OPINION:
Russian politicians and propagandists periodically say the Russian army’s failures in Ukraine are because Ukrainians, as kindred people to Russians, possess the same qualities, such as courage on the battlefield and willingness to fight and bear the burdens of war until victory.
According to the same narrative, other European nations have lost their previously inherent courage and bravery as a result of their comfortable lifestyles, and therefore would lack the will to resist the Russian army in the event of a direct clash.
Recent events — the incursion of Russian drones and fighter jets into NATO airspace and the appearance of drones over military facilities in Eastern and Northern Europe — indicate Russia’s attempt to test in practice the hypothesis that Europeans are not ready to fight for the independence of their countries.
Vladimir Putin has chosen a gradual escalation of provocations. His preferred tactic has always been gradualism, a slow, methodical approach to advancing his goals and imposing his will. Gradualism allows Mr. Putin to gauge the public’s reaction to his unlawful actions and gradually become accustomed to them.
Mr. Putin has chosen gradualism for his aggression against Ukraine. It began not with the march of Russian troops on Kyiv but with the annexation of Crimea in 2014. After the annexation, Russia’s aggression in Eastern Ukraine began. First, Russian paramilitaries appeared, and then PMC Wagner appeared, and then regular Russian forces appeared.
In 2022, Russia launched full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Now, Mr. Putin is employing the same tactics. European NATO countries, having witnessed the horrors of the Russia-Ukraine war, are in no hurry to respond militarily to Russia’s actions. This reaction only strengthens the position of those in Russia who believe Europeans will not trade their comfortable lifestyles for trenches and death, and therefore it is possible to move to more decisive actions against them.
Past events demonstrate that failure to respond to Russian provocations effectively encourages it because the Kremlin perceives weakness as an incentive for further aggressive actions.
OLEKSANDR SUKHOBRUS
Cherkasy, Ukraine
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