What Should Southern Nationalists Make of Russia and Ukraine?

After months of buildup, the day finally arrived – Russia invaded Ukraine in what is the biggest European conflict since the Yugoslav War in the 1990s, and this could get even bigger. The chance this turns into World War III is quite high and, unlike the first World Wars, the U.S. cannot count on its natural oceanic defenses to protect it. Russian and Chinese military capabilities mean that every single major U.S. city, not to mention military base, could be destroyed. The weak men, created by the good times, are about to be confronted with hard times. May God create strong men to see us through this. As I write this, the war does remain a regional conflict between Russia and Ukraine and peace talks are currently underway.

The question before us is what should we, as Southern Nationalists, make of this? What should we do? And let me start off by stating emphatically – the U.S. must stay out of this conflict. The American Empire is in no position to fight. The greatest military minds in all of history have tried and failed to conquer Russia and the American top brass is full of leftists who have decided that inclusion is more important than ability. But even if we were free, we should still stay out of it, nothing can change that this is on the other side of the world and far from our interests. Plus, Russia has good reasons to fear being surrounded by NATO, and this is not a sentiment common to just Putin or the Russian Right, but also the Russian Left. Expanding NATO after the Cold War has been one of the greatest follies of our time.

But, what should Dixians do as individuals? Yes, we should stay out of this collectively, but as individuals we are certainly free to have a preference. And, that is where things get a little more complicated; in many ways, it involves a conflict between ideals and practicality. To start off with, the Ukrainians and Russians are different nations. They are closely related and share a common history. Both nations (along with Belarus) trace their founding back to the Kievan Rus’ and they have been united far more than they have been divided. It may be true that they are closely related, but so are the Irish and the Scots and those are still distinct nations. Additionally, both deriving from the same foundational state does not mean they are the same nation – for example, both the ethnic foundation of Germany and France can be traced back to the Frankish Empire, but they are still very different nations. As far as the two nations being united more often than they have been separated, that also does not mean they are one nation. We have been with the Yankee Union for most of our history (and we can both trace ourselves back to the British Isles), but we are still different nations. Just because Russia and Ukraine share a lot in common does not make them one nation.  

Though they have the same foundational state, Russia and Ukraine diverged enough to become distinct even as they were still closely related, and much of this can be traced back to two different foreign conflicts. While Russia was conquered by the Mongols, Ukraine was conquered by Poland, hence why many consider Russia as not being fully European, but rather Asiatic. Before the Mongol invasion, Russia was completely connected to the rest of Europe. After the Mongols, Russia took on more Asiatic characteristics. Russia became, in many ways, the bridge between the cultures of Europe and Asia – a view seen not only in the West but also among some Russian Nationalists as well. Ukraine, by being conquered by Poland, developed in a far more Western direction even as it remained both east Slavic and (for the most part) Orthodox. If Russia is the bridge between Asia and Europe, then Ukraine is the bridge between Russia and Europe. This is why I have observed so many on the European Dissident Right come out in favor of Ukraine. These men are not liberals, but they, not without reason, view Russia as Asiatic and Ukraine as Western, much for the same reason they sided with the Croats during the Yugoslav War.

It is also in my blood to support these small nations. I am a Dixian of partial Irish ancestry. Part of what drew me to the Irish Cause, to the point I consider Padraig Pearse to be one of my greatest heroes, is that I see parallels between Ireland and Dixie – both were rural nations that had the grave misfortune of having an industrialized neighbor hellbent on turning them into a vassal state. I think similar parallels can be drawn between Ukraine and Russia, and it was the Russian Tsar, may I remind you, that was one of Lincoln’s biggest cheerleaders when he crushed the South.

In an ideal world, yes, I would say without hesitation, “Ukraine for the Ukrainians” just as I say, “Dixie for the Dixians” and “Ireland for the Irish.” But that is the rub, we do not live in an ideal world and that is where things get more complicated. The fact is that in the year 2022, Ukraine will not rule herself; she will either be ruled by Russia or ruled by the European Union (EU) and the Yankees. I think many Ukrainian Nationalists are good people. I think the vast majority are in this for the right reasons, their long history of Russian oppression is far too bitter for them to swallow. But there are many grifters here that are not really nationalistic in the sense that they want a Ukraine for Ukrainians, but rather a Ukraine for Brussels or DC (and that includes their CIA-installed president). And, we all know the horrors of an EU or Yankee rule. Ukraine, a deeply Orthodox nation, is being hit hard by Globohomo right now. Should Ukraine fall under the EU, they will have at best 30 years before they become the next Ireland, a once firmly Christian nation now ensnared in modernist rot. And 30 years is in the best-case scenario, a little more than a decade is more likely.   

But none of this is to say Russia is blameless. I know some in the West have grown to admire Russia for taking a strong stand against moral degeneracy. However, Russia’s problems cannot be glossed over, her abortion rate remains tragically high. Plus, it is far easier for someone in the U.S. to forgive Russia than it is for a Ukrainian, Pole, or Hungarian, especially in the case of the Ukrainian and the Pole where their justifiable anger goes back before the Soviet period and into the Tsarist period. Jumping off from that, there is no reason for modern Russia to defend Stalin and certainly no reason for them to still deny the Holodomor. I also fear that by doing this, Putin will push Poland and Hungary closer to the decadent circus that is Western Europe, causing even more problems for Western traditionalism in the long run.

But one need not create an idealized version of Russia to still see what is really going on. Ukraine is between a rock and a hard place, much like Poland. On this point I certainly empathize for them. They know the threat that Western Europe presents to their culture and souls, but they cannot easily side with the Russians. Considering the history Russia has with these nations, I can’t say I blame them. But all the same, the EU cannot be allowed to destroy another nation. Spain, Ireland, and Italy were once solidly traditional and Christian nations around a generation ago, that was dismantled the more each nation was integrated into the EU. Sadly, Poland will likely not be far behind them. This same fate cannot happen to the Ukraine.

I do not want a Russian-ruled Ukraine. But, one ruled by the EU, dominated by corrupt Yankees, and controlled by international bankers seems far worse.

Let us pray for peace.