The War of Hate or Why Ukraine Will Never Turn to Russia Again

Yuri Maznychenko 28 February 2022

I woke up at 6 a.m. on Thursday, February 24, when my cell phone started ringing off the hook. It's unusual to be pulled out of sleep in the middle of the night. And my first thought was that someone had died. But the call came from my mother, and her WhatsApp message was short and ruthless: "The war has begun."

In the first minutes, you don't realize the full meaning of that phrase. After all, all the previous days the whole of Ukraine had been talking about the threat of war from Russia. Relatives on the phone, passengers in transport, colleagues at work. However, such a scenario did not sink in. Ukraine has been at war with Russia for its wholeness and independence for eight years, and all this time we have been involved in different types of wars: the undeclared one in Crimea and Donbas, economic, informational, etc.

All this time Ukraine has suffered in every way from Russia, but the neighbouring state refused to take responsibility for the damage caused. It's like when you're a kid and everyone knows exactly who the main bully at school is and who scattered books from your backpack, but the bully with hypocrisy on his face says he knows nothing, and even if he was, "so what are you going to do to me then?"

Thursday morning brought a new reality to the lives of millions of Ukrainians. Russia quickly settled the "casus belli" by recognizing the independence of the DNR and LNR, and its president proclaimed an operation to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine. In simple words: Russia has launched a large-scale military invasion on the territory of Ukraine without a declaration of war. Once again, this country has decided that it is allowed to save so calling oppressed Russians living in other countries. And to start military action on their territories as if they were its colonies and not independent states.

In 2014, Russia all too easily, through the efforts of unmarked armed forces, snatched Crimea and then parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from Ukraine. Ukraine was unprepared for the aggressor's actions and did not react properly to prevent what happened. But those events are in the past and have taught us something: it turns out that whatever the geopolitical vector, you need to be able to defend yourself. After all, at any moment the buller, with whom you had to get along and maintain peaceful relations with fear in his eyes, can easily take away what was yours.

Russia has definitely thought this operation through carefully and deployed its military forces along a broad front of the common border with Ukraine. The Russians came in not only from their quasi-republics, but also from the north - Chernihiv, Kyiv, Sumy regions, and from the south - Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia regions, and from the sea - what our border guards responded to a Russian ship in response to a demand to surrender has already travelled around the world. Belarus also stabbed Ukraine in the back by providing Russian invaders with launching pads for aircraft and border crossing points for wheeled vehicles and tanks.

Maybe in some time, the Russian president will tell the world about his plans in Ukraine in more detail during the trial. One thing is clear: Vladimir Putin was counting on a blitzkrieg in Ukraine, counting down the entire military operation to no more than a week, and already after this short period of time, an increasingly armed Ukraine over the years would have to agree to "demilitarization" and other humiliating conditions of the victorious Russian army. Perhaps Ukraine would have completely lost the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Or would have had to accept a Kremlin man to be in charge of the state.

But Russia's military blitzkrieg failed. The Ukrainian Armed Forces stopped the enemy in most directions. Some settlements in the north and south were still captured, but this turned out to be only a short-term advantage for the aggressors. After all, where there was not enough army presence, ordinary people began to rise against the enemies. Civilians who didn't understand who these "liberators" had come to set them free. Surely you have seen these videos of ordinary people meeting the enemy army without fear and urging them to return to their country. The video of the woman from Genichesk and the seeds in the pocket of the soldiers, the video of the man in Melitopol, who was from Russia and could not believe that the Russians were smart enough to attack Ukraine.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5fTWUJXtMes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first drafted reservists into the AFU, and after Russia declared war, he signed a law on general mobilization. Our army was ready for the escalation of the Russians, but the recruitment from the reserves helped the AFU during the first days of military aggression and fierce fighting with the RAF. In the first 24 hours of the war alone, 100,000 volunteers across the country joined to help the Ukrainian army.

