Putin has turned Russia into an International Outcast

“We owe it to democratic values to continue to confront Putin and his regime and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in fighting for their lives, for their sovereignty, they are fighting for us too,” states journalist Patrick J O Brien.

The scenes in Ukraine are difficult to observe. We had all hoped that work being carried out to promote a process of de-escalation would prevail, but our fears were tragically realised. It was easier to believe that media images flashing on our television screens amplified the current situation, blowing it out of proportion and that Putin was not unhinged enough to actually invade. On Thursday 24th February these fears materialised as the world watched in horror as Russian missiles landed in mainland Ukraine.

Putin’s misguided dream of rebuilding the Russian empire has always rested on the lie that Ukraine isn’t a real nation, that Ukrainians aren’t a real people, and that the inhabitants of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv yearn for Moscow’s rule. That was a complete lie. We in Europe know that Ukraine is a nation with more than a thousand years of history, and Kyiv was already a major metropolis when Moscow was not even a village. But the Russian despot has told his lie so many times that he apparently believes it himself. Putin’s actions in Ukraine are best described as pro-Putin not pro-Russian.

Putin’s policies are designed to bolster his popularity and the strength of his regime, not Russia’s actual security interests. Many Russian citizens are ashamed of their government’s imperialistic behaviour and fascist-like rule, and they want the world to know they do not approve.

In 2020, Russia saw extreme political upheaval with the constitutional reforms announced by President Putin. They marked a critical turn in Russian politics, towards a much more authoritarian and repressive regime, with no tolerance for opposition. People with Russian heritage have nothing to do with the Russian government declaring war on Ukraine. It’s easy to select a population to scapegoat, but that would make us hardly any different from the real oppressors.

Living in a neutral country, where we are militarily non-aligned, we are certainly not neutral on an issue like this, when there is blatant aggression happening on the continent of Europe. We applaud the Ukrainian people and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who have shown remarkable resilience and resolve.

The use of brute force in pursuit of a warped perception of national interest is a serious affront to destroy the very essence of democracy. The world’s quarrel is not with the Russian people, it is with President Putin and those around him who have made the choice to threaten a sovereign democracy. Europe understands what is at stake. We know that the people of Ukraine, in fighting for their lives, for their sovereignty, are fighting for us, too. Neither the people of Ukraine nor those of the world, outraged by Putin, will let him install a puppet regime and try to turn Ukraine into another vassal state like Belarus and just leave it at that.

The struggle will endure. What is sure is something has fundamentally changed with Putin, with many commentators stating he has ‘lost the plot’. Putin has crossed almost every red line and turned his country into an international pariah overnight. As the conflict intensifies all measures must continue to be taken carefully to keep the way open for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The EU has a humanitarian responsibility and must commit to welcoming refugees without delay, and support every initiative to protect civilians. Immediate political asylum must be granted to all soldiers who do not want to participate in Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. There’s a genuine danger to Putin that he has greatly underestimated - the breadth of opposition he could now face with a war against a people whom most Russians don’t see as an enemy. He’s not just facing metropolitan protesters, as European leaders continue to punish Russia for launching this conflict on their continent. This conflict is going to be nasty with global financial shocks. But the West cannot sit by and let him get away with it. After this war is over, an uneasy truce is possible and even likely. But normalisation is out of the question. We in Europe can’t let our ideological commitments blind us to the reality of who and what we are dealing with. M+S