Ukraine: reflections one month after the invasion
On 24 March it will be one month since Europe woke up to the tragic news that a war had broken out on its territory. On that day, Russia attacked Ukraine with the aim of denazifying it. Since then, this war, geographically distant from Spain, has become familiar to us thanks to its omnipresence in the media and its economic consequences exemplified by an exponential rise in fuel and shopping basket prices.
Beyond its prominence in the media and its economic consequences, this conflict leaves some interesting reflections on how we see and treat refugees, freedom of the press and the media focus on events that have taken place in the rest of the world during the war in Ukraine:
First and Second Class Refugees: The Ukrainian conflict has highlighted the racism of European societies towards refugees depending on their country of origin. While it is true that the war in Ukraine is a tragedy and that we must help refugees from this conflict, it is surprising how quickly the European Union and European societies reacted, mobilising to take in Ukrainians fleeing the conflict with indifference and contempt shown towards other refugees of darker complexion and poorer countries. An example of this hypocrisy is the fact that on the 13th of this month, a boat sank off the Moroccan coast bound for the Canaries, killing 44 sub-Saharan Africans.1 The news received little coverage in the national press, nor was there any discussion of the criteria used to decide which refugees deserve to be taken in and which do not. Do migrants who jump the fences of Ceuta and Melilla and arrive by boat in the Canary Islands not have the same rights as Ukrainians fleeing war? Let us not forget that our migrants - I repeat those of darker complexion - do not migrate for pleasure, but flee from wars in their home countries and lack of opportunities in their countries of origin - just like the Ukrainians at this time of year.
A more than questionable freedom of expression: A few days after the conflict began, the EU decided to ban Russia Today and Sputnik - well-known media outlets in the service of Moscow - from the EU airwaves as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine. While the gesture can be seen as a show of support for Ukraine, it will not stop people from being curious about Russia's coverage of the war. Especially considering that Russia Today is broadcast in Spanish and has a large following in Latin America. Moreover, nowadays it is very easy to connect to any country with an app that guarantees you a VPN connection to any country where Russia Today and Sputnik can still be seen. With this decision we are also giving Moscow wings to build a narrative of a West that is anti-Russian and hypocritical about freedom of expression and does not hesitate to criticise the repression inside Russia of demonstrations calling for an end to the war while censoring media outlets that do not adhere to the "Western Order".
Tragedies beyond Ukraine: The omnipresence of Ukraine in the media conveys the impression that nothing is happening in the rest of the world. This is far from the truth. Pakistan is experiencing a black month, with attacks by the Islamic State of Khorasan, the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban Movement at their most macabre on 4 March, when an Islamic State of Khorasan suicide bombing of a Shia mosque in Peshawar killed 56 people, injuring 200.2 Saudi Arabia has also been in the news, executing 81 people last weekend.3 Both events are just as horrific as they are horrific. Does it not raise moral questions that a country to which we sell arms and buy fuel, and which we know has a poor human rights record, decides to execute 81 people? Is it not worrying that Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan - remember it is ruled by the Taliban - is experiencing an escalation of violence that is likely to get worse and destabilise the stability of an already volatile region? Do we know what is happening in the Sahel, closer to Spain than Ukraine? While we should see how the Ukrainian war ends, we should not ignore other areas, as its consequences are likely to have an equal or worse impact on Spain than the Ukrainian conflict.
In conclusion, while the Ukrainian tragedy merits that we help refugees fleeing the country, it also gives rise to a number of reflections on how we treat refugees according to their skin colour and country of origin, freedom of expression and media coverage of events beyond Ukraine. With regard to refugees, it is hypocritical that we facilitate the integration of those from Ukraine while despising those with darker skin colour. Let us not forget that those who come from our southern border are also people with rights. The decision to censor Sputnik and Russia Today in the EU does a disservice to freedom of expression, as it gives Moscow an opportunity to criticise our hypocrisy on freedom of expression, and it is relatively easy nowadays to connect to both channels via an app that guarantees you a VPN to other countries where you can watch Russia Today and Sputnik. Nor should we forget that beyond Ukraine, there is suffering, such as in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, and closer to Spain, such as the Sahel, which is not so far from Spain.