Since months I am telling to myself and the people around me: ”The war, Russia has started with no reason against the Ukraine, killing many people including children and old people, is not the fault of the normal Russian on the street but only of “Mr.” Putin and his gang.”
I am born in the mid 60th. My parents have been kids during the second world war. Germany, Germans have done horrible things before and during the second world war and I always asked my grand parents, when they were still with us, ” Why did you allow this happening.”
Their answer has been ”We did not know about it and if we would have known, what should we have done?”
I must have been a pain in the ass to them as I could not accept this answer.
Today of course, with all the media available we are better informed what is going on in the world even so media can be manipulated and are able to manipulate us people. It’s up to us to compare informations from different sources to make up our own view on things that are happening. This tools have been missing during the second world war but still people must have experienced what is going on. They must have noticed that neighbors are disappearing or young men are called to the weapons to fight against many other countries in Europe.
At my pov that must have been the moment, people in Germany, had to stand up and kick asses of the leaders of Hitler Germany to end the war and all the other horrible things. They missed that opportunity!
When there was started a discussion in Europe to cancel the Visa for Russian visitors to the countries of the EU, I was first shocked as I still believe the ”normal” Russian did not start this war. On a second thought and based on my experience with change management, it’s a must to create urgency and get people out of their comfort zone to initiate a change. Putin and his gang do not have an exit strategy to end the war. The only way to force Putin to end the war can be done by the ”normal” Russians to go on the Red Place and kick asses of their leaders. To create this needed change in the view of the Russians, is to get them out of their comfort zone. All the sanctions to the “rich” Oligarchs of Russia did not help. The middle class must notice what’s going on. They can mobilize the mass of the people to hit the road and initiate the change.
The cancelation of the Tourist Visa is only a first step. We need to consider more actions that the people, manipulated by the russian government controlled media, get awake and hit the streets to tell ”Mr.” Putin time to change or leave the country.
It’s now time to act. There is much more we can do in Europe than only deliver needed weapons, we need to activate the Russian people to call for a change.
I want to welcome back, in the future, the Russian people as colleagues at work and friends in my private life.
It is time for a Change!