Ukraine war: Russia's uncertain future a product of its past

In his St Petersburg apartment, assemblage lecturer Denis Skopin shows maine the papers which has changed his life.

It's headed: "Directive No.87/2D. Subject: Dismissal."

Until precocious Denis was subordinate prof astatine the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences of St Petersburg State University. But connected 20 October the assemblage sacked him for "an immoral enactment incompatible with acquisition functions".

What was this alleged immoral act? Participation successful an "unsanctioned" rally.

On 21 September Denis joined a thoroughfare protestation against the Kremlin's determination to draught Russians to combat successful Ukraine. Earlier successful the day, President Vladimir Putin had declared "partial mobilisation" crossed the country. During the objection Denis was arrested and spent 10 days successful jail.

"Freedom of look successful Russia is successful crisis," Denis tells me. "All kinds of freedoms are successful heavy crisis."

"After I was released from detention, I worked for 3 much weeks. The assemblage sent maine letters asking maine to explicate my absence. I replied that I'd been arrested for information successful a protestation and enactment successful detention. Then the Human Resources section called maine and told maine that I'd been sacked."

On his last time astatine work, Denis's students gathered extracurricular the assemblage to accidental goodbye.

In an impromptu code (the video was posted online) helium told them:

"What is an immoral act? Acting against your conscience and passively obeying idiosyncratic else's orders. I acted according to my conscience. I americium definite that the aboriginal of our state belongs to you."

The students broke into applause for their sacked teacher.

"I emotion my students precise much," Denis tells me. "They are precise astute and they recognize precise good what is happening present successful Russia. Their [show of] support was not for maine personally. Rather, it was disapproval of what is happening present successful Russia.

"Many radical successful Russia don't situation to protestation due to the fact that they hazard being punished for it. But galore would similar to. And, for these people, providing support to those who bash protestation is simply a mode of disagreeing with what is happening successful Russia."

Denis Skopin's communicative highlights not conscionable the unit which opponents of the Kremlin's "special subject operation" are coming nether here. It besides raises questions astir Russia's future.

"Locked up with maine successful the detention centre determination were IT specialists, scientists, doctors, teachers and students. Many of them are present abroad. Like my cell-mate, a young talented mathematician.

"About 25% of my contiguous colleagues person already near Russia. They near aft 24 February. Some of them near immediately, immoderate near aft mobilisation was declared. I deliberation Russia is losing the champion radical now. The astir educated, the astir energetic, the astir critically reasoning radical are leaving the country. In short, Russia is going successful the incorrect direction."

An uncertain aboriginal is not solely the effect of the present. It is besides the merchandise of Russia's past.

Across municipality a tiny radical of St Petersburg residents is lasting beside a monument to the victims of Joseph Stalin's Great Terror of the 1930s.

The monument is made retired of a ample stone from the distant Solovetsky Islands, location to 1 of the astir notorious forced labour camps of the Gulag. Solovki campy was acceptable up to imprison governmental prisoners alongside different convicts.

People are queuing up astatine a microphone. They are taking it successful turns to work retired names of individuals who were arrested, condemned and executed successful and astir St Petersburg.

"Ekaterina Gansovna. Age: 46. Postal Worker.

Arrested: 9 December 1937.

Yulia Stanislavovna. Age: 41. Pulp Factory Accounts Manager.

Arrested: 27 September 1937.

It is thought that Soviet dictator Stalin had a cardinal of his ain citizens executed. Millions much lives were destroyed successful his instrumentality of panic which cranked retired arrests, deportations and forced labour connected a wide scale. Some of his successors, similar Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev, did denounce Stalin's crimes.

And yet, successful Vladimir Putin's Russia, Stalin has enjoyed thing of a rehabilitation. The authorities contiguous spot little accent connected the darker chapters of the Stalin years, portion Stalin himself is often portrayed arsenic a strongman who defeated Nazi Germany and turned the Soviet Union into a superpower. Putin's Kremlin seeks positives successful the past - victories.

"Unfortunately, our state didn't crook implicit this leafage properly. Stalin's repressions were not talked astir capable oregon afloat condemned. This is wherefore the warfare successful Ukraine is happening today," says pensioner Ludmila, who has travel to laic flowers astatine the Solovki Stone.

"Experience shows that remaining soundless leads to atrocious things. We mustn't hide the bloody stains of our country's history."

Sacked assemblage lecturer Denis Skopin has studied the Stalin years. He sees parallels betwixt past and now.

"I conscionable published a publication successful English astir however radical successful Stalin's Russia removed from radical photographs those who were declared 'enemy of the people'. Colleagues, friends oregon adjacent adjacent relatives had to region each signs of them from photographs. They did it with scissors and with ink.

"The module wherever I taught had a concern with Bard College, an American wide arts college. Last twelvemonth Bard College was declared an 'undesirable organisation' successful Russia. So, our module broke the concern and the Bard College sanction was removed from the stands displayed successful the corridors of our module utilizing precisely achromatic ink. In the aforesaid mode arsenic successful Stalin's Russia."

If, arsenic Denis claims, his students "understand precise well" what is happening successful Russia and Ukraine, that raises a question: if young Russians are not convinced by the Kremlin's arguments, however volition the authorities transportation the nationalist semipermanent to rally circular the emblem and backmost the president?

Answer: by making definite young radical "understand" events arsenic the Kremlin does.

To assistance execute that, a caller patriotic acquisition has been introduced into schools crossed Russia for each schoolchildren: "Conversations About Important Things." It is not portion of the authoritative curriculum, but it is the archetypal acquisition connected a Monday greeting and children are powerfully encouraged to attend.

What "important things" are discussed there? Well, erstwhile President Putin played teacher successful Kaliningrad successful September, helium told a radical of children that the purpose of Russia's violative successful Ukraine was to "protect Russia" and helium described Ukraine arsenic an "anti-Russian enclave." You tin spot which mode the "Conversation" goes.

"This is forced education. To my caput this is arsenic unsafe arsenic it was successful Soviet times erstwhile we had 'political information' lessons," says St Petersburg teacher Olga Milovidova, who retired past month. "In those days we had to work the paper Pravda. And I retrieve we had to work books by [Soviet leader] Brezhnev arsenic if they were masterpieces. We had to springiness lone positives opinions. There was nary captious discussion.

"Education and patriotism mustn't beryllium enactment together," believes Olga, who was a lawman schoolhouse director. "There are children who conscionable believe. They unfastened their eyes and they are acceptable to judge successful anything. That is precise dangerous."