Why did Ukraine end up being the epicentre of a global history?
They’ve dreamt of tearing Ukraine apart – leaving it humiliated, degraded, and having its very right to existence taken away. They’ve destroyed Chernihiv, a pearl of an ancient Rus’. They’ve destroyed Kharkiv, the first capital of Soviet Ukraine, using the cruise missiles. They’ve also destroyed the Freedom Square in Kharkiv – the biggest city square in Europe. Volnovakha, a city in Donetsk region, is currently facing a major humanitarian crisis. Settlements of ethnic Greeks around Mariupol, a unique nation with a unique language and culture, are being raised to the ground. The city of Sumy lies in ruins. No place in Mariupol and Kherson has been left intact. Okhtyrka was shelled by vacuum bombs. By midday of 1st of March, the first day of spring, a small house in Kalynivka, the village in Kyiv region was wiped off the face of the earth, along with its inhabitants. All that was left of it was a huge explosion crater. Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, keeps repelling attacks by enemy’s DRGs (Ukrainian abbreviation for “tactical diversion intelligence groups”). After all, the terrorist state does not even attempt to hide its intentions anymore and keeps shelling residential areas of Ukrainian cities.
Newsfeed these days resembles the scenes from an apocalyptic movie. Yes, that’s the “russkiy mir” (in Russian, literally: “Russian world”) that has arrived in Ukraine in order to repair the so called “the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century”, as Putin has defined the collapse of the Soviet Union. In his speech, Putin has not only denied Ukraine and Ukrainians their right to exist, but he has also declared a war on Ukraine. This significant shift has shown that the “russism” (pronounced as ‘rashyzm’ in Ukrainian resembling the word ‘fascism’) has evolved from a marginal fascist doctrine into an official state ideology of a Russian neo-empire, seeking to reinvigorate its power through an aggressive territorial expansion and genocide. Worrisome signs of the upcoming peril were already noticeable last spring. By then it has become obvious that Putin was in a hurry. Covid crisis has deeply affected political positions of the key Russian state institutions, hence increasing the dictator’s paranoia.
Dynamics of Russian public opinion was crystal clear. Russians seemed to have trusted the most their army and the president, although not in favour of the latter. The army, and the president were caught in a toxic codependency. It was a pathological interrelation – when president’s approval rating was soaring, and it was no longer possible to maintain it by staging the “sudden” explosions in Moscow’s underground, the Russian army was entering Russia’s political game with its “small military victories”. Thus, citizens’ support for the Russian army jumped from the unimpressive 35% at the eve of the Second Chechen War to 46-50% during the Russia’s “Crimean gambit” and kept growing to 69% up to 2017. Unsurprisingly, this hike was possible owing to Russia’s virtual victories in the temporary occupied territories in Ukraine. During the annexation of Crimea, and at the so called “eastern spring” Russian propagandists would dress up in the white garments of “peacekeepers” and the so called “saviours” of the Russian-speakers, allegedly humiliated by the Kyiv regime. During the past three years Russian army was deemed to be the top trusted state institution in Russian, pushing Putin onto the second place. Russia was drowning in the militaristic and imperialistic fever. Ukraine was looked at as a battlefield in the global conflict between Russia and the West. Open calls for the genocide of Ukrainians, including calls to use the nuclear weapons against Ukraine, became Russia’s signature normality. Every time public trust soared, Russian broadcasters kept talking day and night about “Nazis” in Ukraine, the blitzkrieg, Russian parade on Kyiv’s main street, Khreshchatyk, and an inevitable enforcement of peace.
Putin’s approval rating has declined from 79-80% at the eve of his Crimean ‘triumph’ in 2014 to some 60% in 2019. Putin’s 60% rating freeze turned Ukraine into the hostage of impudent Russian militarists – Russian state institutions and its propagandists. Putin’s “reset” law of 2020, which has allowed him to stay in power until 2036 has effectively placed Putin outside of any obligations towards Russian society and lower state institutions and has eventually created an illusion of Putin’s impunity. Pushkin’s ‘old lady’ from a tale of a goldfish, having assembled all the power in its hands was thirsty for more – for a global domination. Pre-war moods were used to increase Putin’s support from 21% in December 2021 to 33% in January 2022. However, by unfortunate coincidence this time also happened to be the point of when numbers of those, who didn’t want Putin to stay in power after 2024, were at its historically highest 42%. And this has become a trigger for Putin.
Numerous surveys of Russian public opinion conducted by the Levada-Center have shown that Putin’s popularity is artificially inflated by an endless propaganda aimed at undemanding domestic audience of Russian TV shows and news channels. Unrealistic image of undefeatable Russia and its powerful army, its deadly nuclear missiles and almighty state, was set to be implemented in a real life. Russians had enough of bread. They wanted circuses. For 8 years Ukraine has been the scape goat on this modern-day colosseum. President and his voters have gradually increased the militaristic hype on Russian TV screens. After all, many have viewed a war as a TV show, which has eventually become a reality. Reality, which is being dismissed by the majority of Russians.
Nevertheless, results of this show can be seen on the streets of Ukrainian villages, towns, and cities. Russian TV show has failed. Its implementation offline turned out to be way less impressive than its online version.
There is no ‘powerful’ Russia.
There is no ‘almighty’ Russian army.
There is no ‘great’ Russian culture.
There is no Russian Orthodox Church, perhaps only a criminal sect, the true ‘Kali worshipers’.
There is no ‘great’ Russian language, there is only a language of obscenities, mixed with Ukrainian military slang. A language used by the army of looters, murderers, and terrorists, who violated Ukrainian soil.
Russia has been reset, pretty much like its ‘führer’.
