Crisis in Eastern Europe: Impressions from Stavropol, Russia. Interview with Ana L. Burgos

When the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started back on 24 February 2022, some of UNAM students and academics were in the Russian Federation as visiting scholars in various higher education and research institutions. UNAM´s offices in Germany and France, together with DGECI, UNAM´s international cooperation office, contacted them to ratify our institutional support whenever they would need it and to find out whether they decided to remain in Russia or they wanted to be repatriated. Very few students decided to return to Mexico and, to date, UNAM accompanies those who decided to stay. Living an academic experience in Russia at this moment is not easy due to the operational inconveniences that have taken place; for example, the sheer complication to access their scholarship money, as well as any financial support sent from Mexico. The most significant difficulty, however, lies in the fact that the information received by university students and academics who are currently in Russia, is contradictory. Our UNAM colleagues are exposed, on the one hand, to sources from Western Europe and North America, which are the ones with greater impact on Mexican social media; and on the other, to local information that circulates on Russian media. In any case, there are certainties and uncertainties on both. It is in this context that the interview to Professor Ana L. Burgos took place.


Federico Fernández Christlieb y Alejandro Velázquez Montes: How do you perceive the atmosphere in the institution you are visiting ever since the military intervention in Ukraine? Has your academic routine carried on or has it been interrupted? Is this issue being discussed at all by formal associations (seminars, courses, conferences) and non-formal ones (hallways, cafeterias, extracurricular meetings)? Have you been able to talk to your colleagues about this? And if so, what do people say and what perspectives are there?
Ana L. Burgos: Academic activities have been developing normally, they have not been interrupted at all. There are many active students and I have not noticed any change compared to the weeks before Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. For example, the university has several canteens and I have observed the same youthful and active atmosphere there. There are many student activities, typical of the mid-term period, not only in the faculty where I am but throughout the entire university. Face-to-face activities were not even interrupted by COVID-19.

In Russia, during the week from 2 to 6 March, Maslenitsa is celebrated. It is an Orthodox Church festivity equivalent to the Catholic Holy Week. This celebration is characterized by the sharing of different dishes on Russian pancakes (blinis), as well as many religious and pagan rituals. The university welcomed incoming international students from, India, Kazakhstan, Syria, Africa, Egypt, and other Arab countries, with a meal consisting of pancakes in all shapes and combinations. It was a beautiful showcase of Russian gastronomy. The Russian students prepared the food and organized the celebration. I am surprised that students here are very proactive in organizing this kind of cultural exchange and bonding activities. The university authorities (the Principal and the deans of the faculties) provide the resources to prepare them. It has truly been exciting to see so many different faces and physiognomies, along with their traditional attire and physical characteristics so different from what we are used to seeing in our countries. The teachers say that the students really enjoy learning about other cultures. Also, the population here is in general very tolerant ethnically speaking, especially here in the North Caucasus, where there are six “territorial subjects” (republics) and more than sixty nationalities. Russian people understand the matter of nationalities and tolerance differently; they have it much clearer than us in Latin America. I can also understand better how they are experiencing the resurgence of fascism in Ukraine, embodied in the greatest possible discrimination: by prohibiting their language, religion, culture, and identity; by killing people to eliminate entire villages. In particular, the Russian identity.

These days, I have also been able to talk to academics I am acquainted with and with whom I can communicate in English, since my level of Russian is not enough to address these issues. The general feeling is one of sorrow because of the war situation with Ukraine since many of them share family, friendship, and cultural ties. I have been told that virtually every family here in the North Caucasus (very close to the Black Sea cities of Rostov-on-Don and Crimea), have relatives or close friends who are Ukrainian.

They have also expressed deep sadness about aggressive attitudes against the Russian people through social media; the so-called “Russophobia”. Many have commented that they no longer go to Facebook or Instagram due to the number of insults they receive, even from people in European countries with whom they have been in contact for a long time. This aspect of “media harassment” seems to weigh heavily on Russian idiosyncrasy; discrimination is profoundly hurtful to them, and they usually say, “It’s not my fault, why do they treat me like this?”. They also intensely regret the sanctions on sports, cultural, and educational spaces. Also, international academic activities with European partners have been significantly affected. According to some direct sources I have, I know that joint projects and co-organized conferences with Russian academics have been cancelled, and articles that had already been accepted for publication have not been published yet, as it happened with a journal in Poland.

However, I have not heard any opinion against the decisions made by the Russian government. On the contrary, there is a clear awareness of the background behind those decisions, because they also have direct knowledge of the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk republics that has persisted for the past eight years. They are also aware of the danger that represents the revival of fascism and the importance of acting on time.

FFC and AVM: Has there been a direct impact on daily life in Stavropol (financial, banking, transport, supplies)? Have you had the opportunity to talk about this situation with people outside the university?
ALB: Stavropol is 400 km southeast of Rostov-on-Don, a key city since it is receiving refugees from Donetsk and Lugansk, who mainly are women and children because men stay there to fight against the Ukrainian army. The local news show the actions taken to receive the refugees; hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid are mobilized every day. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees. The children are quickly integrated into schools so that they have routines and grow familiar with Russian children. A great part of local news is dedicated to reporting these actions.

However, here in Stavropol, city life remains normal, that is, the same as in the previous weeks; I have lived here since January 8, 2022. Businesses do not appear to have shortages nor are there unusual movements observed in banks. So far, there has not been an increase in the prices of the products I consume daily, nor in train fares, which I have monitored since my arrival due to my interest in taking the Trans-Siberian Train route in July. Local branches of foreign companies such as McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, or Subway (there are quite a few) here in Stavropol are still operating. To my surprise, they have explained that they are franchises, and that the decision of closing depends on the franchisee.

