As much as we may sometimes wish to stop time, to look around and catch our breath, the twenty-first century has already passed its first quarter. 

Those who believed it would be an age of progress have not been disappointed -- humanity has created machines that would have astonished the science fiction writers of the past. 

But alas -- those who believed it would be an age of peace across the world would surely be disappointed. Disappointed would be those who naively assumed that the fascist plague had been buried in the twentieth century with the end of the Second World War, which we in Russia call the Great Patriotic War. 

The stain of fascism in our time rises again from its grave like a zombie. And, as dictated by the horror story tropes, the monster comes for the children first. Yet it is precisely the youth -- including Indonesia’s remarkable Generation Z -- who will have to defeat it. 

When I became Director of the Russian House in Jakarta in 2024, what impressed me most was the spirit of the local youth. Indonesian young people are strong, intelligent, ambitious, and above all loyal to their homeland -- always ready to stand up for their own. 

That is why now I wish to address Indonesia’s Generation Z first and foremost. Do not let yourselves be deceived. Do not let anyone make you forget what fascism did to your ancestors and to the ancestors of your friends and brothers in the last century. Do not allow the memory of its horrors to be erased. Do not let your bright minds be clouded by the puppet shows staged by those who try to present themselves as your friends. Do not fall in love with fascism. 

This is not only Indonesia’s problem. I want to emphasize that. 

Sadly, it is happening all over the world, as if the horsemen of the apocalypse have set out on a leisurely ride, warming up before a greater race. Fascism -- or, as we call it today, neo-Nazism -- does not come to you promising world conquest, with open plans of brutal killings and racist manifestos. 

Fascism is a smart conman. He puts on the uniform of SS officers and claims it is merely a costume, that he is simply a “fan of military fashion.” He expresses “ironic” admiration for disturbing ideologies and their infamous authors. He disguises racism as dark humor. 

Now, who is he up against? Who are you? You are the children of Indonesia, the children of a great nation that fought with sweat and blood for its independence. 

You are the descendants of students who defended their right to call themselves Indonesians. You fought against Dutch colonial rule and Japanese occupation with every strength you had, ready to die rather than surrender your freedom. You did not yield in the face of death in order to keep fascism from your land. 

I believe that Indonesia’s Generation Z will find within itself the strength to resist and once again reject fascism. That too requires courage - but a different kind of courage. 

The courage not to laugh at a racist joke, even if you fear rejection by your peers. The courage to approach someone wearing a fascist uniform and explain that it is the clothing of executioners who murdered women and children. The courage to stand on the side of good. 

The Russian Federation, like many countries around the world, marks Victory Day on May 9, remembering the day Nazi Germany signed its act of capitulation in 1945. It is true that on this day, we celebrate the victory of good over evil. 

Yet the history proves once again: one victory is not enough. Evil will rise again and again from its grave, inventing new forms and new tricks, and each time we will have to unite, setting aside our differences, in order to defeat it at any cost. Such is our life -- from the first century to the twenty-first.

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Nikita Shilikov is the Director of the Russian House in Jakarta. The views expressed in this article are those of the author.