Svetlana Alexievich: Hatred is Not Our Path to Salvation and Liberation

Svetlana Alexievich, a Belarusian writer and Nobel Prize winner in Literature in 2015, gave an interview to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on the eve of the Nobel Prize awards, summarized as follows: What do the people of Russia see in Vladimir Putin? They see Putin as a symbol of empire and a powerful government. For Russians, it is not easy to get used to living in a normal country. When writing my book, I asked the people of Russia whether they would prefer to live in a normal country or a powerful one. About 80 to 90 percent preferred a powerful country. Russian culture is shaped by grand ideas and aspirations. When individuals see themselves as part of a grand idea, it somewhat compensates for their poverty and feelings of inferiority. Do you think those who fought in Syria and Ukraine will be treated the same upon returning to Russia? The Syrian war seems very distant but is horrifying nonetheless. However, the war in Ukraine is a shock because it is a war between brothers, and for this reason, people are still confused about it. In your opinion, who is right in the Ukraine crisis? I take the side of Ukraine because Russia's actions are pure aggression and occupation. Russia has entered wars in Ukraine and Syria. Do you think these two cases have similarities? They have no similarities at all. In the case of Ukraine, it was clear that Putin's goal was to defend Russia and keep Ukraine alongside Russia because Russia cannot exist, from the perspective of a Russia that considers itself an empire, without Ukraine. But Syria is very far away, and people do not understand this war at all. Even for someone like me, who is familiar with Russian history and literature, studies political events in the country, and has researched the history of the Soviet Union and its people for 30 years, understanding this war is difficult. From your perspective, where does Russia begin and where does it end? I believe that the land of Russia lies within its current borders. However, Belarus and Ukraine are not part of Russia; please understand and accept this. The title of one of your books is 'Second-Hand Time.' I want to ask about the role of the individual and the impact of time. Can a political leader change time, or is it time that chooses them? In the specific case of Belarus, President Lukashenko has managed to stop time for several generations. There is no doubt that he has halted our progress. In the case of Russia, I believe that if it had a different leader, it would have had a chance to remain a democratic country. But today it has a leader who thinks not like a leader but like a KGB officer, and this is a completely different mindset. Is there hope in your life? What is your hope? I also have hope and have always said that hatred is not our path to salvation and liberation. Only with love. Only with dialogue and contact with one another.