The Ukrainian army of 2022 turned out to be quite different from what it was eight years ago. It has become more trained, has received modern weapons from western partners and from the first minutes of the war began to demonstrate its strength, readiness to defend the country and to kill the enemies. And since the first hour of the Russian military invasion, it has been communicating with the population, reporting on everything that is happening in the hottest spots of our country.

During four days of the war, the Ukrainian army destroyed 29 enemy planes, 29 helicopters, 191 tanks, 816 armoured personnel carriers, 74 cannons, 1 Buk SAM system and 21 BM-21 Grad MLRS, captured and killed near 5300 soldiers. The military successes of Ukrainian soldiers are definitely not the agenda the Russian president planned to hear. But what is worse for the Russian ruler is the total consciousness of Ukrainian citizens, who literally flooded the centres of territorial defence. Not only were the Ukrainians not afraid of a general mobilization, but they themselves began to stand in line for weapons. And they also began to craft Molotov cocktails, which, given the incompatibility of our views with the historical decisions of former Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, got a new name - "Bandera-smoothie”.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YYc5iDVthq4

When things are not going well on the battlefield, all methods are good. Especially if responsibility for this lies with the Russian Federation, which is used to many years of sabotage, provocations, and other dirty ways of achieving goals. In the Russian media, Putin assured everyone that the Ukrainian operation would affect only military facilities and infrastructure. In fact, as early as the first days of the war, Russian missiles began to hit residential buildings and hurt innocent people. Naturally, the Russian Federation did not take responsibility for this, shifting it to the anti-aircraft defence of the AFU.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-pj-D9PDYWA

If the declaration of war did not sow panic, it caused chaos in Kyiv. For all of Thursday, huge lines of people cleared store shelves, withdrew cash from ATMs and stood in hours-long lines for fuel at gas stations. For 24 hours, the capital was cleared of people wanting to keep their families safe from hostilities or simply flee from the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And with curfews imposed on Saturday, it has become truly quiet in Kyiv. As is usually on Easter or a long weekend. "Kyiv Liberation Day" is a term that has its roots in the terrible days of World War II, and it is symbolic that this is what the AFU is doing these days 79 years later.

The air defence forces deserve a separate mention. Kyiv has already stopped counting the number of alarm sirens warning of threats of airstrikes. If on the first day of the war my first reaction to the sound of sirens was to rush for cover, now - and even at this moment - my fingers continue to dance around the keyboard to proudly note that the air defence system works and protects the capital of Ukraine from Russian aviation.

Sirens have become somewhat of a habit, but it is hard to get used to something you are afraid of. Many families who did not flee westward during the first days of Russian aggression left their homes and actually moved to the nearest subway stations. We have a map of bomb shelters, to which, in theory, we could flee in case of enemy attacks. But unlike the AFU, Ukrainians are not accustomed to wartime life, and many of the basements of residential buildings were simply not capable of sheltering in them. In the subway, the feeling of anxiety drops: you can hear no explosions and have someone to talk to, to share your thoughts about what is happening.

On the third day of the war, shots can already be heard many kilometres away from their actual location in Kyiv. The streets are deserted, but the stores are more crowded than ever. I enter Silpo and see the usual scene: bread, cereals, fresh meat and fish, and long-life products - the shelves are empty. There is obviously not enough staff to restock the shelves faster and count the people at the cashier's desk. But people understand and do not complain. And some even offer to help and volunteer.

Volunteer help deserves a special commendation, and it is the very reason why the aggressors cannot put this country to the knees. People bring all necessary food and non-food items to the territorial defence centres, become blood donors, unite and take responsibility for the safety of their homes, streets and neighbourhoods. Ukraine has experienced many tragic episodes in its history. And so it is the Ukrainian nature to trust no one and hope only for themselves and their loved ones. But nothing unites our people more than external aggression. Especially if it comes from a country that for many years has not taken into account the civilizational choice of millions of Ukrainians. By offering full support to the AFU, in fact, the entire Ukrainian people have now become an army that cannot be separated or stopped any longer. From now it is a war of hate against Russia.

