Six surprises of Russia's war against Ukraine that surprised the most
A third of Ukrainians left their homes, which provoked the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Video of the day in February I was one of the few analysts who did not doubt Moscow's invasion of and were waiting for him. Most remained skeptical, despite the fact that Washington insisted that the invasion was coming. The first six months of the war continue to deny all assumptions. Here are six surprises of this war that surprised me most: 1.
The complete inability of the international system to restrain Russia's diplomacy failed, US threats failed (US President Joe Biden even sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter with a statement In Eastern Europe, she did not give anything before the invasion. The international system is now failed to help Ukraine and in the search for justice for war crimes and to compensate for billions of dollars.
Even after the half of the war, the West has nothing to offer Ukraine for constant security guarantees. 2. The clear cruelty of the Russian army in relation to the "brothers"-Ukrainians, the Russian army has a long history of cruel violence, but seemed unthinkable that soldiers would participate in the mass rapes, torture and murder of civilians, whom the Russian regime officially considers their Slavs. This is exactly how Russian soldiers did in cities and villages in the outskirts of Kiev.
The intentional bombing of Russia by the theater in Mariupol, who is known to have sheltered women and children, is simply incredibly imagined. As Andrey Osadchuk recently reminded me, the Ukrainian deputy from the Voice Party, it seemed unthinkable that the Russian army would destroy Russian -speaking villages one by one in the southeast of Ukraine, thereby destroying its political stronghold in the country.
Only Russia's actions in the southeast of Ukraine expose the myth of the Slavic Brotherhood. 3. The inability of the US administration to explain why the war is in fact the President Biden did not ask the US public to do anything but pay higher prices for refueling. He has done a lot for Ukraine, and he and his team deserve great praise for many things, but the appeal to the public is not one of them.
It is not enough to write an article for the elite in The New York Times, which explains what the US will do and what will not be done in Ukraine. This, of course, is not as bad as when President George Bush Jr. advised the American public to buy after September 11, but Biden's inattentive attitude to communicating with the American public does not deserve high ratings. Russia's war in Ukraine will be long and protracted.
The final of the war depends on how long the event will support Ukraine's efforts through weapons and financial assistance. After all, it all depends on public opinion. The lack of public messages during the first six months of the war is shame, because Biden has an exceptional gift to communicate with ordinary people and believes in the case of freedom. 4.
The growth of Zelensky from the showman to a statesman less than a year ago to Washington came with a visit by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I could not understand why he was trying not to show any real achievements. He tried to increase investments in Ukraine without participating in real reform work. In the first two years of his post (2019-2021), he was often interested in boring and complex details of politics, preferring a quick solution.
Instead of reforming the courts, he played with the idea of investment nannies that would help Western enterprises if they had problems with the notorious law enforcement and legal systems of Ukraine. Let's move to the present, and we will see that Zelensky has become Churchill of our time. He began the war, rejecting proposals to leave Kyiv and manage from Western Ukraine or Poland.
Since then, he inspired the world with his personal heroism and courage, forcing Western governments to do more and explaining the world of freedom. As the warlord Zelensky has a reputation of a person who respects his generals and leaves important strategic decisions at their discretion. He also became a stable defender of Ukraine. During his 2019 presidential election campaign, many people questioned Zelensky's patriotism and his dedication to Ukraine.
Until February 24, he showed his readiness for compromise and negotiations on the termination of the war. Never since then. 5. How little Moscow understands modern Ukraine, the Kremlin never understood how Ukraine changed dramatically after the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution. In Moscow, they never realized that the reforms that have been carried out for the last eight years were real, as if they were uncertain. This was especially true of military reforms.
According to Daniel Sheligovsky of the Polish Institute of International Relations, the Russians have completely interpreted the data of polls in Ukraine, which show that Ukrainians do not like their political power, but trust the armed forces of the country. This led Moscow to the fatal conclusion that if Russia is able to destroy the Ukrainian army, Ukrainians will be glad to accept new leaders. How they were mistaken. 6.
Ukrainian weak state institutions survived Ukraine is not a state that has not taken place. Six months after the start of the Russian invasion, the banking system of Ukraine continues to work. Ukraine pays state employees in time. Hospitals and schools continue to function. The state railway was able to take millions of Ukrainians from the danger. The central information on the election was closed and moved abroad to protect them from Russian hackers.