Non-State Actress #10: He's Just Vlad
Sometimes, there are easy answers.
Review: In Non-State Actress #9: Senate Holds Are Like Unsolicited Dick Pics And Both Are Bad for Democracy, we used a phenomenon many millennial and gen-z women are familiar with (unsolicited dick pics) to explain what it means when a single Senator holds up all military confirmations and promotions. Then we demonstrated how the prevalence and reaction to both is a meaningful measure of the health of a democracy. It was pretty great, and so was the playlist.
BLUF
Moral and intelligent people can disagree on how to support Ukraine, but not if Ukraine is worth defending.
Press Play
Defending Ukraine is Defending America, and the UK, and Italy, and…
I am not going to entertain that suggestion that Ukraine does not deserve defense, or that the outcome doesn’t matter.
But really. It’s been over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the war remains what it has always been - can Ukrainians be alive and Ukrainian at the same time. And because we live in a world where what happens in one country impacts what happens in another, the answer to this question matters.
Because if the answer is ‘No,’ or ‘Who cares,’ then what are we even doing here?
Assuming we all believe that people have the right to be alive regardless of their country of origin (one of the few assumptions I make with Non-State Actress, but am always up front about!), there is some room disagree on how to best make sure this stays true IRL for Ukrainians.
Being Upfront About My Non-State Acting
It’s important to me that Non-State Actress is a resource for people to understand national security and defense, and not simply me pretending my opinion is fact. Is my opinion based in facts? Absolutely. But it’s still my opinion.
This project is not about me telling more people what I think - it’s about sharing what I know and how I know it in a way that makes enough sense for people to decide what they think. I mean honestly, it’s just about getting people to think. It requires readers to trust me and trust requires honesty and transparency:
I am using some of my personal and professional energies to support Ukrainian people and animals, and I actively protest Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. I am equally active and vocal in support of the democratically elected leader of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and people of Belarus who are demonstrating against the Russian-backed authoritarian regime that currently holds power in Belarus, but we will talk about that another day.
I am not neutral on this topic and firmly believe we all have some skin in this ‘game.’ If you don’t I urge you read Crocuses and Chocolate Bars or watch Band of Brothers or The Producers.
We’ll come back to whether or not Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an act of genocide1 (forcibly transferring children from one group to another is an act of genocide and a behavior we know the Russian military and government is actively engaged in), but first I want to upfront that I’ve been outspoken and action oriented because I’m not ashamed (lol) and because I know enough about internet trolls that if I don’t say it, they will and it will only be 21% true *at most*.
Russia invaded (again) Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. I say invaded Ukraine again because Russia invaded a region of Ukraine called Crimea in February, 2014 when Ukrainian protests removed the then pro-Russian President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. Russian troops have occupied Crimea since, and provided material support to Ukrainian separartists in the Donbas region beginning in April 2014. So basically, there’s been a war in Ukraine for a little over 9 years, and on Thursday, February 24, 2022 the Russian’s escalated the conflict significantly.
I turned 30 a short time later, which is not a small milestone I guess. To celebrate, I joined my friend
and projected the Ukrainian flag onto the Russian Embassy all night.It was pretty fun:
Around the same time, I worked with some colleagues to gather medical supplies, food, and other non-weapon essentials from every day Americans, ship them to Poland, and store and distribute them to Ukrainians. The supply line still exists so I won’t be sharing any images. I also help connect Ukrainian volunteers with professional truck drivers who are familiar with driving and/or distributing resources in high-violence areas.
I got involved because I don’t consider it optional. I (and my therapist) wish I could explain this more or better or differently, but I can’t. Like lots and lots and lots of people, I do what I can with what I have. I simply do my best to play to my strengths. These are my strengths, whereas many other things are not. Like doing dishes and not losing my AirPods.
Facts and Feelings: Why You Should Read This, Even Though I’m Bias
A brilliant Barbie once said, ‘This makes me emotional and I’m expressing it. I have no difficulty holding both logic and emotion at the same time, and it does not diminish my powers. It expands them.’
At this risk of repeating myself, there are lots of examples of kind people having different opinions and those opinions both being valid. For example, one of my best friends believes tiki drinks are disgusting. I think (know) they are wrong, but I still love him. The same can be true in national security - for example that same friend worries the United States focus on Ukraine comes at the expense of other priorities, and I disagree as I do not think values-forward policy can exist without multitasking.
When there are legitimate disagreements about a topic I am covering, I do my best present the factual truth and clearly and fairly indicate different opinions and viewpoints. This is my favorite kind of writing, because I think it has the most potential for bridging gaps and making progress in the world. We talked a
bout this on Afghanistan and on instruments of national power.
There are also lots of examples of facts showing us right and wrong exist. And I’ve been just as clear about this when it comes up as I’ve been about where reasonable people can disagree.
This is one of those times.
Prove It
Russia invaded Ukraine because the leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin does not believe Ukraine is a real country with a legitimate government. Or, at least that’s what he says he thinks, and has said he thinks for many, many, years.
Yes, he actually said that. In a televised speech one day before the escalation in Ukraine on February 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin said (translated), ‘Ukraine actually never had stable traditions of real statehood.’
He also said ‘Ukraine is not just a neighboring country for us. It is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space.’
On July 12, 2012 published a 5,000 word essay on the Russian government’s official website saying, ‘But the fact is that the situation in Ukraine today is completely different because it involves a forced change of identity.’ 2
Putin also says (does he actually believe this part? Hard to know) Ukraine needs to be ‘de-militarized’ and ‘de-Nazified.’ I’m not summarizing or joking, this is a fact. Mind you, the current democratically elected President of Ukraine is one of only two Jews who world leaders - the other being President Herzog of Israel. Not sure how a Nazi government can be run by a Jew, but Putin is not focused on facts. Obviously.
