Saving Russian Sailors
The saga “Setting Free Russian Sailors in Nigeria,” which lasted half a year, finally is over. Whole country was holding its breath and watching state making truly titanic efforts to release its citizens from Nigerian jail. I wouldn’t be surprise if the movie director Fyodor Bondarchuk will make a touching movie based on this story. Such film could be our response to Hollywood’ “Saving Private Ryan.” The movie would describe how Russians don’t leave their own not only at war but in peace as well. Three hours would compress six months of diplomatic efforts, and the audience would be filling up with pride every minute.
Do you know why I repeated three times in the previous sentences that the rescue of Russian sailors was going on for six months? That is because the rescue operation lasted half a year, but the sailors were sitting in Nigerian jail for two years. They were arrested in the fall of 2003. And all this time, until six months ago, the state did not put any serious efforts to get them out. For first year and half there was no “Saving Private Ryan” –type of operation going on. Only when wives and mothers of the sailors started asking officials to help their loved ones the things got in motion. Before, help was not available for the sailors.
Russian state started to help its citizens only when sailors’ relatives got to the point of a hunger strike. It means the state does not pay attention to a citizen until he himself, his wife or his mother will start a hunger strike. It also means that somewhere in endless lands of our Motherland and all over the world, there are possibly hundreds thousands of people, who needs help from Russian state. And we know nothing about these people because they didn’t start their hunger strike yet. They should certainly do that. And then, they will be all over TV and government officials will be sending requests and orders to help them.
It means, finally, Russian citizens are starting to realize that they live in this world not for the sake of preservation of the state. It is a state that should protect its citizens’ lives. In story with submarine “Kursk” wives and mothers of sailors were waiting patiently for state officials to do their jobs. In the story with mini-sub AS-28 they did not wait any longer – and the sub was rescued. Again, in the case with our sailors in Nigeria wives and mothers decided not to wait for the state and made the first move – and these sailors were rescued also. So, it looks like we have to pay with hunger strikes for our human rights. It looks like a hunger strike is the only legal method to make government officials to do their job. However, I really doubt that there will be a movie made about starving wives and mothers, the movie, which Kremlin deserves to watch.
Valery Panyushkin, columnist
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 15, 2005
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