For almost two months already, the Tajik society has been involved in an intense debate over the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has not only economic but also ideological consequences for the Tajikistan residents. Society has split into those who support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and those who oppose aggression.
Open discussions between Tajik users can be found mainly on social media, where they have recently become regular. There is no respect or tolerance in these discussions; they often end in unfollowing and bans.
In addition, the arguments also arise in real life: between colleagues, classmates, even between relatives and friends; sometimes, they can lead to a break in relations.
Dushanbe residents Davlatali Odinazoda (not his real name) and Muhammadyusuf were friends for eight years. The recent events in Ukraine destroyed their friendship. In this war, Davlatali supports the position of Ukraine and Muhammadyusuf – Russia’s actions.
In a CABAR.asia interview, Davlatali told how he condemned Russia’s actions after the invasion of Ukraine and even posted a Ukrainian flag on his Facebook profile photo to show his sympathy.
“I am not defending the government of Ukraine and its supporters. I express solidarity with the Ukrainian people, many of whom died as a result of the Russian attack; millions of people were left homeless and became refugees. In general, ordinary people suffer from the war; they are the victims of politicians,” said Davlatali Odinazoda, 27.
His 28-year-old friend did not like these statements, since he holds the opposite opinion. This situation led to a cooling of their friendship.
Davlatali and Muhammadyusuf have not seen or spoken to each other for a month and a half now.
“At first, I tried to explain to him that our opinions should not affect our friendship. However, I saw that he was not listening. I even called him several times and offered to meet and talk as we did before but he refused. Later, I heard from other friends that he was offended by me and did not want to be friends,” added Odinazoda.
Unlike Davlatali and Muhammadyusuf, Obid Shohiyon, Rudaki district resident, takes a neutral position. According to him, the support of one or another side of the conflict affects his emotional state and plans.
“Our national issues are more important for me than this conflict. If I think more about Ukraine, I will inevitably distance myself from the current problems of Tajik society. I look at each event from the perspective of national interests and analyse the consequences myself,” Shohiyon said.
Tajikistan’s authorities refrain from expressing their position on this issue. Tajikistan preferred to abstain in several UN votes on issues related to the Russo-Ukrainian war. However, Dushanbe opposed the resolution to suspend Russia’s membership in the UN Human Rights Council.
In a CABAR.asia interview, one of the Tajik officials condemned the pro-Ukrainian bloggers, saying that Putin is closer to the Tajiks. We should note that his children have been living in the United States in recent years.
A Tajik journalist anonymously told CABAR.asia he had arguments with his father, who often watched Russian TV channels. At the same time, in personal conversations, his father condemns Putin and the war he unleashed.
“However, at the same time, he continues watching these countless propaganda programs on NTV (Russian TV channel – Ed.). In the evening, during the family dinner, we watch Iranian music videos on the satellite TV channels at my request. Then, he turns it back on. It is hard to listen to this nonsense even from another room,” the journalist says.
Discussions on Social Media
On social media, the discussions about the war are more active and aggressive. There are mutual accusations from the pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian users.
The experts note that in these discussions, the parties use all methods: threats, insults, humiliation, and even the dissemination of fake information.
Rustam Gulov, the co-founder of Factcheck.tj, said that in the course of discussions, the users label each other. In addition, according to him, the parties use any information in disputes as evidence, including fake information; the ordinary users then pick it up.
According to Rajabi Mirzo, Tajik journalist and founder of the Akhbor Baroi Afkor [“Food for Thought” – Tr.] Facebook group, citizens are divided into several categories: those who support Russia or Ukraine, those who want to get the most out of this war for Tajikistan, and those who advocate a cautious approach.
According to him, the debate over the Russo-Ukrainian war revealed strong elements of ‘colonialism’ in the culture of the Tajik society, as the sides rarely spoke about the priority of Tajikistan’s interests. At the same time, according to Mirzo, the parties most often resorted to hate speech.
“The war revealed a high level of pro-Russian sentiment in Tajik society but in the medium term, this situation will change, as Russia loses the information war to the West,” Mirzo believes.
A Tajik social scientist anonymously told CABAR.asia that the sharp reaction to the conflict is caused by the fact that dissatisfied with the growth of internal social problems, which they are afraid to talk about publicly, people “blow off steam and get it off their chest”.
According to him, the main reason for the pro-Russian sentiment is the influence of Russian propaganda on Tajik society. In addition, ordinary Tajik people believe they are indebted to Russia and still feel like citizens of a single, already non-existent country – the USSR.
“Most of the tools for forming public opinion in Tajikistan [the most popular media and bloggers] are pro-Western. Therefore, they [these media and bloggers] maintained a balance to some extent and did not fully engage in pro-Russian propaganda,” the social scientist believes.
According to him, the reason why the middle class and part of the intelligentsia of Tajikistan support Ukraine on social media is that these people have critical thinking skills and understand that Moscow can use the same violence against any other former Soviet republic.
“People taking a neutral position in this dispute are more concerned about their lives and the current problems. This group wins in all respects,” the social scientist concluded.