Roger Watson
As we enter Holy Week and the climax of the Christian calendar, I wonder how many prayers are being said for Ukraine. Plenty, I imagine. ‘The people of Ukraine’ are regularly included in the Prayers of The Faithful at my Roman Catholic parish church, but never a prayer for ‘The People of Russia’.
It is understandable why we should pray for the people of Ukraine, after all, their cities are being bombed, civilians of all ages are being killed. And we keep stoking the fires that are burning there with more fuel in the form of weapons that can only prolong the war.
But what about the people of Russia? Just because their cities are not being bombed and we cannot be shown pictures in the mainstream media of homeless Russians and orphaned children, it does not mean they are not suffering. If the figures are to be believed then our weapons are helping to mow down between five to eight thousand Russian troops a month while the Ukrainians are relatively unscathed.
The truth will eventually come out about the full extent of the Ukrainian military deaths, all fathers, brothers and sons of Ukrainian families. But the five to eight thousand Russian soldiers per month are also the fathers, brothers and sons of Russian families and all we seem to do is to rejoice.
On the other hand, the Russians do not have to suffer and endless stream of celebrities coming to visits their ‘war torn’ country. How bad can it actually be if the likes of Orlando Bloom, Bono, Angelina Joli and the insufferable Sean Penn can visit with impunity?. Most of them would fill their pants if they heard a party popper go off let alone a missile exploding.
And as if the Ukrainian people had not had enough, when those Russian missiles come whistling in they will hear the voice of Luke Skywanker (aka Mark Hamill) telling them to take shelter. At least it’s not the voice of Yoda saying “missiles it is cover you should take” but maybe we should not give them any ideas.
The war in Ukraine, manufactured as it was by a host of western powers, but primarily the USA—the UK only ‘follows orders’—has become a publicity event for Hollywood has-beens. Those slipping down the A-list, geriatric pop stars and subservient politicians keen to grab a photo-op with the ‘wee fella’, the deluded leader of Ukraine.
A major outcome of the war in Ukraine has been that is has united Russia and China…against us! I always considered their political differences a bit artificial but, whatever their true nature, they are now confident enough to express their unity publicly.
Russia does not have a large economy. Peter Hitchens—the lone voice of sanity in the mainstream press—regularly reminds us it is about the same size as the economy of Italy. China’s economy is massive, on a scale with the EU and USA. The unity of Russia and China can only be to the benefit of China who can strengthen their foothold in Eastern Europe. Who saw that coming?
If you are of the persuasion amongst us who pray, then spare a prayer for Russia. Slip in a little one for us in the UK too along the lines of ‘forgive us, for we know not what we are doing.’
Roger Watson is a retired academic nurse who lives in the UK.
He is currently engaged in a range of professional consultancies in the UK, Europe and China. He writes regularly for several outlets including The Daily Sceptic, The European Conservative, Country Squire Magazine and The New Conservative.
