We Can Democratize Russia and Disempower Putin by Targeting His Concentrations of Wealth to Instead Fund Child Development

Vladimir Putin was able to invade Ukraine and wage war crimes and atrocities because for decades he has been able to prevent democratization in Russia. One of the most fundamental ways he’s blocked reforms involves a decades-old system of pushing women to have children – or to be mothers for the motherland – instead of requiring democratic family reforms that would physically limit and decentralize the power of Putin, his state infrastructure, and the oligarchs. Putin could not operate if Russia had to invest equitably in children as democratic citizens, rather than exploit them as future workers and soldiers.

Family policy in Russia is the fundamental source of his power – expanding the base of the pyramid atop which Putin sits. And while much of the world opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, world leadership has done nothing to demand reform of his family policies. In many cases world leaders looked to Russia – which pays women to produce children – as a possible model of creating growth in their own nations, much the way they supported the globalized fossil fuel economies that helped create Putin.

The theme is the same – the United Nations and world leaders are outraged by the invasion, but complicit in ensuring the fundamental top-down power relations that enable it.

We can reverse this trend by embracing every child’s right to a Fair Start, ecologically and socially, as the first and overriding human right. This enables demands upon, and the taking, of wealth and other concentrations of power at the top. We do this to limit and decentralize those concentrations, and to instead empower future persons as democratic citizens.

Take Action:

1. Fair Start has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to embrace Fair Start modeling as the first and overriding human right. Ask them to publicly support the right of young Russians to demand and take wealth from the power structures that support Putin. Atrocities begin with the creation of people inclined, through our power relations, to comit them. The United Nations should be destabilizing despots, not supporting family policies that prop them up. Contact them here.

2. Massive sanctions against oligarchs are a step in the right direction, but we don’t want resources fueling the fundamental problem by simply propping up declining democracies outside of Russia. Urge President Biden here to use the sanctions to explicitly support Fair Start reforms in the United States that would restore democracy, and make the United States a true leader in empowering people.

3. Help us encourage protests and direct actions in Russia to demand Fair Start wealth and resources from the top, and policies that build democracy, rather than simply create more soldiers for Putin. Patriarch Kirill is an ideal target for Fair Start direct action, and we are urging Russians to take action with the message below.

Every child born in Russia has a right to an ecosocial Fair Start in life, which will enable to safe, healthy and democratic future for all. Young Russians can fund their children’s future by taking wealth and resources from the top, from men like Patriarch Kirill, who pose a threat to the welfare and equality of all children. Russians can pressure him to admit this truth. Together we can fundamentally disempower Putin, and prevent future wars, by moving wealth and power from the top and into future generations. Here is an example of the change, in action.

Каждый ребенок, родившийся в России, имеет право на экосоциальный Справедливый Старт в жизни, который является основой безопасного, здорового и демократического будущего для всех. Такие люди, как патриарх Кирилл, представляют угрозу благополучию и равенству детей. Поэтому, мы должны заявить о том, что права детей перевешивают право собственности богатой верхушки. Вместе мы можем обезоружить Путина и предотвратить будущие войны, а также обеспечить Справедливый Старт будущим поколениям.