Despite the unprecedented losses, Putin is not going to end the war and is not looking for peace. On the contrary, the Russian army’s past month actions have become increasingly brutal. Settlements along the contact line are constantly shelled, caused destruction cost billions of dollars, and tens of thousands of people are forced to flee, leaving behind everything they have. This is a cruel, bloody genocide according to the Kremlin’s plan agreed with Putin. Russia is actually launching a “systemic war”, the result of which, according to Putin, should be the destruction of Western civilization. He has already initiated a three-year reform in the Russian army, after which the invasion of the Baltic States and Poland is possible, followed by brutal repressions and deportations. Putin’s phenomenon is that he was able to visualize Stalin’s punitive machine and actually tested it in Ukraine: ethnic cleansing, destruction of entire cities, forced deportation, criminal propaganda. This is happening in the XXI century alongside Europe, which will be Russia’s next victim if it is not stopped in Ukraine.
Russian propaganda begins to use massively the term “Patriotic war.” “The West has launched the Barbarossa-2 plan against Russia,” D. Medvedev wrote in his Telegram channel. Visualizing the threat of Russia is the best way to mobilize Russians to go willingly to death for their leader Putin. The Kremlin has already achieved considerable success in this. Russian propaganda’s criminal, zombified narratives have caused a perverted worldview among the Russians, who call evil good and war peace. This is Putin’s plan to mobilize society for a war with the West, which he sees as the crowning glory of his rule. Therefore, for now there should be no illusions: the West has received an existential challenge that threatens its very existence. Putin is preparing for a long, protracted war, where Ukraine is only the first stage. Putin dreams of seeing Russian tanks on the streets of Warsaw, Vienna and Berlin, and his advisers have already proposed him many options for how to do this. However, one thing is for sure: if Ukraine does not fall, Europe will survive. The Armed Forces are the only real obstacle on the way of the Russian horde to Europe. The delay in the provision of weapons for Ukraine (tanks, heavy armored vehicles, artillery, and long-range missiles) can lead to tragic consequences for Europe, and vise versa, weapons provided to Ukraine in time are an investment in the peaceful future of Europe.
Richard Rocksherman