Russia is a terrorist state, whose atrocities would make Ben Laden cry.
Russia is a toxic, poisonous cancer threatening an entire free world and aiming to turn it into a present-day Gulag. An outrageous totalitarian monster consuming human souls and turning them into zombies.
The lines above were written in the moment when Russian ballistic missiles, were fired during the peace talks near Prypyat into Ukrainian territory, despite earlier guarantees given by Belarusian president Lukashenka. This only proved that Putin’s Russia not only turned into a neo-fascist empire, but also became an openly terrorist state. Russian illegal use of a prohibited cluster ammunition has clearly demonstrated that its appetite comes with eating.
These are the petrifying circumstances of this war, a lawless war without rules. Minutes and hours, endless and too short at the same time. Blinding lights at the exits of the bomb shelters. Sleepless nights. Blooming spring in February and unusually bright sky. These are all the episodes of the war with Russia.
Could it have been different? Evidently no. Ukraine turned into Russia’s hated antipode and has thus become Russia’s toxic obsession, its idée fixe. Several years ago, I wrote a piece about the totalitarian shift of Putin’s Russia, arguing that putinism will become a threat more dangerous, than the coronavirus pandemic, for both Ukraine and the world. Under the shadow of corona restrictions totalitarianism has been finally installed, and russism triumphed as a state ideology.
Perhaps at this point everyone understands that the only way to secure a peace in the world is to guarantee a total de-fascismisation, demilitarisation, de-imperialisation and de-stalinisation of both Russia and Belarus.
At the same time, these days when I take a glance at the gut-wrenching news, I see other images as well.
Yes, they’ve dreamt of tearing Ukraine apart – leaving it humiliated, degraded, and having its very right to existence taken away. Every war photo is a mural painting. A fresco. A God’s suffering face, shining through the dripping blood. Kyiv’s madonna feeding a newly born Hope for the better future for Ukraine. Dozens of those madonnas in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson have given birth to their children in the bomb shelter, only to prove that the life is indestructible. A Ukrainian woman with the small children and elderly parents in her car, who stood up against Russian oppressors, appealing to Ukraine’s constitution and demanding that the invaders adhere to the rule of law. Armless residents of not only cities such as Berdyansk, Melitopol, Kupyansk, Zhytomyr, but also of the smaller villages, who stopped the enemy’s tanks with their bare hands and demanded for the occupiers to leave Ukraine immediately. Surgeons who took care of the injured soldiers. Neighbours, who supported each other. Nights, that were spent in the underground used as a bomb shelter, turned into a real family reunification. Ukrainian soldiers, male and female, who looked like the warriors of the ancient Rus’ legends. Ukrainian Roma, who stole a Russian tank and their entire communities, who joined Ukrainian civil defence brigades. An elderly grandmother, who invited the Russian soldiers for a tea, poisoned them and set them on fire. A nameless woman, who shouted at an armed Russian soldier telling him to keep some flower seeds in his pockets, so there will be flowers after his death on Ukrainian soil. It’s epic! It’s an epos of a nation full of a living energy! Kotlyarevskyy, Lypynskyy, Lesya Ukrayinka, Taras Shevchenko and Dmytro Dontsov are all watching at us through the eyes of these common Ukrainian people. Millions of our ancestors are watching with pride. Ukrainian nation does exist after all. Common people and Ukrainian authorities are united, and no present-day Vynnychenko can ever say that “the villagers remained deaf to its government and stubbed it in the back”. Ukraine is being reborn; it has finally acquired a faith. It felt its power and anger.
It seems like the quote from the writings of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Ukraine’s short-lived nineteenth century political society, becomes a reality. A prophetic reality. The quote read: “And Ukraine was lost? Was it, or does it only seem this way? Ukraine lies in its grave, but it is not dead yet. And Ukraine will rise from its grave and will call upon its Slavic neighbours, and they will hear its cry, and all the Slavic lands will rise, and there will be no tsar and no tsarina, no count, no duke, no majesty, no lord, no boyar, no serfs, no kholops left – not in Muscovy, not in Poland, not in Czechia, neither among Carantanians, nor among Serbs and Bulgarians. Ukraine will become a Commonwealth in a Slavic Union. And then they will point on the city on a map, where Ukraine will be drawn, and they will say: “The stone that the builder’s rejected has become the cornerstone”.
Just several days have changed the world forever.
Just three days have fully reset Ukraine, presenting a new image to the world.
When I was asked, what our three volumes were about, I’ve noticed people’s dismissive looks, they thought I was exaggerating, romanticising.
And now it is the moment of truth.
We don’t have ‘two Ukraines’ – we have only one, modern Ukrainian nation.
We have a developing, yet mobile economy.
We have a stable state institution, with a fully established vertical and horizontal communication system.
Ukrainian state and its mechanisms are, perhaps, more compact, yet stronger, than its artificial Russian counterpart.
Ukrainians have a fully formed national vision.
Ukrainians have a diverse number of church leaders, who are not afraid to engage and support its people.
Ukrainians have a rich experience of post-totalitarian transition.
Ukrainians are breaking out of a communist-bolshevik prison.
Ukrainians are amazing.
Our mission is to defeat the communist-bolshevik discourse, as well as its heir – Russia.
Reaction of European MPs to the Zelenskyy’s speech proved that Ukraine is a cornerstone of the future. The world is changing at an unprecedented pace, and by pure chance Ukraine became an epicentre of this change. The world has been reminded what it means to be a free people.
The real Rus’ is being revived, while the false one is drowning in its own blood. The blood of invaders and perpetual occupiers.
Ukraine and the whole world are at the doorstep to the new historic era.
Glory to Ukraine.
