By Ashish Singh
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is reaching its third year. The exact number of casualties, wounded or arrested and disappeared, is unknown, although some figures are floating on the internet. The challenge is not just about the estimation of losses so far, but to find a plan to prevent further damage to life and property. Several countries, including Hungary, Brazil and China, have attempted to mediate between Russia and Ukraine; however, with both parties not agreeing, this has resulted in the continuation of the conflict into a war. The most recent mediation efforts have come from India, as it holds a neutral but not passive position towards this conflict. Numerous meetings have already taken place, many of which were behind closed doors. India has been careful in not sharing too many details about these meetings with the media. Indian PM Modi has already met with Russian President Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy in the past couple of months. Likely, Zelenskyy will also visit India before the US presidential elections take place in November this year.
While these developments are visible, the realities on the battlefield show intensification. Ukrainian forces are getting intelligence and equipment support from the US and many other NATO countries, making its offensive more aggressive at times. The Ukrainian forces have attempted attacks within Russian territories in the recent past. Of course, Russia has managed to fight back, given its capabilities. But these events do not put anyone in a comfortable position unless there are hidden agendas involved.
Kursk is one of the places inside Russian territory where the Ukrainian forces have attacked. Kursk borders the Bryansk, Oryol, Lipetsk, Voronezh, and Belgorod regions, as well as Ukraine. A historically significant place, Kursk is also famous as the Soviet Red Army defeated the Nazi forces there in the battle of 1943.
In order to understand the situation more amidst the peace talks, aggressive fighting between the two forces, and lives of people at risk, I spoke with Abhay Singh, who is a deputy at the Kursk City Assembly in Russia. Singh hails from Bihar. He is a member of Putin’s party, United Russia. He has been elected twice from Kursk, in 2017 and 2022.
Here is what he said:
(Abhay Singh, in white shirt, is distributing relief items. Photo taken from his Facebook wall)
“I am a part of the Russian government, so my stand is similar to the government. We are doing what we should for the citizens of the Russian Federation. You have brought up the issue of the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine. The thing is, even though this seems to be an extension of an event that started in 2022, it is not. The conflict goes back to at least 70 years. Western countries do not wish to see Russia becoming as strong as the Soviet Union. That is why they are spending a lot of money. Anti-Russian sentiments have been spreading in Ukraine for the past twenty years. History tells us about the tactics used by the colonisers to spread their rule. Now the tactics have changed. Orange revolutions are taking place in many countries, which involves changing the governments there. Examples of these are Ukraine, Bangladesh, Libya, etc. These neo-colonisers have a simple motive: to divide countries and increase the animosity between them. Don’t we remember the events leading to the partition of India? If you checked how it took place and what kind of repercussions it still has on the continent, you would understand it better.”
The ongoing situation between Russia and Ukraine has clearly divided the countries broadly into two groups. With the support of the US, NATO and several other countries, Ukraine is continuing its fight against Russian special military operations. Russia, on the other hand, is firm that its convictions about the presence of Neo-Nazi elements, the spread of anti-Russian sentiments in its neighbourhood and the whole Cold War rhetoric are causing the troubles visible to us. In between such polarity, Singh’s thoughts about peace sound like hope. A hope that is full of uncertainty…
(Ashish Singh is a social and political scientist.)
