I survived The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. No, I was not on the front lines. By the beginning of the war, I was not yet 11 years old. Actually, I wanted to go to the front. But to do that, I would have had to board a train heading toward the front. And at that time, it was impossible to get to the train station. The station was guarded like a military facility. We, the children of the war, were full of determination to fight for our great Motherland. What this war meant to us—I will not speak about that. Much has been written about it, both truth and, unfortunately, lies. I can only say that war is very hard, and God forbid anyone should experience such a time of hardship again. I saw the eyes of mothers, wives, sisters, and children whose loved ones—fathers, brothers, husbands, sons—remained forever on the battlefield. I saw their eyes dried from tears. It is better not to see such things again. We won. And we know the price of that victory. We, the children of the war, listened every day with trembling hearts to stories of the mass heroism of our soldiers, sergeants, officers, pilots, and sailors in this terrible struggle against the fascist beast. Later, when I became an officer in the Soviet Army, I often spoke with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, asking them where they found so much courage, bravery, heroism, and self-sacrifice in the fight against the brown plague. We, the children of the war, wanted to be like Gastello, Talalikhin, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Pokryshkin, Kozhedub, and many others who showed miracles of heroism, resilience, and sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Great Victory over fascism. I emphasize the word—fascism. Not over the German people, but over fascism.

It so happened in my life that I myself became a defender of our great and beloved Motherland. I served in the Soviet Army for 31 years, from the rank of private soldier to colonel. And I saw firsthand the selfless service to the Motherland of our Soviet people. I saw how our soldiers and officers served in the scorching steppes of Azerbaijan, in the Caspian sands. I saw how our soldiers and officers were ready to sacrifice their lives to save the freedom-loving people of the Island of Freedom. I saw the incredibly harsh climatic conditions in which they served to protect the northern air borders of our Motherland on the islands of the Novosibirsk Archipelago. I saw how steadfastly the wives of officers and long-service soldiers endured the hardships and deprivations of life in the lifeless steppes of Kazakhstan, in the remote corners of the taiga, in the tundras of the Far North. And always the same question arose: what drove our people to endure such often unbearable conditions of service? The answer is very simple. Love for the Motherland. Pride in our country. My generation was set an example by the lives of people who selflessly served our great country. The book “How the Steel Was Tempered” by Ostrovsky was the bedside book of our generation. We were proud of the Papaninites, Chkalov, Baydukov, Grizodubova, the Chelyuskinites, and many other remarkable Soviet people who set an example of selfless service to the Motherland. I understand that some may tell me that there were also very dark and terrible times in the life of our people. There was the year 1937. And not just 1937. I know this not only from books. I lived through that era as well. But one cannot study the history of the country one-sidedly. One cannot tarnish the great feat of the Soviet people in the 1930s. Our country, our fathers, grandfathers, mothers, and grandmothers, from the late 1920s to the early 1940s, created everything so that the country could meet the terrible enemy, who sought to erase everything Slavic, Russian, and others, from the face of the earth, with weapons in hand. Unfortunately, this feat does not receive the attention it deserves in our history. Instead, “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” is being promoted as what “How the Steel Was Tempered” was for us. I think it is unnecessary to comment on the difference between them.

I often hear that modern youth is worse than we were when we were young. They say that they are worse than us. This is fundamentally wrong. If youth were worse than we were when we were young, there would be no progress in the country. The strength of the country lies in the fact that youth is always better than us, the older generation. Yes, we don’t like much about their behavior. We don’t like the moral and ethical level of modern youth. There is a very wise Georgian proverb. I will first quote it in Georgian so that no one has any doubts: “Kokasa shigan ratsa dgas, igive tsarmodindeba.” “What is poured into the jug is what will pour out.” So let’s see what kind of spiritual food we are pouring into the souls of our youth! The main goal of all our television programs and the work of all media is: more dollars, more, as they say now, at all levels, more “cash.” Therefore, it is not the youth who should be blamed, but those who pour so much poison and filth into the souls of our youth. I understand that Soviet power had many negative aspects. All modern media talk about this in detail and persistently. But Soviet media were aimed at instilling high moral and ethical qualities in youth. And most importantly, love for the Motherland. Why do I, an old colonel, feel so anxious in my soul? I am afraid that, God forbid, if something irreparable happens to us, will there be Matrosovs, Zoya Kosmodemyanskayas, Gastellos? And the situation is becoming very, very alarming. The fascism that we crushed in 1945 has raised its head again, and not somewhere far away, but nearby, in Ukraine. The particular danger is that fascism in Ukraine has been elevated to state policy and is directed against Russia. We have already seen something similar in Georgia. There, too, the so-called first president of Georgia, Gamsakhurdia, declared that Georgia was for Georgians and that the number one enemy of Georgia was the Russians, and the Ossetians were just garbage for Georgia that needed to be swept out with a Georgian broom. I will not repeat the slogans against Russia and specifically against the Russians that are proclaimed in Ukraine. They are well known. What amazes me is something else. What amazes me is that Russia, the Russians, saved Georgia from the real danger of losing its faith, its language, its centuries-old culture. Eastern Georgia was practically a province of Iran. Western Georgia was a province of Turkey. The Russian soldier saved Georgia from such a danger, and now it turns out that the Russians are the enemies of Georgia. The same story is with Ukraine. If it were not for Russia, not for the Russian people, Ukraine would have been torn apart by the Crimean Tatars, Poland, the Baltic princes, and Sweden. History must be read. At least read Faddey Venediktovich Bulgarin. Read how he writes about Mazepa. His behavior in 1709. The position of Poland, the Baltic states, Moldova, the Crimean Tatars, and Sweden. The year 2014 is simply a repetition of 1709. Nothing new. He was not a communist, a democrat, or a member of the LDPR or any other party. He was a contemporary of Pushkin. I am a historian. I graduated from Tbilisi University in 1966 with honors. I have the right to say that I know the history of Russia and the Russian people. I can prove, based on historical facts, that Russia, the Russian people, have repeatedly saved many peoples of Asia and Europe from enslavement and destruction. Russia, even today, remains a stronghold of high morality and justice. I have lived with the Russian people for 62 years, and I can confidently say that I, an Ossetian, feel best living with the Russian people. Here there is no slogan “Russia for Russians.” Here there is a slogan: Russia for all honest and decent people.

Lately, the word “war” has been heard too often on the air. Quite serious and dangerous military exercises have become frequent. The situation is becoming very similar to October 1962. But then America was ruled by a smart, far-sighted man who understood the danger of the situation—John F. Kennedy. This man deserves the most sincere respect. This man alone saved the world from an impending global catastrophe. Today, America is ruled by a man who is not even remotely similar to this outstanding President of America. European leaders are repeating the mistakes of their predecessors from the early 1940s. Then they directed Germany against the Soviet Union. Today, Germany and its satellites are directing Ukraine against Russia. Isn’t it time to stop? After all, there will be no survivors in Europe either!

I survived the Patriotic War, and I understand what war is. I survived the Cold War, and I understand what that means. We are now at the threshold of a third world, nuclear-missile war. The only country in the world that is standing up to this terrible danger is Russia. That is why a sanctions war has been unleashed against Russia, which really threatens to escalate into a hot war. Politicians, come to your senses! You also have wives, children, and relatives. Think about them.

In conclusion, I want to say that when I speak, it is not about me personally. It is about my generation, and personally, I am just a small part of the multi-million generation of the 1930s and 1940s.

Colonel of the Soviet Army, Shamil Arsenovich Chigoev.