Roger Waters says Russia’s attack on Ukraine was “not unprovoked”
Roger Waters has always said what was on his mind. As far back as the glory days of Pink Floyd, Waters was known for spewing venom across anything he saw as unjust, whether that was the music industry on The Wall or the bottom line of capitalism on Animals. Now, Waters has made his thoughts about the war in Ukraine abundantly clear.
After being invited to the UN Security Council at Russia’s request, Waters thought Ukraine’s violence towards Russia was unjust. The former Pink Floyd musician stated: “[Russia’s invasion] was illegal, but not unprovoked,” he said. “I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms.”
These claims come after Waters spoke to Rolling Stone about being on an execution list by the Ukrainian resistance. He said: “I’m on the fucking list, and they’ve killed people recently… But when they kill you, they write ‘liquidated’ across your picture. Well, I’m one of those fucking pictures.”
While Waters did seem to be siding with Russia at first, he claims that his stance is anti-war. Back in September, Waters had penned an open letter to Vladimir Putin speaking out against the war. However, Waters does often appear to be playing both sides, referring to ‘The Ukraine’ when discussing the topic. Using the before Ukraine was seen as a political statement, since that was the official title of the country when under the Soviet Union.
Despite being called in by Russia, Waters is adamant about putting an end to the war, saying: “We do not willingly raise our sons and daughters to provide fodder for your canons. In our opinion, the only sensible course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. No ifs, no buts, no ands. Not one more Ukrainian or Russian life is to be spent — they are all precious in our eyes.”
However, when this is contrasted with calling Ukraine provocateurs, his call for peace is paradoxically a very inflammatory one. Thus, it has since been condemned by many political commentators.
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