have been executed. Believers outside the Kremlin-allied Moscow Patriarchate have been arrested, taken prisoner, tortured, and killed. Meanwhile, at least 19,546 children have been taken away from their guardians and families—spirited away to Russia where they are taught to forget Ukraine. This enforced deportation has led to Putin being indicted for war crimes. Read More: The Hidden War Over Ukraine's Lost Children Such crimes are easy to define under international law. We can open criminal proceedings against the perpetrators. But just as insidious are the more subtle forms of coercion that often get overlooked by courts. The way, for instance, Russia threatens to deny basic services like heating to Ukrainians who don't take up Russian passports. Or how millions of people across Ukraine—and not just in the occupied parts of the country—have been forced to flee their homes because the conditions Russia created made it too frightening to remain. Such displaced people currently have no recourse to justice. This needs to change. They should be allowed to claim reparations. Or consider the process of indoctrination. Over 1 million children are at school in occupied Ukraine. The Russian curriculum they are forced to follow wipes out the centuries-long struggle for Ukrainian independence. It barely mentions the mass famine of Ukrainians in the 1930s that killed 4 million, and which many historians consider a genocide. Parents who refuse to send their children to pro-Russian schools are threatened with losing their parental rights, witnesses have told The Reckoning Project, the war crimes NGO I helped found. Possession of Ukrainian textbooks can even lead to five year sentences. While Ukrainian identity is suppressed, a militarized form of Russian imperialism is rigorously promoted in occupied Ukraine. Children are expected to attend military youth groups reminiscent of the Hitler Jugend. Here students learn to shoot, sing patriotic Russian songs, and express 'unconditional love' to 'our holy Russian land' and 'readiness to join the holy fight.' Ukrainian officials and activists label this process 'brainwashing,' even 'cultural genocide.' But none of these are crimes under international law. Thus we risk the perpetrators getting away with the ultimate purpose of Russia's occupation—erasing Ukrainian identity. In order to ensure Russia doesn't get away with that, lawyers at The Reckoning Project have made a submission to the U.N. that details how Russia is in breach of the 'Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' that guarantees parents the right to give children the education they choose. A U.N. submission is a small step in itself, but it helps create the basis for sanctioning officials and demanding damages from Russia. It should be seen as part of a web of justice that includes naming and shaming through media, online advocacy, pressure on private companies and public bodies, reparations, and other tools to ensure the whole system of Russian occupation is not normalized. All of this can also help show the world it can move on from the age of brutal imperial conquest and totalitarian thought control. Which brings us back to the Alaska Purchase. It is not just a symbol of how easily great powers can negotiate land swaps. It's a testimony to how colonial powers callously ignore the local population. When Russia occupied Alaska in the 19th century, it made serfs out of the local Indigenous tribes, forced them to hunt for furs, and raked in the profits. Missionaries pushed Native Americans to adopt Russian Orthodoxy. During the sale of Alaska, the rights of the majority Native Americans were ignored over Russian settlers. Following the U.S. takeover, racial segregation laws were erected and a system of devastating boarding schools created to split up Native American families. The analogy to occupied Ukraine is imperfect but in both cases children were barred from speaking their language or following their traditions. Russia makes no bones about its desire to bring back a new Age of Empire. Its propaganda revels in its desire to subjugate small European countries—and celebrates the idea America could soon join it to carve up the continent. It is encouraging that Trump has shown a greater willingness to criticize Putin and Russia in recent weeks. But the ultimate test will be the message Trump sends from Alaska. It will show which way the U.S. wants history to move.
France 24
14-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Tug of war over Russian Orthodox churches in France: Moscow reclaims cultural sites
Europe 06:31 Issued on: 06:31 min About 20 years ago, the Russian state began a large-scale operation to take control of Orthodox parishes all over Europe. Some of these had, over time, broken ties with the Moscow patriarchate. They're now the object of legal cases pitting the Russian Federation against local associations created to run these expatriate churches during the Soviet era. In April, a court in the French city of Nice ruled that a church and historic cemetery there rightfully belonged to Russia, rather than to the local cultural association. For some of its parishioners, seeing the French justice system side with the country waging war against Ukraine has been hard to accept. Descendants of the Russian tsars, on the other hand, welcome this decision. FRANCE 24's Elena Volochine reports.
