Viktor Dietz: ‘If Russia is saved — we, Russian Germans, will also be saved’

“I sold Russia for money” — this is how Viktor Dietz, the director of the German House of the Republic of Tatarstan, head of the National Assembly of Germans of Tatarstan, described the statement of the president of the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Russian Germans, Heinrich Martens. The conflict broke out during an online conference of the Association of Public Organizations “International Union of German Culture” (MSNK Autonomous Educational Organisation). In the author's column for Realnoe Vremya, Dietz told how he single-handedly opposed the assignment of an honorary title to Martens, indicated the reasons for the condemnation of the colleague and explained why the representatives of the union should be ashamed today.

I stood alone against everyone

The reporting and election online conference of the Association of Public Organizations “International Union of German Culture” (MSNK Autonomous Educational Organisation) was held on the last day of September this year. The organisers named 77 participants from different regions of Russia — from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean.

On the question of the entry of Heinrich Martens into the history of the Russian Germans as the founder and permanent chairman of the MNSK with the title “Honorary Chairman” — I opposed it. One against all. In splendid solitude. What is behind this — civic courage, political hooliganism or something else? Let's try to figure it out.

I abstained on the first issue of the conference agenda when approving its leadership. It struck me unpleasantly that after the start of the nationwide holy war* of Russia against the world evil (called SVO, special military operation) and the accompanying betrayal of the leaders of the MSNK of their Homeland, which thundered all over the world, the conference (in any case, its “head”) gathered in the same composition as years ago, as if nothing had happened. The leaders of the MSNK opposed the policy of the Russian state, of which they are citizens, like famous journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who spoke on federal television with the poster “No war!”*.

After I voted one against all, G.G. Martens tried to enter into a polemic with me. And he shouldn't have done it. All the information, as he himself stated, will certainly receive the attention of many people in Germany and Russia. He called his great merit the continuation of funding from the German side of the ethno-cultural work of Russian Germans, and this happened, according to Martens, only due to that he opposed Russian aggression in Ukraine and forced the leadership of the MNSK to adopt a corresponding statement. In response, I described it this way: “I sold Russia for money.”

“Russia is fighting for the sovereignty of all countries”

Since everyone was vying with each other to praise Martens and MSNK as his great brainchild, it was difficult to get a word in against. But I managed to formulate, in contrast to the endless eulogies, my forecast of the fate of the MSNK: “The Union expects the inevitable slow death, which will take place before our very eyes; after all, this organisation was formed on completely different principles from the very beginning.”

Olga Konstantinovna Martens confidently stated: “Viktor Georgievich, this is just your personal forecast.” But, I dare say, the forecast of the MSNK, which is close to the Martens' view, can be realised only in Russia, torn apart by its enemies, the ukronazist beast, coupled with the collective sweet West. Summing up what has been said, a couple more thoughts on this matter.

  1. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, comprador bourgeoisie came to power. Russia's war* with the world's evil has already begun, when almost all semi-sovereign states (even China and India) are holed up in burrows like cowardly mice, although Russia is fighting for the sovereignty of all countries of the planet. Even in the conditions of war, comprador bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia still own many levers of power in Russia. Heinrich Martens is ideologically and psychologically close to these people, such as Arkady Dvorkovich and Anatoly Chubais.
  2. Unfortunately, the results of the voting of the MSNK delegates on September 30 clearly demonstrate to the city and the world that Heinrich Martens managed to bring down, lower the Russian Germans united within the framework of the MSNK and the regional leaders led by him to the level of the fifth column on Russian soil of the American colony with the name “Germany”. Of course, realising this is an endless shame. But the truth of life is this.
  3. The shameful decision of the MSNK leadership on February 25 could somehow be survived, referring to that we, the Russian Germans on the ground, are far “from the decision-making centre” and have nothing to do with the act of betrayal of the country (allegedly). But when we unanimously vote for granting the status of “Honorary” to the chairman of the MSNK, Heinrich Martens, who is pushing his people to betray the Motherland, and we vote consciously, in a servile fuss “pushing each other with elbows”, I can't imagine how we will survive this. Shame on us!

