Myroslav MARYNOVYCH, human rights activist, journalist, religious studies scholar, founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group:
“Both alternatives have something wrong in them. I am not a supporter of the thesis ‘God forbid, show no sympathy for them, because they are our enemies!’ On many occasions, we sympathize with our enemies, and it is normal. These are Christian feelings. I see no tragedy in this. On the contrary, I am happy that the Ukrainian heart has a human note in it, amid all this loss of life and devastation.
“Each victim had parents and family who are now stricken with grief. I am ready to sympathize with them, regardless of how they feel about Ukraine. For me, criminality or rudeness of other person is not a reason to feed the same feelings in myself. I want to remain human, and the ability to sympathize with others is a distinctive human feature.
“On the other hand, the gesture of bringing flowers... Personally, I would not go to the Embassy of Russia. This is not because I do not want to sympathize with them, but because the embassy represents the government of the nation. I would not let myself go there, probably. Still, I would not have fed inhuman feelings in myself regarding this tragedy.”