Herald Malaysia
04-06-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
The Russian catechism of Metropolitan Tikhon
From the 2026/2027 school year, the 'Fundamentals of Russia's moral and spiritual culture' will be introduced as a new subject in Russian schools. The drafting of the textbook has been entrusted to the Metropolitan of Crimea, known as Putin's 'spiritual father'. Jun 04, 2025 MOSCOW: From 1 September 2026, a new subject will be taught in Russian schools, 'Fundamentals of the Moral and Spiritual Culture of Russia' (abbreviated as Odnknr ), with the aim of teaching the traditional 'universal human' values that underpin all religions. The specific textbook for this subject, a veritable 'Russian catechism,' will be prepared by the Metropolitan of Crimea, Tikhon (Ševkunov), known as Vladimir Putin's 'spiritual father.' The text will be drafted by the Moscow State Pedagogical University, which has asked the Moscow Patriarchate for guidelines, entrusted to the metropolitan-publicist, filmmaker and writer, as officially announced by the press service of the Ministry of Education. The manual will not only be an exposition of abstract principles, but will be illustrated and explained with 'examples from the lives of great men of Russia'. In recent years, the new subject had been included in topics concerning the 'Culture of the Peoples of Russia' and 'History of Our Region' depending on the location of the school, but these variations had been criticised directly by Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) of Moscow, who urged that 'specific teaching of values should not be excluded from middle school classrooms'. During the 'Christmas Readings' in February, the patriarch announced with great satisfaction that his request had been accepted, involving all history teachers in the teaching of 'moral and spiritual' subjects, precisely to highlight the most meritorious aspects and figures of Russian history. Metropolitan Tikhon will not only be the main advisor and inspiration for the new textbook, but will also act on the basis of his recent appointment, decided directly by President Vladimir Putin, who has included him in the new working group on children's and youth education, which brings together representatives of all relevant state bodies. The director of this commission is the deputy head of the presidential administration, former Prime Minister Sergei Kirienko, together with presidential adviser Andrei Fursenko, former Minister of Education, and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. The group is tasked with establishing the necessary measures to 'create a single educational environment' in all organisations involved in education, reviewing and revising all school curricula from primary and secondary schools to vocational schools and higher education. In previous versions of 'Culture of the Peoples', according to the reviews, a 'harmful' interpretation of the Romanov dynasty, from the 17th to the 20th century, had been given, and in the new programme there will no longer be the expressions 'rule of law' and 'civil society', considered merely 'Western influences' on the final and 'degrading' phase of the state of the emperors, now too closely related to Western dynasties. This is one of Metropolitan Tikhon's most typical assessments, which he often repeats as 'Russia can only exist in the imperial dimension', like that of the 16th- and 17th-century monarchs starting with Ivan the Terrible. As already announced by Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov, Russian history will be rewritten according to 'moral and spiritual' principles dating back to the times of Kievan Rus', excluding the concept of 'colonisation' of the Slavic tribes 'of the plains', the so-called Poljani, who are contrasted with the Drevljani, anticipating the division between Poles-Ukrainians and Russians, according to the description in the ancient Chronicle of Nestor. This definition has become classic in Russian scholarly texts since the 19th century, and even more so in Soviet times, and will now be replaced by the term osvoenie, 'appropriation', to indicate a process whereby the Russians expanded into territories that were still empty or uncivilised, without therefore violating the rights of other populations, but bringing 'authentic values', while 'colonisation' will be attributed only to Western kingdoms and nations.--Asia News
Russia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia won't abandon Ukraine's Orthodox believers
