Светлана Кошелева – Два берега, на шоу Андрея Малахова

I had been sending donations to Ensemble Ptashitsa in Russia for many years.  After each of their Youtube livestreams, I would send 20 dollars or so.  I always received an email of gratitude from Ivan, the leader of the group.  

When the Russia Ukraine event started, I got my Paypal account locked and my bank account was locked as well.  I was able to get my bank accounts back, but to this day cannot link Paypal to my bank account.  I could no longer send donations.  Ivan released a statement about not getting deceived by stories in newspapers on Ukraine and Russia, used to divide us.  It was a brave statement inferring media fakery.  There were ALWAYS many Ukrainians in the livestream chats of Ptashitsa.  These illusions of borders and countries could not be clearer.  

A year after my donations stopped due to this "war",  I received a Ptashitsa calendar in the mail from Ivan, signed by the group.  He said thanks for all of your support through the years.  Totally unsolicited.   I maintain that people are intrinsically good throughout the world.  It is the governments, military, and police who are evil. 

It is gratifying to see Svetlana and Ptashitsa on National television in Russia.  On some core level, I sense that there is a lesser sense of debauchery in Russian media.   There is appeal to their common customs and history (be it false or not), with no emphasis on sexuality and degradation, explicitly now on display in the West.