Editorial Putin chose war

Editorial|Editorial

Russia invaded Ukraine, and war broke out in Europe.

“The masks have been removed and only the face of the war is visible,” said President Sauli Niinistö on Thursday. The description concerned Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The attack was not a surprise in the end, although diplomacy was tried to prevent it until the very end. Putin chose war. Yet no one still fully understands what Russia is ultimately seeking.

Putin has put forward confusing arguments for his attack, centered on the idea of ​​a Western threat to Russia. Thoughts have no basis. The West did not expand to Russia’s borders, but several independent states have voluntarily chosen to seek protection against the Russian threat. Those countries are acting wisely from afar, as Putin has now shown. The tragedy for Ukraine is that it will not get protection as the war now sweeps over it.

Ukraine is under brutal attack. Russia has soon been at war in eastern Ukraine for eight years, but is now openly attacking parts of Ukraine. The attack blatantly violates Ukraine’s independence and creates great human distress and suffering. Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers crashed on Thursday alone. Among the victims are also civilians from all over Ukraine.

Ukraine is facing an attack alone. There are no countries in Europe or NATO that are prepared to send their soldiers to die on behalf of Ukraine. What makes being left alone is the fact that Ukraine was promised something else. Ukraine renounced nuclear weapons left over from the Soviet Union in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. At that time, Ukraine was assured of the inviolability of its borders.

In his speech on the declaration of war, Putin recalled Russia’s nuclear weapons. President Niinistö also spoke out of Putin’s warning when he spoke on Thursday about the balance of horror. “It is not easy to cross that border because there is no winner after that,” Niinistö said.

The war is also a disaster for Russia. An authoritarian leader took his country into an offensive war, the rationale for which is misleading. The Russians do not want a war against Ukraine, which Putin seems to understand on some level. Therefore, official Russia is not talking about war, but about a special operation that it claims to focus on eastern Ukraine. Authorities are threatening Russian media outlets reporting Russian bombings across Ukraine.

The West is responding with sanctions. For ordinary Russians, Putin’s obsession means deepening poverty, isolation from the rest of the world, and an ever-worsening police state.

Sodan the first days are typically spent in a state of uncertainty. Only gradually will the real situation begin to take shape from the fog of war.

The first signs are that Russia is attacking with massive force with which it is trying to paralyze Ukraine’s defense and courage. The next few days will show what kind of resistance Ukrainians are capable of. The resistance will survive, although the beginning is likely to be smooth, according to Russian notes.

Ukrainians are now fighting for their freedom and independence. Ukraine’s role will be to buffer Russia and Central Europe.

Ukraine needs help immediately and very concretely. Ukraine needs money, and it needs weapons. Finland operates as part of the European Union, but direct support must also be provided. Finland must be prepared to help and receive refugees from Ukraine.

For Russia, the start of the war was already a defeat in a way. It did not get through its claims of interest by intimidation. It failed to break up Europe and the unity of Western democracies. It couldn’t even stage a credible excuse for its aggression. All that was left of Russia was raw and naked power.

The war in Europe will hopefully clarify for all EU countries what Europe is all about. The idea of ​​European integration arose from the ashes of World War II. Its purpose was to secure peace by making war impossible. This idea of ​​cooperation was also offered to Russia, but Russia chose otherwise. Now the EU countries must defend their common values ​​together.

The EU is responding to the violence with economic sanctions. It is important for Finland that the sanctions are strong enough. Sanctions must be targeted at the financial and energy sectors. Finland must set an example and suspend Fennovoima’s nuclear power plant project.

Russian the attack on Ukraine will have a very long-lasting and lasting impact on the security of Europe as a whole. But, as the state leadership has pointed out, there is no immediate military threat to Finland. However, the path of war chosen by Russia forces Finland to look at its own security with new eyes.

The debate on security policy held by Parliament on Wednesday was important. It showed that Finnish decision-makers from side to side understand the seriousness of the situation. This unity is the solid foundation on which Finland now stands.

The editorials are HS’s statements on a topical issue. The writings are prepared by HS’s editorial staff and reflect the magazine principle.