Ukrainian journalist Sevgil Musaieva: “Czech people understand the threat of Russia very clearly”
Sevgil Musaieva, a journalist from Crimea, Ukraine, is the editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda and among the initiators of the creation of the KrymSOS web portal. Ms. Musaieva was in Prague to speak this week at the conference Borders of (Un)Freedom, headlining the event in a moderated discussion with Yale historian Timothy Snyder. I spoke to her about Czech support for Ukraine and her thoughts on how Putin uses propaganda in the region to divert from his true intentions.
How has the Czech Republic supported Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia? More than two years into the full-scale invasion some citizens and politicians in the Visegrad states have become more impatient about the war, others were already not sympathetic; we could think of Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, with his pro-Russian leaning. So, what is Czechia’s role in supporting Ukraine?
“Yes, we see this unique leadership of the Czech Republic in our war. We see Czech people as big friends of Ukraine with common historical overlaps. I think that Czech people understand the threat from Russia very clearly, connected to what happened in Czechoslovakia in 1968. So, you know how the price of liberty and freedom could be very high when you have a neighbor, or when, for some reason, the Soviet Union or Russia thinks that you are a part of their legacy.
“That’s why I think that the Czech people and Czechia understand us very clearly and understand the real threat. It’s not so clear for some of our allies because they didn’t have such historical overlaps in the past. But for the Czech Republic, it’s understandable and this is something we have in common.
“I will say that we are very grateful that you host our refugees, our women and children. It is an important sign of your support. The leadership of your president, Petr Pavel, who is one of the main advocates of Ukraine now in the Western world. This leadership of Czechia in providing us ammunition. It’s difficult, for example, because I had a lot of friends and relatives on the frontline, and it was a very difficult situation at the beginning of this year and spring. The lack of ammunition was very clear. When your country showed this absolutely outstanding support and leadership, it was very important and we understood that you are real friends of ours. So, thank you for that again.
“I would say that in this region, your leadership is absolutely outstanding in comparison with, as you mentioned, some other countries that have their own interests and political agenda. Thank you for that again.”
You mentioned humanitarian support as well. How has the Czech Republic responded to the influx of Ukrainian refugees due to the ongoing conflict? Do we know how many Ukrainian refugees are in the Czech Republic?
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a clear number because the situation is changing all the time. Some people, for example, decided to come back to Ukraine after two years of war. But what I heard from people is that they are very grateful for this support. I have some former colleagues who live in Czechia and they say how Czechia gave them everything they needed and provided all the important support and help during their stay in this country. So, I’ve heard only positive feedback from some of my friends and colleagues.”
Then there are also areas of political and diplomatic support. What areas of cooperation do you see as most promising for the future of Ukraine-Czech relations? For example, what role has the Czech Republic played in supporting Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union and NATO?
“Yes, we see that and we see an effort you made on this goal. You are absolutely right, it was a good sign of your support.”
Although these are small players, Czechia, with its ten million citizens, seems to be very adamant about being on the right side of history when it comes to this conflict. But you were touching on your explanation for it, you look at history, as one of the contributing reasons.
“Yes, I think [Czechs] understand what we are talking about and the real threat of Russia. And I think that also with the Baltic states, we see absolutely outstanding leadership in helping and partnering with Ukraine. This is also because the Baltic states know what Russian and Soviet occupation means. And that Russia fights in Ukraine not with Ukrainians; it fights with freedom; it fights with the West, first of all; and then with Ukraine. It’s a war against our state; it’s a war against our independence, but one of the goals of Putin is to destroy freedom, to destroy Western support, and to fight with the West.”
That’s one of the aspects people do not understand about this conflict. People say that it’s a land grab; it’s much more than that. Analysts, including yourself, will argue that it’s a fight against the West. What are some other areas you would say people are misunderstanding about Russia’s war on Ukraine?
“There are a lot of narratives that Russia spreads among different nations and among the Czechs as well, that we must stop this war to save the lives of people who live in Ukraine. It’s very clear, and we understand that Ukraine is paying the highest price in this war. This is our war and we are fighting for our country. That is why I think it’s very unfair to say that you have to stop this war as soon as possible just because we are tired of it and we need peace and negotiations.
“It’s unfair for Ukraine. And it’s unfair in terms of your own positions. Negotiation doesn’t mean that Russia will stop this war. They will continue this war in different ways; they will continue hybrid warfare in different countries. You see how cyber attacks intensified in different countries, how Russia uses different technologies to harm the European Union and European countries, so it will not stop in Ukraine.
“That’s why we have to do everything possible to force Russia to pay for what she committed in Ukraine and other countries. Without this, I think Russia will definitely continue what she does and what she did in Ukraine or in Georgia, Chechnya. For them, it doesn’t matter.
“I think that this is something that unfortunately not so many people understand. This is not our choice to start this war, we were attacked from the Russian side. We are protecting our independence as much as we can, and we are dying. At the same time, the stop of this war doesn’t mean that it will bring peace. It means it will bring an occupation if we are speaking about what Putin wants. He wants to stop this war with the borders they have now, which means a lot of territories of Ukraine will be occupied by Russia. It means that it will be a threat not only for our country, but all countries in this part of the world. For example, if Crimea stays occupied it means that tomorrow missiles from Crimea can attack even Istanbul, Romania, or Moldova. So, this is not about our safety; it’s not only about our independence; it’s about the safety of this part of the world.
“That’s why I don’t want to speak about the borders of 1991 and protecting and providing help just to liberate all territories. I want to speak about how to make Russia not a threat to all these countries. This is the victory of not only Ukraine but Europe and your country. This is a question of safety, nobody will be safe if Russia stays in Ukraine.”
Do you have an image of what nullifying that threat would look like, and if a power transfer would change anything?
“Yes, we have to speak about a power transfer. We have to speak about what will happen with the nuclear weapons of Russia because we see how Russia manipulates and attacks with the nuclear threat. It’s dangerous. The civilized world has to stop this behavior. And to do everything possible to harm the economy of Russia.
“Of course, it’s very difficult to fight with Russia on the battlefield because this is a large country, the second-largest army in the world. But the civilized world and the whole of Europe and other countries can do everything possible to harm Russia on the economic field and stop Russia with sanctions and economic power.
“I do believe that Russia now wants negotiations because she feels that it could be a time when it collapses economically. That’s why they manipulate everyone with this. They are almost here. We just need to make more of an effort to harm Russia economically.”
