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V V Putin said the following to young people gathered in Sochi for the World Youth and Student Congress:
Don’t forget the moral component of work… of any job. We spoke about biology and medicine here. Undoubtedly, genetic engineering will open up incredible opportunities in pharmacology, new medicines, and by altering the human genome if a person suffers from genetic diseases. All right, that’s good. However, there’s another part to this process. What does it mean? It means that mankind can acquire the ability to get into the genetic code created by nature… or as religious people say… by Our Lord. What practical consequences can this entail? It means that it’s possible to create an individual with desired features. This may be a mathematical genius, this may be a talented musician, but it can also be a soldier, who can fight without fear or compassion, mercy, or pain. What I’ve just said may be more terrifying than a nuclear bomb. When we do something, whatever we may be doing… we should never forget about the moral and ethical foundations of our work. Whatever we do should benefit people, make them stronger… not destroy them.
That’s good. Note well that rightwing filth in our country (including Orthodox) are attempting to hijack VVP’s words. These words are against the essence of Anglo “conservatism”… a life-denying and self-serving ideology. These words are against “religion”… yes, they’re against “religion”. There’s a real faith in the Living God and there’s “religion”… a made-up simulacrum of Faith composed of rules, ritual, and repression (the Three R’s of Evil). Yes… the Church has rules… but it often relaxes them for this or that individual. Yes… the Church has ritual… but it isn’t the essence of what She IS. However, the Church NEVER represses… it frees us… it’s the freest form of religious expression there is. Reflect on that when you hear spiritual midgets bloviate on inconsequential points of liturgy or theology… reflect on that when you hear religious bigots pontificate on some minor point of the canons and rules.
VVP isn’t an American-style “conservative”… if he were, the American Establishment wouldn’t hate him so. Take the ranting of certain elements in the American Right (and amongst we Orthodox) with a great deal of scepticism…
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Voices from Russia 
Masha Mashtaler: “I Want to Tell You About This Amazing Man I’m Proud to Know”
Tags: Aleksei Zhuravko, civil unrest, disabilities, Disability, DNR, Donbass, Donetsk People's Republic, Novorossiya, political commentary, politics, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian Civil War, war and conflict
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I want to tell you about this amazing man I’m proud to know. Aleksei Valeryevich Zhuravko is an ex-Peoples Deputy of the Ukrainian Verkhovnaya Rada of the Fifth and Sixth Convocations. After the Maidan events, he had to leave [the Ukraine] because his convictions were radically different from the ideas of the new Kiev régime. Here, he continues to information warfare against lying Ukrainian propaganda through social networks, he regularly visits the Donbass, and he never refuses those who turn to him for help. His life’s story is a fit subject for cinema. Disabled from childhood, he grew up in an orphanage as he has a very rare congenital disability… a lack of limbs, but he doesn’t lack strength of the spirit, incredible resilience, and leadership qualities. This helped him (who lacks usable legs) to rise to political power in his native region. Although he literally only has one hand, he organised disabled people to enable them to find work. Subsequently, he led the union of public organisations for disabled people in the Ukraine and represented their interests at all state levels.
They say that strong people go through intense upheavals. After the 2014 putsch, he lost almost everything; he survived the betrayal of his loved ones, threats, and harassment. However, his love for life, energy, and enterprise gave him the grit not to give up, thereby inspiring and motivating others. When you talk to him, you don’t see his physical features; on the contrary, you get a sense of calm and security, because you understand that he’s a real mensch who isn’t afraid to take responsibility for others. His example inspires me in fearful moments… when my hands flutter, I recall that Aleksei Valeryevich only has one hand, but he’s done more for the world with one hand than I’ve done with two. That means that nothing is impossible.
1 November 2017
Masha Mashtaler
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Editor:
I don’t think of A V Zhuravko as a “disabled person”. I think of him as a stand-up guy who isn’t afraid to stand for what’s right and decent, no matter the cost. That’s the long and the short of it for me.
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