The Russian invasion of Ukraine has already turned into a long, bloody, exhausting war. Vladimir Putin is already a loser in this war because he failed to conquer Ukraine in a blitzkrieg. However, Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet won. For Ukraine, this is literally a war for state and national survival. For the West, this is a war that will define the new geopolitical architecture of Europe, the central (though not the most powerful) point of what we understand by the term Western civilization. Globally, this is a war that will establish new relations between the USA as the leader of the Western world and Russia, which will substantially affect the further development of relations in the triangle USA – China – Russia, which will change trends in the global energy and economic order – from globalization to national and regional self-sufficiency.
In short, while Ukrainians, but also Russians, are dying in the war, Ukrainians defending their bare (national) survival, and Russians as attackers and (collateral) victims of a mythomaniac great power policy, the rest of the world is – reshuffling. And that is why it is extremely important for those in decision-making positions, whether in the political or economic sphere, to be up to date. To timely join new trends.
Media Deceptions
Being up to date means not unreservedly accepting media suggestions in interpreting this war in the age of TikTok. One of the first misconceptions that spread massively was the one in the early days of the invasion that suggested through various computer simulations that the Russians were about to conquer Kyiv and all of Ukraine. However, it is not that simple to militarily conquer a city of three million inhabitants and a country of 45 million, with an area twice that of Germany. It is not easy to conquer even Mariupol, which the Russians have obviously destined for the fate of Vukovar in 1991 – as a symbolically destroyed city. But the ten times smaller Vukovar withstood a siege for three months, and that with very scarce weaponry. It would have held out longer, being razed to the ground, had it had weapons. And it seems that the defenders of Mariupol are not lacking in weapons.
The second media deception (from knowledge or ignorance) is that some magical negotiations will instantly end the war. Until the winner and the defeated in the war in Ukraine are clearly crystallized on the military front, all negotiations are merely a tactical form, maintaining a communication channel. Only after a clear military result on the ground can true negotiations begin that will transform that state into a peace agreement by cutting down the triumphalism of the winner and ensuring an honorable exit for the defeated. And here Putin has already lost. Namely, he can never conquer and appropriate all of Ukraine, which is the goal of his great power project of the ‘Russian world’.