Russia will not abandon Orthodox believers in Ukraine in the face of ongoing religious persecution by the authorities in Kiev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has promised. Speaking at a Russian Foreign Ministry reception on Tuesday dedicated to Orthodox Easter, Lavrov condemned Kiev for cracking down on believers in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), calling it proof of the Ukrainian authorities' 'human-hating essence.' 'The authorities in Kiev have brought [the UOC] to the brink of legal liquidation… Churches continue to be seized, vandalized, and attacked, along with priests and parishioners,' Lavrov alleged. He pointed in particular to Ukraine's attempts to wrestle control over the iconic Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the country's oldest monastery. 'These acts are being carried out with the connivance and even support of many European countries, where the ghosts of neo-Nazism and Satanism are again lifting their heads,' the diplomat stated. 'Russia will not leave the Orthodox people of Ukraine in trouble,' Lavrov stressed, adding that Moscow 'will ensure that their lawful rights are respected' and that canonical Orthodoxy regains its central place in Ukraine's spiritual life. Ukraine has accused the UOC of maintaining ties to Russia despite the church declaring independence from the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022. The crackdown has included numerous arrests of clergymen and church raids, one of the most notorious of which took place in the catacombs of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra where holy relics are kept. Last year, Zelensky also signed legislation allowing the state to ban religious organizations affiliated with governments Kiev deems 'aggressors,' effectively targeting the UOC. The Ukrainian leader has defended the measures, claiming they are necessary to protect the country's 'spiritual independence' amid the conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, Kiev has openly supported the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which is regarded as schismatic by both the UOC and the Russian Orthodox Church. The UN has also voiced concern about the state of religious freedoms in Ukraine, particularly regarding legislation allowing Kiev to target different institutions.
Russia Today
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU state's president blocks controversial law against largest Christian church
Estonian President Alar Karis has refused to sign a controversial law targeting the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (ECOC), saying it violates the constitution. The 'Amendment to the Churches and Congregations Act,' passed by parliament earlier this month, would have barred religious organizations in the Baltic state from being governed by foreign bodies deemed a security threat. It specifically prohibited ties enshrined in foundational documents with such entities. The draft law was widely seen as aimed at forcing the ECOC to cut ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The ECOC had previously been required to revise its charter and remove any mention of the Moscow Patriarchate. In a statement on Thursday, Karis claimed that the Moscow Patriarchate 'undermines the sovereignty and democracy of states,' but warned that the amendment in its current form contradicts the constitution by 'disproportionately restricting freedom of association and religion.' He argued that an ambiguous ban on foreign ties could trigger legal disputes and lead to similar curbs on all associations, including political parties. The ECOC thanked Karis for his 'principled stand' and expressed hope for continued dialogue with authorities, emphasizing its canonical ties are no threat to national security. 'Throughout its history in Estonia, our Church has demonstrated loyalty to the Estonian state and respect for its people, upholding democratic values – foremost among them, the freedom of religion,' it said in a statement on Thursday. The changes were introduced in response to the Moscow Patriarchate's support for Russia's military operation against the Kiev regime, local broadcaster ERR reported earlier. Estonia's former interior minister, Lauri Laanemets, who initiated the bill, had previously threatened to shut down monasteries that refuse to cut ties and even threatened to classify the ROC as a terrorist organization. In August 2024, the EOC revised its charter and removed references to the Moscow Patriarchate, but Laanemets insisted the move was insufficient. The ROC has condemned the draft law as discriminatory against the 250,000 Orthodox believers in the EU member state, stressing that the ECOC has never engaged in politics or jeopardized public safety. Moscow has described the legislation as 'unprecedented in its aggression and legal nihilism,' and urged Tallinn to end religious discrimination. Although most Estonians are not religious, around 16% identify as Orthodox Christians and 8% as Lutherans, according to government data. Estonia was part of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991, and Russian speakers constitute about 27% of its population.
