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Despite the ease with which it is to see that Russia is the aggressor and sole cause of this shameful invasion of a sovereign country and has committed horrific war crimes (targeting civilian hospitals, schools, maternity wards, daycare centers, etc.), and that this simply continues an oppressive pattern to try to subjugate, or barring subjugation, extermination, not only of Ukraine but nearly all of it’s smaller neighbors, some in the Western World have bizarrely supported Russia, either through words or actions, or both.
The range of shame is broad. Some are merely fringe famous, lost, conspiracy theorists, like rock turned country musician Aaron Lewis of the pop-rock band Staind (popular in the early aughts).
Others, are more famous, such as Roger Waters of the famous rock band Pink Floyd.
Of course, there are numerous far-right politicians such as Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Troy Nehls, and Rand Paul… the list is long, and almost all are on the right (though it must be pointed out that right or left, the majority of U.S. elected officials are supportive of Ukraine)
And then there are companies like Hugo Boss, who are still doing business in Russia, content with making blood money.
But there are others, Ukrainian-Americans, like NYC Council Member Inna Vernikov, who may be the worst of all. Pretending to support her ancestral homeland and fighting for its very existence, while simultaneously aggressively putting forth propaganda and disinformation emanating from the far right that keeps support for Ukraine from the United States being bi-partisan (and famously brandishing a gun at a Pro-Palestinian rally in NYC).
What motivates these folks? I’m not sure. Some, such as Aaron Lewis, are so far down conspiracy rabbit holes that they can no longer discern right from wrong, truth from fiction, etc. Propaganda, after all, preys on the fragile minds most.
Others, such as far-right politicians, are simply doing what too many (but certainly not all) in politics do, seeking more power, regardless of the cost. They likely never had much of a moral compass to begin with.
And then there is also greed. That is where Hugo Boss and companies still operating in Russia come in.
In the end, it’s a dangerous cocktail of arrogance and ignorance, much like the Ukrainian government observed of Elon Musk after he once again tweeted out some ignorant point of view from his ivory tower on high.
But for the shameful folks that we all interact with daily, we may never know what motivates everyday Americans to fall in line behind Putin’s attempt to hijack democracy worldwide. I do know there is a fair amount of ignorance as well as entitlement involved (it’s easy to glibly pontificate about another country’s fight for freedom when you feel safe and secure in a freedom you neither deserve nor earned).
This is one reason this site exists: to offer people ways to learn about Russia’s history of attempting to subjugate Ukraine and other parts of the world with their cynical ideology. And hopefully better understand the risk it entails for even a country like the United States, whose democracy has been teetering since Russia’s infamous 2016 election interference.
The Hall of Shame Page’s mission is to call out those destined to be on the wrong side of history and document their atrocities for all to see.
We will report if they apologize or see the errors in their way.
If you know someone who should be in this Hall of Shame, let us know who and why. Sadly, it’s a long list and getting longer.
