Film director Eric Bergkraut: Anna Politkovskaya predicted Russia's war in Ukraine back in 2004

This year, Oct 7 was the 20th anniversary of the murder of heroic Russian investigating journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya. In Novaya Gazeta, the Swiss film director Eric Bergkraut who worked with her remembers:

"...She understood the rules of the game in Western democracies very well. She harbored no illusions on that score. The events that unfolded after her death—the way Western European democracies chose to turn a blind eye to human rights violations [in countries like Russia]—have ultimately led to a situation where everyone is now paying the price, including through the war in Ukraine.

I remember inviting both Zainap and Anna to the French premiere of "Koka" in Paris. At first, the attaché from the Swiss embassy was very pleased with the idea. But two days later, she called me from the embassy and said, "No, that’s impossible. Two individuals who are in opposition to Putin—we cannot allow that. We are a neutral country." It was absurd! I felt terrible—I had to call Anna and tell her she couldn't come. But she just found it amusing. She wasn't shocked at all; she understood the logic of Western European politics very well... That’s just one episode—not the most significant one. To me, it simply showed that Anna had a very good grasp of the realities we lived in. She harbored no illusions whatsoever...

I also recorded an interview with Raphaël Glucksmann... Rafael confided in me that, back in 2004, Anna had told him: "You’ll see—Putin will start a war against Ukraine." You know, it took me a long time to truly grasp just how aggressive Putin’s policy really is...

It seems to me that many politicians mistakenly view human rights and their observance as something secondary—as matters of lesser importance. This is precisely what characterized Putin’s relations with Western European leaders—from Chirac and Schröder to Merkel and Sarkozy—the underlying assumption being that human rights are mere details, while economic interests take precedence. Now, we can see where that has led. I believe this is a mistake. Upholding human rights is essential, not least for the preservation of peace. 

 I am very struck by a remark made by Anna: “A society that accepts lies will also accept violence.” And that is truly the case. Now, millions of people are paying the price for it."