Russia invaded Ukraine over a week ago. And since then, Russians living abroad – myself included – have been talking about one feeling in particular: shame.
Although my family immigrated to Canada when I was a little kid, shame over the Russian invasion has grown to a constant gnawing within my belly. As Vladimir Putin sends rockets towards apartment blocks in Kyiv; as I obsessively watch videos of Ukrainians taking shelter in the metro; and as I imagine what it is like to take up arms to defend one’s home against, well, us, the feeling only gets more corrosive. I know that many other Russians and people with Russian heritage can relate.
But let’s face it: the world doesn’t need Russian shame right now. Shame immobilises. It implies embarrassment more than horror, inviting us to lick our wounds and look inward. That helps no one, least of all Ukraine. Instead, we should be taking a stand.
