No war, no peace

I don't understand anything about the problems of the army. I don't understand anything about sergeants, foremen, majors, midshipmen and generals. However, I seem to understand about generals... But this, I admit, is a debatable issue. But I definitely understand my son’s problems, and I really want him to live more than 20 years. It’s hard for me to even imagine what I’m not ready to do to make sure he lives for more than 20 years.

Yesterday on Echo, 18 percent of radio listeners who took part in the survey spoke out against disrupting the next conscription for military service. I’m wondering, do these 18 percent have no sons or, on the contrary, do they have many sons and don’t really feel sorry for one or two?

They tell me: “Yes, we have a monstrous army. But the state cannot exist without an army. Are you advocating the destruction of the state?” You know, I’ve been dealing with this state for almost 50 years, and I liked it for 10 minutes - well, that’s when Yeltsin is on a tank... remember?.. So for the sake of saving this state, I’m not only not ready to sacrifice my son, but nothing at all . Well, that is, literally nothing. Moreover, it seems to me that the destruction of our state, in the form in which it exists today, is the primary task of everyone who loves a country called Russia. And it is quite obvious to me that the failure of the spring draft of 2006 is an excellent opportunity to begin this process. Here it is necessary to clarify that by state I mean a system of power, and the army is one of the fundamental institutions of this power.

I repeat - I am absolutely not ready to discuss the topic of what kind of army Russia needs. I only know that in times of peace, when hordes of enemies are not rushing across our borders, she should not threaten the life of my son. And it should not threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands more young people. Because, in the end, we will build the kind of state we want in this country, but you won’t be able to bring them back.

Yes, I have no doubt that in the near future many of those who have been killing and killing our children in Chechnya all these years (and not only in Chechnya, but throughout the country) will find themselves in the dock. Yes, I am sure that the crimes of the Russian army and the Russian government in all post-Soviet years will be investigated by some international court. (For example, the Hague.) But will this make it easier for those who have already lost their children in this meat grinder? Will it be easier for the mother of Private Sychev that someday some court will recognize the personal responsibility of Minister Ivanov for the fact that her son turned into a cripple? Of course not. So, will we lazily wait for change and multiply this terrible list?

It seems to me that the disruption of the next conscription should be the first all-Russian action of civil disobedience. It seems to me that our opposition is obliged to stand at the head of this movement, clearly formulate its goals and objectives and, relying on Russian laws and the Constitution, immediately begin work in this direction. It seems to me that the parents of all Russian conscripts should join this movement. And for this we need everyone to realize one simple thing: it’s time to wake up. Because we are talking about the life and death of our children. And we must start fighting for these lives. For real and without looking back. It’s time to stand shoulder to shoulder and tell these people to their faces: “Do you want to take our children away from us and then kill them? Well try..."