Ukraine War
On Feb. 24, 2022, Putin, with the support of the Belarusian regime, invades Ukraine with his troops, plunging Europe into war. My initial fears that Ukraine would quickly fall in the face of Russia's supposed military superiority have not come true. The Ukrainians have been steadfastly resisting the invasion for over three weeks and are bravely defending their country and their freedom.
I am incredibly glad that especially with the current events in the USA, a real politician is president again, instead of the Trump clown, who blathers about a "brilliant operation" and a "peace mission" and with whom there would certainly not be the military and financial support of the West that there is now for Ukraine.
Germany's government unfortunately gives a very weak picture so far. As one of the last countries it blocked many sanctions against Russia, such as the SWIFT exclusion or the import of Russian oil and gas, and supplies obsolete equipment to Ukraine. After an impressive speech of the President of Ukraine Selenskyj in the Bundestag and the indirect accusation of Germany's lack of support, the Bundestag silently goes over to the agenda. I am all the more pleased that the rest of the world is showing its support for Ukraine and isolating Russia more and more. Even Russia-friendly China is staying neutral and increasingly sending signals that it does not support this war.
The Russian regime is doing what it has always done. It spreads lies, makes critics disappear, locks up demonstrators and dreams of old Soviet times. Especially for this war, the letter "Z" is symbolized, like the swastika in the Nazi era. The letter is painted on military vehicles and waved on flags at propaganda events. Every day the Russian military commits war crimes in Ukraine, where fleeing civilians are overrun by tanks and their homes, hospitals and kindergartens are bombed to break the population and its resistance.
Besides my financial and moral support, I can only hope for a quick end to the war and that Putin and his supporters end up before the International Criminal Court for his crimes after their historic defeat. That Ukraine regains its old sovereignty, together with its old state borders, and that its path into the European Union is prepared as quickly as possible. It has proven, that it is a country that defends the values of democracy and freedom to the utmost. After that, it is only a matter of time until other countries will break away from Russia's coercive influence and follow Ukraine's example.
Russia itself faces a dark future due to its isolation, similar to North Korea. Whether China will tie itself to another North Korea is questionable, but because of the many Russian resources, it is not unlikely. I can only hope for the sake of the world community that Russia will follow in the near future the example of Ukraine and initiate a democratic process after the overthrow of the dictator Putin, which could bring us much closer to world peace.