The Legacy of the Great Mother Russia
4 September 2023
On the occasion of the Russian Youth Day, Pope Francis stated: "Do not forget your legacy. You are the heirs of the great Mother Russia". However, Russia has always been and remains to this day a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural state. Even I do consider myself not 'Russian', but 'Russian/Armenian/Jewish', precisely because of the diversity of my origins. Many people born in Russia have no intention of feeling proud of this "great empire" – an empire that has been oppressing and massacring both its neighboring populations and its own citizens for so many centuries. What does it mean for us to be "Free Russians"? It means refusing the role of "heirs of the Great Russia" and choose not to remain silent or patriotically proud while Russia is adding new blood-stained pages to its historical legacy. By Maria Mikaelyan, Community of Free Russians