Russia realizes that the initial war plan against Ukraine has failed. No one in the Kremlin expected that the Russian army would meet such fierce opposition. But therein lies the key difference between the two supposedly fraternal nations - this is Moscow's favourite propaganda, artificially imposed on more than one generation of Russians and Ukrainians

Ukraine is diverse, but freedom of speech in the country allows 73% of Volodymyr Zelensky and 24% of Petro Poroshenko to throw accusations at each other for years. Ukrainians are used to expressing their discontent with what they do not like, and to expressing their will on the street if other methods of influencing the situation are unavailable. Ukrainians are ready to go to the end to achieve their goals and are not afraid of the consequences, even if the price is life.

The population of Russia is 3.5 times larger, and within the framework of one state, there is a much more motley crowd, with differences in language, traditions, and religion. But at the same time, it is much more moderate and does not accept extremes. For 22 years Russia has been ruled by one president (no one had any illusions during the Dmitry Medvedev administration, did they?), and it is easier for the Russian people to believe in an illusory picture of the world than to take off the rose-coloured glasses and start taking responsibility for their actions.

After a series of military failures, Russia switched to Plan B, having launched massively sabotage and reconnaissance groups into Ukraine. This is a new round of Russian aggression - to strike stealthily. Blowing up civilian objects, shooting at civilians and doing everything to sow terror and panic among the people. And now territorial defences are playing as important a role as the army. Being on guard day and night, recognizing saboteurs hiding in the crowd - now this war has touched all of us. No one can say now that this war is not ours.

Russia has already announced a cease-fire but continues to impose its own conditions, which the president of Ukraine will not accept. The aggressor has gone too far and has finally pissed off even those who did not rise to the Orange and Revolution of Dignity and have not seen Russia as an enemy all these years. Russia has crossed the line and passed the point of no return. Ukraine is tired of being attacked by a bully and is ready to punch him back, despite the difference in stature and strength.

Soon the most unpredictable period of the war will come. The odds are already clear and they are not in favour of the side that made the first and so rash move. Ukraine does not leave the front pages of the world's newspapers, Internet sites, and social networks. The whole world is showing support for the Ukrainian people, and allies are sending military and humanitarian aid every day to deter the occupying forces. The word "Russia" or "Russian" evokes only negativity and contempt in the world. Right now this war is not so much hitting Russia economically (but that too!) as it is undermining its already shaken image for many years. No one wants to do business with someone who is obviously wrong, and yet will never admit it. And the consequences of Putin's decision to go to war in Ukraine will later be dealt with by the whole country.

But Ukraine is Putin’s unclosed Gestalt. In his speech before the start of the military operation, Putin only confirmed that he does not consider Ukraine an independent state and that the Ukrainian issue must finally be resolved. A successful Ukraine does not fit with his worldview in any way. Just as the Jews were not included in Hitler's concept of racial purity. The world has not yet forgotten how the Nazis dealt with the Jewish question in a losing war.

On Saturday, the Russian media published an article about the "new Russia" in which the military victory over Ukraine was sung. According to the author's assurances, Ukraine is no longer anti-Russia and Putin can finally decide to unite all Russian people within the three states of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. If you sift the degree of delirium of the described ideas, it becomes clear that the current ruler of the Russian Federation has an obsession, and that is the reason why Russia will not leave Ukraine and will not let it choose its own path. But the Russian aggressors have not understood the main thing: Ukraine is not playing politics and will never agree to be on friendly terms with Russia again. In the 1930s, Stalin subjugated Ukraine with famine, but the world has changed, and generations have grown up in our country that honour the history of their ancestors (before the aggression of the USSR) and are not afraid to say clear “NO!”

"For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity" calls the memorial at the entrance to the Auschwitz-Birkenau former concentration camp in Poland. This memorial may have been razed to bury in history the horrors it harboured. But it remains a reminder of one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century and a testament to what happens when the all-powerful ruler's brakes fail. It really must never happen again. And whether or not it should happen is being decided right now.