Ukraine “It would appear that Putin has underestimated the reality,” says a history professor in an interview with HS in Lviv.

Lviv

“Putin underestimates the fact that in the eight years since the crisis, Ukraine has developed an efficient army and become more cohesive, ”says Professor of History at the Catholic University of Lviv; Oleksandr Zaitsev In an interview with HS.

Zaitsev refers to 2014, when Russia occupied the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula and began hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

Right now, the benefit of this eight-year post-crisis period is that a fragmented country is better organized. When Russia launched its major offensive in February, Ukraine as a nation was far stronger than what Putin had expected. The attack may well be a fatal miscalculation for Putin.

It is confusing to understand the reason why a leader of a great power like Russia may have made so bad a mistake in his assessments of Ukraine.

“It would seem that Putin has underestimated the reality. This is probably because Putin, like other dictators, has surrounded himself with people who tell him what he wants to hear, and they are afraid to say things that could anger Putin, ”said Professor Zaitsev.

Putin seems to have relied on the fact that the Ukrainians would have liked to be one with Russia and would not have risen to the strong resistance now seen against the occupying forces.

Putin is thought to have been encouraged by his actions in the 2008 war in Georgia and the conquest of Crimea. They were still playing with the Russian military machinery. Now, however, a reformed Ukraine was facing.

“

“Putin has surrounded himself with people who tell him what he wants to hear.”

Russian the president has claimed that there is an ongoing genocide of Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine. To prevent this, Putin said he was sending “peacekeepers” to eastern Ukraine.

In many respects, there were similarities in the struggle of the Finns with the attack on Russia launched on February 24 in Ukraine. In 1939, the Soviet Union falsely used the fact that Finland had fired at the village of Mainila near the border as a justification for its attack.

So Stalin than Putin has used brazen lies to justify his violence against the lesser ones.

When the Soviet Union began its invasion of Finland on November 30, 1939, a 105-day winter war began in which a small nation fought a defensive enemy. We started talking about Molotov cocktails, the “spirit of the Winter War” and the interior.

In Finland, the Winter War brought the people to a common goal, to defeat the enemy. The “spirit of the Winter War” united the people divided by the deep wounds of the Civil War.

The same spirit is now blowing in Ukraine, and a further heightened sense of nationality is clearly visible among the citizens. In Ukraine, there are enough volunteer defenders when it comes to the country’s independence.

The perseverance of Ukrainians has been taken into account.

“Putin thought Russia could just avalanche into Ukraine. Instead, Putin faced a counterforce he could never have imagined, he faced the Ukrainian people. President [Volodomyr] About Zelensky every Ukrainian is inspired by their fearlessness, courage and determination. A group of citizens blocking the tanks and all the students who retired became soldiers defending their homeland, ”said the President of the United States. Joe Biden praised the guts of Ukrainians.

State-owned in terms of action, Ukraine has clearly shown that the nation wants to be part of the West. Among other things, Ukraine has sought membership in both the European Union and the military alliance NATO.

According to Zaitsev, a professor of history, Western orientation has also been reflected in the feelings of citizens.

When Ukraine became independent 30 years ago, 70% of citizens felt that their identity was primarily Ukrainian and 20% Russian. In a study conducted in 2020, 93 percent felt Ukrainian and six percent Russian, Zaitsev says.

“In general, one could say that no one has done more to strengthen Ukraine’s national identity than what Putin has done in 2014 and now.”

“

Thirty years ago, 70% of citizens felt that their identity was primarily Ukrainian. In 2020, 93 percent felt Ukrainian.

Finland in the Winter War, the troops were led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Forces Carl Gustaf Mannerheim. In Ukraine, Zelenskyi, who has become president, has taken on a similar role.

Zelensky, who became known as a comedian, has hatched a leading figure in national identity. The deformation has been compared to that Charlie Chaplista would have suddenly become a British wartime leader Winston Churchill.

Zelenskyi has been seen both in the trenches and defiantly responding to Russian war propaganda with his mobile video. Zelensky’s leadership has sunk to the people: the president’s support is at 90 percent.

“Even Zelensky’s worst previous enemies now support him. If he continues to show the same courage and determination, he has a good chance of remaining in history as a true national leader, ”said Professor Zaitsev.

Zelensky’s abilities have become known even among Finnish primary school children, and his words, for example, have worked effectively in the information warfare. When the Americans offered to take Zelensky to safety after the Russian invasion began, Zelenskyi stated that “I need ammunition, not a ride”.

“

“Even Zelensky’s worst enemies now support him.”

Putin has appointed the Ukrainian leadership as, among others, Nazis, drug addicts and Western puppets. With such characterizations, Putin has apparently tried to create a misleading image of the country’s leaders living in parallel reality with Ukrainians who love Putin. In his own parallel reality, however, Putin himself has apparently lived.

The reality after the Russian invasion has testified to the world how the legacy of the spirit of the Winter War lives on.

“All nations are structures to some degree, and some are more successful than others. Ukraine’s national project has proven to be viable and the Ukrainians have proven that they are a strong nation that is determined to defend its independence, ”Zaitsev says.

UkraineN the outcome of the war is still open, but many things have been enlightened by the attack. For example, the true nature of Putin’s and Russia’s leadership and the strong will of the Ukrainians to defend themselves have become clear.

“We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight for our country, whatever the price, ”Zelenskyi told the British Parliament in a video broadcast on Tuesday.