The world has returned to its usual state of prolonged crisis, the normalization of mass extermination, and the persecution of people. Everything is painted in black and white, and people now see Good and Evil in their primordial, almost biblical form.
This is a truly traumatizing sight. Some want to close their eyes and look away. Others try to distort reality through propaganda. But no matter how much you twist it, Good and Evil are real and are intuitively perceived by people.
Evil has always been defined by violence against people, by causing them suffering, destroying their peaceful lives, robbing them of their path to happiness, depriving them of prospects, separating them from loved ones, and finally, stripping them of their freedom and life.
All of this is happening before our eyes. And any political strategy that amplifies these effects is a path to multiplying Evil, no matter what slogans or rational goals it tries to conceal itself behind.
When a person, deprived of any prospects in life, sells their life for money and goes to war, only to die themselves and perhaps take another life—can this not be called Evil? But the root of this Evil lies in placing people in conditions where they are ready to sell their lives for two million rubles and possibly see no other way out.
Good, on the other hand, is always defined by helping people, by protecting them from all of the above. Good requires the recognition of the inherent value of human life, of each person’s right to freedom, security, and dignity. But Good is always action. It is directed at reducing Evil, fighting it, overcoming its consequences, and changing people’s living conditions for the better. Good cannot be passive.
Perhaps humanity has survived and continues to develop thanks to its aspiration for Good, constantly seeking ways to avoid and prevent violence. Yet, once again, we find ourselves in a moment where this has failed. Putin has unleashed a full-scale war, in which hundreds of thousands of people, including children, have already died, and dozens of cities have been wiped off the face of the earth. This is Absolute Evil, with which the world still chooses to maintain business relations.
Is there resistance to this Evil in Russia? At least five thousand people are in Russian prisons, most of whom have resisted in one way or another—through words or concrete actions. This resistance is spontaneous, heroic, desperate, and often hopeless. But there is another dimension.
The war remains in a deadlock. The destructive toll on both Russia and Ukraine is growing, along with the staggering human casualties and devastation. Meanwhile, the Russian anti-war opposition is going through a severe internal crisis, failing to offer its supporters any substantive ideas or strategies.
In a situation where no way out of the crisis is visible, the best strategy is continuous work aimed at reducing Evil. We have previously written about the changing public opinion in Russia and about how, surprisingly, dozens, if not hundreds, of human rights defenders and activists continue to operate actively in Russian regions. These individuals now stand as the last bastion of resistance to Evil, facing heightened risks with virtually no resources for their work.
These people help their fellow citizens engage in difficult dialogues with authorities, attend court hearings, raise awareness, support political prisoners, and seek out victims of the regime. They resist where they can, trying to preserve what has survived and, where possible, foster new beginnings, preparing the ground for future change. Like in Isaac Asimov’s famous book and its eponymous series, these people are building the Foundation that will shorten the period of decline and chaos and help restore a normal democratic society in Russia in the near future. If these people were to disappear or stop their work, Evil would spread rapidly in all directions, filling every available space, while civil society would lose its last foothold.
If we believe in Russia, in its free and democratic future, and in the people living there, if we trust ourselves, our relatives, and loved ones, then we proceed from the belief that most normal people in Russia inherently reject Evil.
Many of them are not yet ready to act because they are afraid, cannot find a clear way to contribute, or see no chance of success. But these are the rank-and-file supporters of the Russian opposition, and they show themselves when opportunities arise to act or at least to speak out.
Our supporters and like-minded people keenly perceive the drama of this historical moment, where the real battle between Good and Evil is taking place. They expect the same understanding from the opposition and await adequate and unified actions, growing increasingly disappointed by its descent into internal squabbles.
In this sense, the actions of Yulia Navalnaya, Ilya Yashin, and Vladimir Kara-Murza command respect and inspire hope. They have consistently avoided participation in opposition scandals and recently announced a March of Solidarity with all Russians resisting Putin both inside and outside the country. This mass rally is set to take place on November 17 in Berlin, and we urge everyone to support it.
We hope this event will refocus attention on the fight against the Absolute Evil entrenched in Russia, which the world has started to grow accustomed to. It is critically important to show solidarity with Russians opposing Putin and his war, even if this can only be done outside Russia. But this alone will not suffice.
We hope and expect that the March of Solidarity will be the first step toward meaningful dialogue and cooperation among democratic Russian forces, especially abroad.
We expect Yulia Navalnaya, Ilya Yashin, and Vladimir Kara-Murza to remain open to direct communication with their colleagues in the anti-war movement and to build the broadest possible anti-war coalition, despite all the contradictions tearing apart the democratic front.
We expect that beyond slogans from podiums and screens, we will see collaborative work on strategies to accelerate democratic transition in Russia, involving all interested democratic forces and grounded in the real demands and possibilities of our supporters and like-minded people still in Russia.
We call for the next step to be announced on November 17, during the rally. This step could be a broad conference of anti-war forces, organized according to democratic principles and aimed at developing common solutions.
This is what the tragedy of our current historical moment demands of us. This is what millions of Russians with anti-war and democratic views, who today lack political representation and a voice, want and expect. And if this demand is heard, Good will at least have a chance to prevail.
P.S. What are the people around Putin doing right now?
They currently have real opportunities and compelling reasons to lead the country toward ending the war and save it from catastrophic events.
Peace negotiations will eventually begin. And hundreds of thousands of people, physically and mentally scarred, armed with combat experience and access to weapons, will return home from the front. They will face neglect from the state and society, filled with anger and a desire for revenge against those who sent them to war and ruined their lives. It is highly likely that someone will unite them and channel their anger toward Putin and his entourage, combining it with serious media, financial, and even bureaucratic resources.
Given Putin’s fondness for bunkers, the first victims are likely to be those who currently surround and serve him. The instinct for self-preservation should tell these people that urgent measures need to be taken now.
Putin must be stopped, and Russia must exit the state of war. Achieving this is only possible by relying on civil society and dialogue with the West. Without society’s support, progressive elites will lose to the hawks in the bureaucratic struggle.