When Dmitry Glukhovsky (Moscow, 1979), author of the best-seller Metro 2033, decided to write his opinion on the Russian invasion of Ukraine on his social networks more than a year ago, he did not know that his life would change after hitting the publish button.. The criticism of this successful Russian writer caused the Kremlin to decide to try him and accuse him of being a “foreign agent”.. Since then he has lived in exile in Europe and the Russian Federation has put him on its search and capture list.. Despite this, he not only continues to express his opinion on what he considers an unjust war, but has also continued his literary work. Glukhovsky is now publishing his new novel, Outpost (Minotaur) in which he reflects on the future of a bleak post-apocalyptic Russia where hate speech, extremism and authoritarianism end the world as we know it.
For the third book in the Metro saga, he claimed to have been inspired by the conflict in Donbas and Crimea.. What about the invasion of Ukraine in Outpost? This book metaphorically captures the disastrous influence of hate speech that has been all the rage on Russian television since 2014, when Putin explained to the Russians that taking over a piece of another country's land is fair.. That was the beginning of the big lie and a wave of hate. Since then, we have seen not only how all the Goebbels methods were applied in Russia, but also the disastrous influence on people's mental stability.. 'Outpost' talks first of all about this contagious influence of propaganda that drives people and disables them from being able to think rationally.. Substitutes rational thinking for the induced intake of emotions. And secondly, how those thoughts influence the future. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the story [laughs], but I try to reflect on whether the evil goes away on its own. My opinion is not. If you induce people to commit genocide or aggressive warfare, you can't expect them to just commit suicide.. They will remain indoctrinated, angry and hateful even after the indoctrinators have left.
A year ago he wrote his opinion on the war on social networks and since then he has become a wanted man by the Kremlin. What are they accusing you of? I am wanted in Russia and the countries of the Russian sphere for allegedly spreading false news about the Russian Army. It is actually an accusation that was made up about war censorship. Anyone who tries to talk about the Russian Army's war crimes in Ukraine, or simply calls war war, faces this new article of the Penal Code that up to 10 years in prison for telling the truth about what Russia is doing in Ukraine.. In addition, they add five more years to me because they think that I do it for reasons of political hatred of Putin. They do it to discredit me, that's why they have labeled me as a foreign agent. Now everyone who sells my books or any mention in the Russian press, they have to add by law that I am a foreign agent. Putin has become a usurper, a dictator who not only oppresses his own people, but has caused horrific hardship and war crimes.
How has your life changed since then? The main change is that I can't go back home or anywhere near it.. If I cross the border, I will be arrested and the trial that takes place without me will take place with me present and will end with a sentence that logically will not be good.. The Russian authorities have searched my apartment in Moscow and have threatened to confiscate it to pay the fine they impose on me. This is another punishment for spreading the truth about the war. I can't really say I'm stuck in Europe, but I'm here for relative safety. At least as long as Europe is on the side of Ukraine and on the side of truth.
Are there Russian artists who support the war? The vast majority condemned it, but the government and security services then persecuted the critics by opening lawsuits against them.. And they have not done it with massive trials, but against specific people: a writer (which is me), a couple of actors, political activists and several journalists.. This has meant that no one is speaking out against the war anymore, only people who left the country.. Those who remain in Russia prefer not to say anything.
“As long as Putin is in power, Russian culture will not be independent”
Is this persecution affecting Russian culture? It affects the creator being in a country where no critical play or film can be made. The State is massively financing what they call “patriotic production”. Historical war films, which underline and emphasize imperial greatness, stimulating patriotism among the young population. If Putin stays a couple more years in power you won't see any independent art and culture. They will be totally controlled by this militaristic, imperialist, ultra-patriotic agenda.
From Europe, Russian public television, the Russia Today channel, where you yourself worked years ago, is accused of propaganda. What do you think about the fact that the EU has banned the channel? Any channel that offers balanced information should be left to work. But it is not the case of Russia Today (RT). I worked at the channel 15 years ago, before it became what it is now.. At this time it is a propaganda channel that deliberately distorts information. Inside Russia the propaganda has been very convincing. But it is also a channel that is very popular in Latin America and even among a certain European immigrant population that feels discriminated against.. Banning RT is totally fair because it is a weapon of disinformation. And with this I am not saying that Russia is an enemy nation. The Russians are the first to want to return to normality.
But it does not seem that they are going to mobilize internally. Because they have no guts to fight, no faith that they can win the state. For this reason they limit themselves to hiding internally from the regime, as if pretending that it does not concern them. They are in a clearly unfriendly political regime that sees Europe as a threat. Putin intends to rule the country forever. He has clear imperial ambitions, just like Hitler did before World War II.
What the Russian government did suffer a month ago was an armed rebellion by Wagner's mercenaries. Do you think it has affected Putin's leadership? Putin has shown all this year how severely weakened he is. And from this riot he came out much weaker still. He first promised to punish Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his troops.. Two days later he publicly offered them peace. It can neither punish nor guarantee stability. It looks nothing like it did before the war.. For dictators the truth is the least important, what really matters is to be strong and then people will be willing to believe. It is violence and the projection of violence that makes your version of reality convincing. But once you show your weakness, no one will want to believe your versions. Everyone will say that the king is naked.
Will Ukraine and Russia come to the negotiating table in the near future? Ukraine still has to fight back to survive. I think there is room for negotiations in which he has more military victories.. If Russia manages to hold the invaded territories it will have a disastrous effect.. Even for Russia itself, because it will be a triumph of fascist aggression that will consolidate Putin's regime.. This will allow him to transfer authority to the next generation, whoever his successors may be, and will set a precedent for Europe: that in the 21st century aggressive wars can be carried out and neighboring territories can be seized.. There could be negotiations if there is a change of leadership in Russia, because Putin is already a pariah. He is not the person the West should be talking to.
What should the West do? In Europe and around the world we must learn that dictators must be punished. Otherwise, if any nuclear-armed power is allowed to extort and conquer another place, it will open Pandora's box.. This could usher in a period of enormous instability.. The West needs to provide clear support and not expect this to magically resolve itself in weeks and months.. Provide firm and stable support to Ukraine and together change that situation for a more stable peace. For the freedom and survival of Ukraine, but also for a free, democratic and modern Russia.