Original Material
A wishlist from Meduza’s founders
12 hopes and dreams, one for each month of 2024
We love making wishes for the New Year and are not ashamed to dream the big, seemingly unattainable things. At Meduza, we believe the impossible is possible. Why do we keep at this, despite everything indicating the world is heading into an abyss? Well, for starters, Meduza keeps going because we’ve got you. Your support is a miracle that grows more amazing every year.
As the year comes to a close, we founders of Meduza, Ivan Kolpakov and Galina Timchenko, have decided to present a wishlist for 2024 — an inventory of our wildest hopes and dreams. It might seem naive and foolish to some of you, or maybe it will help you to create your own.
In 2023, The Beatles released their final song. It wasn’t their best, of course, but it was still an important moment for those of us who can’t imagine the world without the Fab Four. Filmmaker Peter Jackson, whose work made the new recording possible, said, “With the world in the state it is, we need the Beatles to appear again, as if a flying saucer has touched down and they’ve got off and are providing us with their one last song to cheer us up.”
The Beatles are no more, but it’s in each of us to be The Beatles. Because this is our world, and its future depends on us alone.
And so here are our hopes and dreams for the new year.
1. The end of war
We dream of the day we can retire our live coverage of the war in Ukraine from Meduza’s homepage. We dream of peace in the Middle East. We dream that people will start talking instead of killing each other. We dream that those around us will stop ridiculing others who desire and believe in peace.
We want a complete end to war, and this is not naive.
2. Putin ends up in The Hague
Justice may not be an objective reality, but it is feasible through our actions.
This coming winter will be brutal for Ukrainians. The counteroffensive cost the country many lives, and it’s become common to hear that the war has reached a stalemate. We nevertheless dream of a just end to this conflict where Ukraine reclaims its lands, Russia pays for its actions (in the form of reparations, at the very least), and Putin and his retinue of war criminals stand trial.
3. The freedom fighters go free
Never in our lives have we had so many friends and acquaintances in prison. We dream of freedom for these people and for the prisoners we don’t yet know. Freedom for Alexey Navalny and Ilya Yashin, for Aleksandra Skochilenko and Svetlana Petriychuk, for Vladimir Kara-Murza and the thousands of antiwar activists now behind bars. We dream of freedom for those who have been framed and locked up out of revenge and fear.
4. We can go home
Everyone has the right to go home. We dream about it, too. We dream about driving the Garden Ring in Moscow, strolling down Lunacharsky Street in Perm, hugging our parents, and catching up with old classmates. Or maybe just looking out the window and daydreaming.
5. Just one month in the year without bad news
And without a single news alert.
6. A temperate summer
We have been too distracted lately by nonsense and solving problems forced on us by influential jerks. We dream of the chance to refocus on what matters most: the planet’s very real climate crisis. It surrounds us, and we have only a narrow window to stop it. The time to tackle this is right now. It’s on all of us.
7. An end to the killing of journalists
Enough is enough. Just stop it.
8. Russia repeals its disgusting discriminatory laws
Women should have free access to abortion. People in the LGBTQ+ community should have the same rights as anyone else, including the right to marry, of course. The “Law of Scoundrels” that bans Americans from adopting children in Russia should be repealed. Kids deserve a family, and it doesn’t matter what flag appears on the parents’ passports.
Glance at the legislation passed in recent years, and it’s easy to keep adding to this list. Remember that each of these laws destroys thousands of lives. We have every right to be furious.
9. Donald Trump isn’t reelected in the United States
If only because it would be just another distraction from what really matters, if we’re serious about our future.
10. Our newsroom celebrates Meduza’s 10th anniversary together with our readers
In 2024, Meduza will mark a decade since its creation. We have many hopes and plans for this anniversary, which means pleasant surprises in store for you.
But the main dream is simple: to celebrate our birthday with you.
11. The chance for belly laughs and making life plans
If we’re being honest, we’ve never completely abandoned laughter. It helps us even now. You’ve got to laugh. And you’ve got to make plans. Manage it just some of the time, and you’ll see: Life gets better.
12. All your wishes come true
Thank you for sticking with Meduza in 2023. Please support our work — it’s what keeps us going. We need your help right now. And tell your friends and colleagues about our work. Share our story with your relatives when celebrating the holidays. Kick over a rock and shout it at the insects. Tell them, “Happy New Year from Meduza!” We’ll see you in 2024.