One year ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched its military assault against Ukraine, shattering the order established after the Cold War. The security and prosperity achieved through the efforts of whole generations of Europeans were on the brink of crumbling.
Russia has embarked on its imperial conquest with a single goal in mind: reconstruct the former Soviet sphere of influence regardless of the related costs and victims.
We have seen 12 months of Russia’s unheard-of cruelty. The months were counted not by days but by the number of victims. The Russians have spared no one, killing men, women, old people and children.
The acts of genocide in Bucha, Irpin and other towns provide chilling evidence that Russia has committed the most horrendous crimes. Mass graves, torture chambers, rapes and abductions – this is the true face of Russian aggression.
But it has also been a year of the great heroism of the Ukrainian nation, a nation that has stood up to Russia’s evil empire. A year of faith, perseverance and determination. Ukraine is fighting not only for its own sovereignty but also the security of the entire continent.
How do we stop this war? The last year has taught us many important lessons that the Western countries should take to heart if they really want to live in peace and security.
Lesson 1. The war concerns us all
We need to start by getting rid of a false image of the Russian invasion. This is not a local conflict. Russia tries to set Europe ablaze. Its aim is to destabilise the entire global order.
The aggression against Ukraine is part of a plan that has been implemented by Russia for at least a decade. In 2008, Moscow invaded Georgia. Six years later, in 2014, it annexed Crimea. Today, we are all witnessing a full-scale attack against Ukraine. What will the future hold if we do not stop the Russian war machine?
From a distance of hundreds of kilometres one cannot hear the sound of exploding shells, air-raid sirens or the crying of parents who have just lost their loved child in a bombing. But the distance must not be used to appease our conscience. We are all watching the atrocities being committed by Russia. This is why we must not be indifferent. This war concerns us all.
Lesson 2. Russia fuels global economic crisis
The energy crisis and global inflation we are all grappling with have their origin in Russia’s imperial aggression. The precursor to the invasion of Ukraine was the Kremlin’s hawkish gas policy back in July and August 2021. At the time, Putin’s gas blackmail led to hikes in gas prices on European markets. This was just the beginning.
Russia hoped that the paralysis of the energy sector would weaken European countries and persuade them to stay well away from the war in Ukraine. Right from the outset, the strategy employed against the West was to escalate the crisis. Russian military activity is one of the main reasons for rising global prices. We are all paying dearly for the decisions taken in the Kremlin. It is time we understood that the global economic crisis is fuelled by Russia.
Lesson 3. De-Putinisation is a prerequisite for Europe’s sovereignty
For several years now, the weakness of the West has been Russia’s strength. Dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, dubious dealings with Russian oligarchs and the utterly incomprehensible concessions that Europe made, including those concerning the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline – all that paints a picture of pathological relations between the West and Russia.
Mass graves, torture chambers, rapes and abductions – this is the true face of Russian aggression- Mateusz Morawiecki
Many European governments believed they could conclude perfectly normal contracts with Moscow. In fact, the contracts turned out to be pacts with the devil where Europe’s soul was at stake.
This is why going back to ‘business as usual’ is impossible. One cannot normalise relations with a criminal regime. It is high time Europe became independent of Russia, especially in the energy sector. De-Putinisation, that is, breaking off relations with the dictatorial machine of violence created by Putin, is a sine qua non for Europe’s sovereignty.
Lesson 4. Solidarity is stronger than fear
The war has already changed Europe. Invading Ukraine, Russia hoped that the West would not wake up from the geopolitical slumber into which it fell years ago when it naïvely believed in the “end of history” myth. Russia has miscalculated. It wanted to divide us but we became more united than ever before.
Like with any other totalitarian regime, the most powerful weapon of the Kremlin is fear. We must counter Russian threats and blackmail with solidarity. Help for Ukraine is already coming from all corners of the world in the form of food, supplies and weapons. What we are giving Ukraine is hope and a chance of victory. Together we shall overcome evil.
Solidary is stronger than fear.
Lesson 5. Rebuild Ukraine and strengthen Europe
The victory in the fight against Russia is closer not only thanks to the successes of the Ukrainian army but also because the Russian bear has been weakened by sanctions.
We owe this to the West which has formed a strong alliance for freedom. However, defeating Russia in the present struggle is not enough. In order to win the war, we need to build an entirely new security structure both politically and economically.
We are facing two scenarios of Europe’s future. Either Ukraine wins and there is peace in the continent or the winner is Russia and Putin’s imperialism is free to expand.
If Ukraine is to come out victorious, we need to start thinking about a paradigm shift in European politics even today. The idea of a community of security and peace is now the only possible development model.
One year after the outbreak of the war, we have one common goal to be pursued in solidarity: rebuild Ukraine and strengthen Europe.
Mateusz Morawiecki is Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.
The text has been published in cooperation with the Polish monthly Wszystko co Najważniejsze as part of a historical project involving the Institute of National Remembrance and the Polish National Foundation.