Until February 24, 2022, we lived in a post-war world. Now we live in a pre-war world. Since the day Russia invaded Ukraine, the whole world now faces the threat of a Russian full-scale attack. This is evidenced both by the transfer on 28 February of the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation to a special mode of combat duty, Putin’s interpretation of anti-Russian sanctions as a “declaration of war” on Moscow, and the increased nuclear rhetoric of Russian government officials.
This was also confirmed by the threats recently voiced by the Russian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina against NATO countries about the Kremlin’s readiness to respond to changes in the geostrategic situation in Europe: “If Brussels decides to put nuclear missiles there, Moscow reserves the right to respond.” In response to a question from journalists why Russia is “not bothered” by its neighbouring countries that are already members of NATO, the ambassador clearly answered that Russia has plans against NATO.
According to the latest sociological survey conducted by the Ukrainian company Active Group, 86.6% of Russians allow and support the attack of the Russian Federation on the territory of the countries of the European Union, including Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. 46% of respondents are absolutely sure that the logical continuation of the “military special operation” of the Russian Federation in Ukraine should be the expansion of hostilities to the countries of the European Union. The three countries that, according to a sociological survey, will be the next victims of a Russian attack are Poland (75.5% of respondents), the Baltic countries, including Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia (41%), as well as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (39 , 6%). At the same time, 75.5% of Russians support the use of nuclear weapons by the government of their country. Public opinion in the Russian Federation is a litmus test for the Kremlin’s potential actions for the world community.
Brandishing nuclear weapons in front of European states, the owner of the Kremlin is going to impose on the rest of the world his completely unjustified role of world leader, and to achieve his goal, he is capable of turning the whole world into a radioactive wasteland. It is not the expansion of NATO to Russia’s borders that frightens him, but most of all he fears that the transformation of Ukraine into a just and democratic country will become a constant reminder to the Russians: “This is how you could live if it weren’t for Putin.” He believes that the Russian people need a tsar, whom they will follow blindly. This is the direct opposite of a democratic society, and this concept distorts the Russian “soul”, emotional to the point of sentimentality.
Undoubtedly, the owner of the Kremlin made a mistake in assessing the situation in Ukraine, but instead of blaming himself, he has decided to punish Ukrainians who stop tanks without weapons and go to protests in captured cities, and began to act without any brakes. He throws the entire Russian army into battle and ignores any rules of war, bombing the civilian population, hospitals and schools. The last three weeks of serious losses in the theatre of operations have angered Putin greatly. Now the Kremlin is gathering mercenaries around the world and is making desperate attempts to draw Belarusian troops into the war with Ukraine. The hardest thing for Putin to bear is not that he is losing, but that sooner or later he will have to stop the bloody game.
He is due to turn 70 this year, and he feels that if he wants to leave a mark on history, he needs to act hard and fast. It is possible that he is only playing the role of a madman, unable to adequately assess the situation. That’s why he won’t stop. The West must prepare for a cold shower: Putin could expand the invasion map very soon.
We have repeatedly heard from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and from US President Joe Biden that we do not want a third world war with nuclear weapons, but at the same time there is unanimity that Putin threatens the world. The only way to win World War III is to prevent it.