My Visa credit card (issued by BBVA bank in Mexico), which I depended on for my daily expenses, was blocked, so now I support myself with an emergency fund that I had in cash. Grammarly, a company with which I had a contract to correct texts in English, cancelled its operations in Russia and Belarus, therefore, I have not had access to the platform, not even to claim a refund of the payment. Nevertheless, I have found alternatives such as ProWritingAid, whose service is normal in Russia and has many more interesting functions than the former. After feeling anger, the quest for alternatives led me to a pleasant if forced discovery. It is a tiny example that shows how economic and political sanctions in countries that oppose the whims of power can take one to seek alternatives and can be seen as an opportunity to innovate, why not? I also understood that as consumers we must be aware of the abusive behaviour of companies and large corporations. It is one of the lessons learned from this situation in which Russia has challenged the world order and shows to what extent the planet is kidnapped by a few people.

On the other hand, I have talked to people outside the university, particularly men and women over sixty years old. That segment of the population is fully aware of the importance of the decision taken to confront fascism and threats against Russia. My perception is that they are not afraid of anything. I have not perceived any economic concerns. I have heard comments, for example, about Russia being separated from the SWIFT international banking system, which they consider nonsense, and which does not affect them too much since they have alternatives. They think Russia is strong and can withstand such alternatives, and they are not afraid of the West in that regard. They are aware of the opportunities that have been building up with China. In March the ruble was sharply devalued against the euro, reaching a ratio of 140 to 1. However, the Russian Central Bank has taken measures to avoid devaluation and reduce the punishment to the purchasing power of the population. One month after the start of the special military operation, the ruble was rised and, by the beginning of April, the ratio was 86 to 1, the same as observed at the time of my arrival in Russia at the end of December. For example, I share a message from my friend Yuri, a 75-year-old man I met in a park and with whom I chat on Telegram:




FFC and AVM: As a researcher in Geography, is there any topic you want to express your opinion about, related to the crisis between Ukraine and Russia and, of course, with actors such as NATO, Western Europe, the UN, and world public opinion?
ALB: The more I know the background and the geographical and historical situation of this part of the world, the better I understand the decision of the government of the Russian Federation to carry out the special military operation in Ukraine. It was really an act of defence. For several years, there has been a lot of information available, including on YouTube, showing the insulting provocations of the West by violating agreements or even international law. Many Russian analysts even say that the decision should have been made earlier. Here I observed the process that was developing in the Russian State Duma (the chamber of deputies), the Federation Council (senators), and the Security Council before the announcement of the decision made by President Vladimir Putin. These sessions and the opinions of different political sectors were broadcast live and there was consensus on the decision. Initially, the State Duma asked President Putin to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, but Putin replied that it was not possible. Nonetheless, the events that occurred ultimately precipitated that decision. In my opinion, the Western idea that Putin is an autocratic dictator who decides everything alone seems idiotic. The solidity of the cabinet and the intellectual capacity of the Russian army seems dazzling to me. The decision was made by all government bodies as befits a true democracy.

I think it should be clear that the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine are not “the beginning” of hostilities (basis of the Western argument), but rather “the outcome” after many years (ten or fifteen) of abuse of the Western powers over the interests of Russia, the countries of Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. The situation was untenable and, for months or years, Russia’s diplomatic negotiations with the European Union and NATO were not heeded. Both the expansion of NATO and the humanitarian crisis in Donbass, (which totalled 14 thousand deaths before the start of this new crisis), due to the fascist government of Ukraine, are the “root causes”, without considering the economic interests underlying all of this.

I have felt quite helpless these days, to the point of feeling sick and not even being able to fall asleep. In Latin America, we are not aware of the magnitude of the hegemonic model in which we live nor of the “great scam” behind Western democracies. We can barely see the tip of the iceberg, but nothing more. We know of the continuous intervention of the United States in the governments and in the political decisions of our countries. We know of the dispossession; we know of the discrimination against our peoples... As academics, we know of the contempt that Western science shows for our efforts and, nevertheless, we have been indifferent, servile, and conformists. They have sold us the idea of a Western society that pretends to be democratic and tolerant, that theoretically had learned the lesson of fascism and would never promote it again. But, on the contrary, it is a decomposed society sick with selfishness and greed that deep down feeds on the worst values ​​of humanity. These days I have felt naive and foolish for having trusted the discourse of “participation and governance”, of “sustainable development and common actions against climate change”, without seeing the monster behind them. None of that has solid foundations, it is just empty rhetoric. Even the role of the United Nations has been deplorable, and it roughly can lead efforts to face the challenges of planetary sustainability.

This crisis is not just another regional war. The global nature of the situation is due to the West, with unprecedented economic sanctions, the alignment of governments with companies, the ignorance about diplomacy and international law, and the unusual manipulation of European society. All this reveals crudely and disgustingly how things actually work in the West, a block to which Latin America belongs as a continent.

I believe that the academic community in Mexico must look for the opportunities that will arise from this catastrophic situation to produce profound changes that will have repercussions on our country and our continent. We need to build a more mature, more autonomous, and more intelligent academic and intellectual community, which can circulate reliable information and promote reflections throughout society, and of course, we must build academic, educational, cultural and sports ties and links with the rest of the world.

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