Member-only story
I Went on a Date with a Russian Lady in Prague — On the Ethics of Prejudice Against Russia in a Time of War
I have to admit, I went on a date with a Russian.
And to be honest, I didn’t expect much of it. I mainly went out of curiosity. And sure enough, I was met with a lot of Russian propaganda.
Pretty early on in the date, she asked me what I think about the war, because of my involvement with think tanks in the region. Of course, I had to be honest.
“Russia was entirely unprovoked,” I said.
She disagreed.
That had me thinking about my understanding of European prejudice against Russians and whether it is indeed warranted.
Let me explain.
According to polls, Russians are overwhelmingly in support of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Some 75% approved of the full-scale invasion in January 2023.
Of course, we have some reason to doubt these polls, but the Levada Center, from which they typically come, is independent from the Russian State.
Nonetheless, there are a lot of incentives in Russia to keep quiet about the conflict. For example, calling the full-scale invasion a “war” in Russia rather than a “special military operation” can still result in fining, if not…
