Vladimir Putin intends to make Russia a great power, no matter the cost to the people and even the corrupt elite he installed. With his invasion of Ukraine, Putin betrayed the interests of the nation.
Putin is forcing the people of Russia to suffer the consequences of his crimes, which go far beyond the country’s economic decline.
The hatred of the Ukrainians for everything that is Russian grows with each day of invasion. The return of the dictatorship, the end of Russia’s openness and modernization, the complete turnaround with respect to the rest of Europe – all these are the consequences of Putin’s meaningless plan, who worships a supposedly unique “Russianness” and demands that others do the same.
Russia will see its freedom and values restored only when Putin loses the war. This would also be the political end for Putin, who continues to escalate his invasion of Ukraine to delay it. He can do this because he knows that Russia has nuclear weapons and Ukraine does not.
But his troops are increasingly wondering why Ukrainians took to the streets to call them fascists when they had been sent on a “denazification” mission. The soldiers also wonder why they are fighting against their neighbors.
Ukrainians defend their country, their home, their children. They faced the material superiority of their invader with the courage of desperation and the willingness to make great sacrifices.
Russia cannot win the peace and therefore will not win the war. The Kremlin does not have the means to manage a long-term occupation of Ukraine. Putin isolated Russia from the EU, the United States and allied countries.
The people of Russia must come to their senses and then deal with the situation. How? Millions of Ukrainians prove it every day. (rr/lgc)