About the fate of the Russian Germans — a dying wonderful people

Back in the spring, after the church service, the activists of the German Lutheran community of Kazan gathered to watch the film of the leader of the Russian Germans of North Ossetia — Alania, Robert Petrovich Ayzvert, “The Germans of Ossetia — high and tragic”. The film was evaluated ambiguously — in accordance with the title. We bow our heads before the tragic pages of the fate of our small original, bicultural and bilingual European people. But we are also justifiably proud of the decisive contribution that the Russian Germans made to the formation, strengthening and development of our state, when in a matter of decades Russia turned from a backward medieval post-Horde feudal state education, thanks to European (read: German) cultural leaders, into a world-class power.

The dialogue after watching the film inevitably turned into an acute conversation on the topics of the attitude of Russian Germans in the situation of the liberation war* Russia with Ukrainian, European and world Nazism. Hence two immutable conclusions.

  1. Russian Germans can be preserved as an ethnic group only in Russia. This is impossible in any other country. Even in Germany, in its historical homeland. Russian Russians are completely numbed there after a generation and a half, the Russian (Russian) component is irrevocably lost forever, the Russian part (half) of the mentality and culture of Russian Germans is lost. If Russia is saved — we, Russian Germans, will also be saved.
  2. Now only Russia remains our homeland. In our historical homeland in Germany, we can interact, cooperate and be friends only with anti-fascists, we, the citizens of Russia, cannot and will not cooperate with the Nazis by definition. Our historical memory and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will not forgive us for this.

Our Kazan German Lutheran community has fraternal ties with the religious communities of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD), we pray for them. But if the members of these communities pray for the Nazi beasts and the destruction of Russia, our fraternal Christian relations with such people are called into question. As the organiser and head of all public organisations of Russian Germans of Kazan and Tatarstan since the late 1980s, who registered our Kazan Lutheran community back in Soviet times — in 1989, this issue has already been resolved. I refuse to cooperate with people praying for the Nazis-Bandera and the destruction of Russia, which is my real homeland, the homeland of my family and our entire family.

The path to the restoration of cooperation between the Russian Germans and their historical homeland will be long. First, it will be necessary to send the Ukronazis to hell, to their father the Devil, despite the comprehensive help of these scum of the whole rapidly nationalising Europe (number one task). Then the immediate winners will have to solve an equally important task (number two task) to purge the Russian authorities and other structures from rot and mucus (or even direct betrayal of the Motherland).

The chronological sequence of solving the first and second tasks of the Russian people should not be confused. The inconsistency of their implementation can lead to the defeat and destruction of Russia. Those who insist on this inconsistency are traitors to the Motherland. There is a deadly war going on*. And we must remember the relevant words about the war of Sergey Bodrov Jr.: “During the war, you can't speak ill of your own. Never.”

It is necessary to purge the leadership of the Russian Germans of cowards and traitors!

Information is received from different regions of Russia that the attitude of regional and local authorities towards various public and religious organisations of Russian Germans of Russia and Russian Lutherans of the German (and not only) tradition is not changing for the better. This is not surprising. The aforementioned organisations have managed to shamefully coward and make treacherous statements.

Some imbeciles from our ranks — Russian Germans and Russian Lutherans — and in these terrible moments, when brave Russian soldiers, at the cost of a considerable number of their own lives, literally tear the Ukrainian people out of the cruel clutches of the Nazi beast, free them from the Nazi yoke, call the Russian army “occupation” and “inhuman”. Such nonsense is a vile mixture of stupidity and meanness.

I propose immediately and without hesitation to replace the current leadership of the MSNK (FNKA RN) and the ELCR, to wash away the shameful stain of cowardice and betrayal from the pure face of our people, the Russian Germans, and our church, the ELCR.

*The special operation is not an attack, an invasion of Ukraine.

Viktor Dietz
Reference

The author's opinion may not coincide with the position of the editorial board of Realnoe Vremya.

Viktor Dietz is an active participant in the social movement of Russian Germans: for more than 20 years he has been the head of the NCA of the Germans of Tatarstan, since 2001 he has been the director of the German House of the Republic of Tatarstan ANO, is a member of the Council of the FNCA of Russian Germans and the Presidium of the MSNK.

Tatarstan