Putin believes Ukraine is Russia, that the current democratically-elected government of Ukraine is actually a terrorist regime, and that anyone who says they are Ukrainian and not Russian is a terrorist too.
If you’re wondering why Putin calls Ukraine Ukraine and not simply Russia, he’s got an answer for that too. Putin considers the fall of the Soviet Union a catastrophe and is hellbent on restoring Russia as an imperial power.
This is not my analysis or opinion - this is literal fact. As in, it’s what Putin has said over and over and over again 3.
Vladimir Putin believes there are two options for Ukrainian toddlers - they can be violently kidnapped and sent to be ‘made Russian’ or they can be made dead. That is how threatened this man is by a people who have spent 30+ years fighting for and building their own democracy.
He’s Just Vlad.
The following two images are completely real, in that one is staged from a movie set and the other was released by Putin’s office in 2008:
There are a lot of similarities between Ken4 and Putin- particularly when it comes to their love of horses. And like Ken’s sudden decision to take over Barbieland, kick Barbies out of their homes, and fight with completely the wrong weapons is eerily similar to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Just like Ken, Putin is notorious for being half-naked and believing to his core that his power comes from his uncovered core. Putin has yearly photoshoots where he is topless on a beach swimming, topless and fishing - holding said fish like the Tinder Bros we cannot escape, topless and riding a horse, topless and hunting. Why? Because that’s what the historical Hero of Russia would do and has always done.
And the historical Hero of Russia, aka Hero of the Soviet Union, is who Putin believes himself to be - on a quest to make everything the light touches Russia.
Am I oversimplifying? Honestly, no. This is honestly just Vlad.
Are You Sure?
There are so many people and organizations *obsessed* with studying Putin, talking about Putin, thinking about Putin, predicting about Putin. I’ve linked to some of it under Gimme More but honestly, Google the man’s name and you’ll see what I mean.
And nearly every single one of them mentions this obsession with Russian manhood - directly or indirectly.
The topless photos say it all, honestly. I am confident I know enough about Vlad based on what Vlad has told us all and could probably make a dating profile for Vlad because I am a millennial woman whose seen a number of unsolicited fish pics.
Human beings contain multitudes, and sure I don’t know Putin’s deepest fears (I mean I honestly probably could take a real good guess) but I don’t need to. And I’m really tired of talking about this man who does not deserve me.
Fortunately for me, a friend of mine, Dr. Emily Hoge, (we went to college together and now we play Dungeons and Dragons together) is a college professor at Clemson University and her research focuses on disabled Russian veterans of the Soviet Afghan War, their role in organized crime in Russia, and the cultural identities of combat disabled veterans, ideas of masculinity, and well, the resulting commitment to murder and crime. And also these groups role in Putin’s narrative. Hi Emily!
Wrap It Up
We can and we should talk about how to best defend Ukraine and ensure Russia stays in Russia (that’s the next post). And that talking should include some debating! But when it comes to the topic of Ukraine’s right to a defense at all - and why we should care, there is no debate.
This isn’t a ‘regular’ war - whatever that means. This is, irrefutably, a situation in which a single man woke up one day and said ‘I want that. It’s mine. Give it to me.’
And the ‘that’ is a literal country. And it’s not just the land he wants - he wants the people, particularly the children. He wants the children because he wants to erase Ukraine - the Ukrainian people, the physical place, and the spirit and culture - from the planet.
More than 500,000 people have died since Russia’ escalation and re-invasion in February 2022. If Ukraine falls, what is to stop Putin from pursuing what he keeps telling us he wants to do and reestablish the Soviet Union - turning allllllll of this:
into Russia.
And what makes us think he’d stop there?
If we believe that Americans can be Americans if they want to be, and that America is a country, then the same must be true for Ukrainians.
Gimme More: Info for More Resources
I’ve got another link-heavy post coming your way imminently, so I don’t want to load you all down here… But
Some Stuff on Putin
K-G-Beefcake: Putin Bares Chest in Siberia, NBC News
Why Putin Invaded Ukraine, in His Own Words, Euractiv
The Legacy of the Soviet Afghan War and Its Role in the Ukrainian Invasion, Dr. Emily Hoge for Lawfare
Why is Vladimir Putin Attacking Ukraine, Vox but includes a lot of excerpts from Kremlin sites if you want to see/read without going onto Russian websites
Good Resources on the War in Ukraine
‘s Words from UkraineCurrent Fact Sheet on Ukrainian Security Assistance from the US
Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Work
Definition: ‘Genocide is an internationally recognized crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious groups.’ There are 5 categories of acts -
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
Here’s the link. I suggest a VPN, etc etc etc…http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181#sel=68:55:L6w,68:122:vnx;77:33:36j,77:71:rQx;82:1:W3l,83:55:lx3
I want to be careful not repeat his lies or over link to Russian propaganda, but also think it’s important for us to see source materials. Here is a 2005 speech he gave http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/22931#sel=9:10:3VX,9:43:3Ux .
I want to take this opportunity to publicly and genuinely apologize to my best friend Marnae who was forced to sit next to me during our trip to see Barbie in theaters. I find people who speak during movies outside their home to be true villains we would be better off with out - and sadly, I have lived long enough to see myself *become* the villain. I was wholly unprepared for the range of emotions the film would bring up for me - particularly the exuberant joy and primal anger. Thank you for nevertheless standing (or I guess sitting?) by me. You are the voice of your generation.