‘Russia’ is a way of thinking

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in his article “Vladimir Putin Is the World’s Most Dangerous Fool,” concludes that the president of Russia never had a Plan B.

“Putin has put himself in a situation where he can’t win, can’t lose and can’t stop,” Friedman writes.

After reading the article, I got the impression that Friedman believes this is only Putin’s war, not Russia’s. There is a feeling that if Putin will disappear, the war will end.

Ukrainians have lost faith in this illusion. “Russia” is an empire. “Russia” is a way of thinking. If there will be no Putin, there will be another “good” Russian who will fulfil the will of his nation, about the greatness of Russia and the constant conquest of new territories. Ukrainian-Russian relations have a long and controversial history spanning hundreds of years.

Its main content is the aspiration of Muscovy and its heirs — the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation — to prevent the establishment of an independent state of the Ukrainian people and their desire to be a full member of the European Commonwealth.

This process has been going on for so long that sometimes the leaders and citizens of other countries have the feeling that it is completely natural, that maybe Ukraine really is part of Russia. There was no plan B not only in Russia, but also in many of our western partners.

Russia first rehearsed a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2008 by seizing the territory of Georgia. It studied the reaction of the world. Then in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and Donbas. These were wellplanned operations. The passive reaction of the U.S. and Europe convinced the Kremlin of impunity. Yes, sanctions were applied, but they were too few to stop the biggest war of the 21st century, which is currently taking place on the territory of Ukraine.

The acquisition of independence by Ukraine in 1991 as a result of the collapse of the U.S.S.R. was considered by the Russian elite from the beginning as an unfortunate historical “misunderstanding” that should be corrected as soon as possible.

Ukrainian citizens also had no plan B. After the Second World War, the whole world chose peace. War has become an anachronism.

Solving political and economic problems, the Kremlin maintained the illusion of good neighbourly relations with Ukraine. Signed various agreements that guaranteed the integrity of Ukraine, security and territorial integrity, to respect the independence and sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed that there is no force of law, there is a right of force. Politicians of other countries often manipulate the word “peace” in relation to Ukraine. They advise Ukrainians to make too many concessions.

The historical experience of Ukraine shows that we do not need peace as a pause for Russia to regain strength and launch a new offensive. After all, there will be a new leader after Putin. Peace for Ukraine is NATO. Our way to peace turned out to be very long and tiring. But together with the help and support of the civilized and democratic world, we are gradually overcoming it. Ukrainians need peace like no other.

During my sports training, I am often tempted not to complete my exercises. The last minutes are always difficult. My body is screaming: Stop! I’m really tired. However, for me, the last exercises are not exactly about keeping in shape, but about willpower.

Something similar is happening with Ukraine now. Stop … We are all so tired … From the TV broadcasts we hear, “Why do you continue the fight, look at how many losses, destruction and victims there are.”

On the one hand, we often want everything to be as it was before. My thoughts often go back to my carefree pre-war life. But at the same time, I immediately catch myself thinking that I don’t want to go back to the past, we have already come a long way. Now we are just moving forward.