When reading Ben Hogue's article in the [September] issue of "Above the Fog" on the situation in Ukraine, I shared his great sense of sadness; it's a feeling that many Russian Christians feel, too.

When it was suggested that I might offer a few words of how this all looks from the other side of the border, my first thought was that I don't want to be in the awkward (to put it mildly!) position of defending an authoritarian regime with nothing but cynicism towards international law.

But then I realized that it is possible to differentiate between explaining and justifying, and that it is possible to trust readers of "AtF" to see that difference in what I write.

One of the most important factors in understanding the feelings of ordinary Russians, why it is that they are so susceptible to state propaganda, is that they are convinced that Russians, Ukrainians and Belorussians are really one people. They know that their countries are different, that Ukrainians are a little poorer, a little freer, a little bit less straight-forward than Russians...and at the same time they think of themselves as close relatives. When they see hate for Russian among some radical Ukrainian nationalists, they feel betrayed by a family member, as if one of their cousins had all of a sudden become a fascist. (And, yes, Russians tend to think of all such conflicts in the light of the conflict that still so much influences their history, WWII, during which tens of millions of Soviet citizens lost their lives).

While this might do something to explain how Russians feel, this does not yet get to why Russia is acting as it is. I would disagree with Ben's suggestion that the problem is "greed of power and the protest of progress." I think that the issues are much deeper; they are psychological, we could even say spiritual. I think that the core issue is distrust and the lack of security that flows from it. Why this distrust? While I think that it would be hard to pinpoint who is at fault for this, from a Russian perspective the history of the last centuries show that Russia's neighbors do not trust it, that they are not interested in just relations with Russia, that they are neither interested in a thriving Russia nor willing to reward Russia when it "plays by the rules." From European powers limiting Russia's influence in the 18^th and 19^th centuries to the U.S. bombing of Yugoslavia in the late 20^th and the expansion of NATO in the early 21^st, Russians see evidence scattered everywhere that the West uses the rhetoric of democracy and human rights but in its international relationships holds to no principle other than the will to power.

In a sense, then, Russia sees itself as always a current or potential victim, and in cases like the situation with Ukraine takes the position that the "best defense is a good offense." In addition Russians are used to hardship and even take a sort of pride in the fact that they have suffered despite great suffering (e.g., the memory of the 900 day siege of Leningrad during WWII is an an active part of St. Petersburg's identity today). Sanctions convince average Russians that the West treats Russia as an enemy, and it is this mentality that severely limits the effectiveness of these sanctions. In general such pressure from the outside make Russians either more fatalistic or more determined to resist, neither of which helps accomplish what sanctions intend.

Today (though things could change tomorrow - this country is getting less and less predictable the longer I live here) I'd imagine that things in eastern Ukraine will calm down, that President Putin has proven his point - "we could make things, much, much worse" - and that in exchange for him not making things worse, the West will turn a blind eye to the annexation of Crimea. If in the past the West had been consistent in its approach to a whole host of issues - human rights, the right of peoples to self-determination, the principle of territorial integrity, etc., perhaps there would be the option of taking the moral high ground. But we've lost any moral credit that we might once have had in Russia's eyes, and in the short and intermediate term, at least, even truly constructive suggestions for moving forward that come from the outside will be treated with great suspicion.

While polls show that a very large majority of Russians support their government's position, there is a place where a different opinion is heard - the church. Here are the quiet voices asking for and praying for peace. Here are those who realize that violence and mistrust are a dead-end route. Here there is hope not just for getting through this time, but that by the witness and fellowship of the faithful, God might build trust between old enemies and finally bring us to true reconciliation.