IT has always been an industry that brought together very different people. If it becomes an instrument of suppression, the world will become even closer to self-destruction.
Unfortunately, today people often form an opinion based on a very small amount of information. Or this information is in the usual field of view.
For many Russians and for Europeans, propaganda has become a familiar field of view. And in most cases, the people who consume it are sure of the opposite. Often the first thing propaganda uses is pressure on emotions. Not facts. Emotions. Shots of shelling. Children and the wounded. Statements without context. It do not for the truth, but for the comments, likes and views.
Let's try to figure it out without emotions.
Those who don't want to read a lot can read the last three paragraphs.
Russia and Ukraine were previously a single state.
And after the Second World War, the NATO organization was created to contain this state. The goal of this organization was to "keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.". This is a quote.
The USSR created its own organization - the Warsaw Pact Organization. But only after FRG joined NATO.
The united state collapsed, the Warsaw Pact was not renewed, and the NATO organization remained since the collapse of the USSR increased its territory by 14 countries. Since 2004, NATO borders with Russia. Because Estonia has a border with Russia.
At the same time, there is evidence that NATO promised not to expand to the east - https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/nato-osterweiterung-aktenfund-stuetzt-russische-version-a-1613d467-bd72-4f02-8e16-2cd6d3285295
When Ukraine adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1990, there was the following:
"solemnly proclaims its intention to become
a permanently neutral State in the future, which does not take part in military blocs and adheres to three non-nuclear principles: not to accept, not to produce and not to acquire nuclear weapons."
But since 1994, Ukraine has been cooperating with NATO. Here is the confirmation: https://www.nato.int/cps/ru/natohq/topics_37750.htm?selectedLocale=en .
In 1999, the United States, with the support of NATO, began bombing Serbia. They also called it a military operation. Only for some reason carpet bombing was used in the military operation. And these were bombings not only on military targets.
Forget about the bombing of Bosnia in 1995, when the US and NATO also intervened militarily.
These two events contradict the act on mutual relations between Russia and NATO - https://www.nato.int/cps/ru/natohq/official_texts_25468.htm?selectedLocale=en
In turn, since 1994, members of the Ukrainian nationalist group UNA-UNSO have been involved in the Chechen conflict on the side of the so-called separatists. Those who were defended by the European press. And those who seized hospitals, schools and staged terrorist attacks not only on the territory of Russia.
In 2006, the population of Crimea protested against NATO exercises in the city of Feodosia.
In 2008, only Ukraine supported Georgia in the conflict and restricted the movement of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The EU investigation further confirmed that Russia did not start that conflict.
Then the Ukrainian nationalists manifest themselves on the Maidan in 2014 and the conflict in the Donbas. The very nationalists whose ideals were condemned in Nuremberg.
Since 2014, Russia has been hosting refugees from Ukraine, providing them with assistance and support.
Throughout the period since the beginning of Ukraine's cooperation with NATO and the continuation of NATO's expansion to the east, the Russian government has repeatedly expressed its concerns. It were ignored by the world community.
For the entire period before the collapse of the USSR and after it, the United States, using Europe for its own purposes, and Russia are in a state of "cold war". During this time, Russia has experienced the collapse of the country, two military conflicts on its territory, several financial crises, and restored the army and navy. The United States and NATO have increased NATO territory and military spending, intervened in several local conflicts and periodically accuse Russia of pursuing a policy that has ceased to be beneficial for NATO since 2000.
In February of this year, Russia begins a military operation that everyone calls a war. The news propaganda of both sides of the conflict is being promoted by 100%. Only now people who didn't even know where Ukraine was until that moment are starting to speak on the side of Ukraine. People take the position of judges and pacifists, ignoring the facts of nationalism and oppression of Russians and assistance to Donbass refugees from Russia. The rhetoric of President Zelensky is ignored, who first seeks negotiations and talks about the neutral status of the country, and then distributes weapons to the population, calls for beating the enemy and submits an application to the EU. And thanks to the news of their countries, people see only one side of the conflict, ignoring the other. Only some parties in Germany and Serbia understand Russia's motives and find the strength to express an opinion that differs from others.
Friends, I ask you all, please try to hear the other side. If Russia were the way it is shown in other countries, the world would have been plunged into darkness long ago and I would not be calling on my colleagues from other countries to hear me now. If Russia wanted to destroy the fraternal people, there would already be a Russian flag in Kiev.
I want to live in a world where there is no war, I want to write high-quality code and make other people's lives better, and not spend days flipping through the tape waiting for the conflict to be resolved. But for this, my country and I need to be heard. And I will not claim that we are right in everything we do. We're wrong, and maybe we're wrong now, too. But history and the international court of Justice will be able to condemn us. But I am sure that even without a trial, Russia will help Ukraine recover from the conflict, as it is helping refugees now. But is this a reason to hate us and judge us without investigation now? Is this a reason to expel Russian engineers from the global IT community, despite what they have done?