Slava Ukraini!

 

It has been a momentous few days, observing the collapse of the post Cold War order and the emergence of a new epoch in global affairs. The appalling and utterly unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, ordered by the despot Putin, and supported by his criminal regime is an attack on the values western society holds dear.

It threatens to do immeasurable damage to the people of Russia – a proud cultured people with a long history, who have suffered heavily under Putins despotic regime. We must remember our quarrel and focus should be the coterie who enable Putin, not the ordinary Russian.

As the war continues, a wide range of lessons and thoughts are emerging which will shape western and wider military thinking for many years to come. There will be time for debates, insight and wider discussion as time progresses, and it is clear we are on the verge of potentially substantial and significant revision to many nations approach to their defence policy and strategies.

The people of Ukraine have rightly earned the admiration of the world for their courage, resistance, and willingness to fight for their homeland. Their bravery against extreme odds, facing an invading tyrant with advanced weaponry and huge military resources will be told for generations to come.  

It is clear that far from surrendering or overthrowing their government, the Ukrainian people are doing everything in in their power to delay, hold and pushback the enemy. The more that can be done to assist them in this fight, the easier it will be for them to hold on against the barbarian Russian hordes and eventually turn the tide.

There are lessons aplenty on information warfare, and the power of social media in warfare – in particular the importance of not revealing friendly (Ukrainian) forces, and doing everything possible to highlight the presence of Russian forces so that they can be targeted and destroyed.

There are wider lessons too on the clear value of sanctions, the resurgence of NATO, and the fact that this expedition has done more to unify the Alliance and lead to an increase in both defence spending and capability that will be felt for decades to come. This is, in no small terms, a strategic disaster for the Putin regime – it finds itself friendless, utterly isolated diplomatically, with hugely crippling sanctions that will in time destroy the ability of its defence and aerospace industry to replenish and rebuild equipment and munitions. NATO has emerged re-energised and showing that it is willing to stand up for what it believes in.

In the coming weeks and months there will be time to address this in a more considered manner, but now is not that time. Right now our focus must be purely on ensuring that all can be done by nations who believe in liberty, democracy and freedom to stand up and support Ukraine and hold Putin and his despotic regime to account for the slaughter being carried out in his name.

In terms of what you can do to help, there are small things that can make a difference. If you live in a city with a Russian embassy, join the peaceful protests outside to make them understand the anger people feel. Join the pro-Ukraine diaspora protests so our friends living far from their homes know that they are not along in their most desperate hour of need.

Give money to charities helping refugees flee this conflict. Millions of people face displacement and an uncertain future, having left their homes, possessions and life behind to flee the fascist forces approaching. We must do all we can to offer them a new life, hope and opportunity across Europe and make them feel welcome and valued, until the day comes when it is safe for them to return home. Now is a time for charity and help, not angry ranting about ‘boats in the channel’ as is so often seen on social media.

Most importantly, social media is a weapon we can all use to win the information war. Where you see footage of Ukrainian military success, broadcast it. Where you see footage of Russian military disaster, cheer it and retweet it.

Now is the time to get off the fence and take a side and make a stand. The Russian Army invading Ukraine are the aggressors – if by sharing a tweet showing Russian troops locations, we can help Ukrainian forces find them, fix them and destroy them, it helps play a small part in stopping the invasion.

By showing Ukrainian success we remind them that victory over the attacker is not impossible. We must show every small battle won, every burning Russian tank, every little psychological advantage from the helpline for families of Russian POWs held by Ukraine to footage of Molotov cocktails being made.

The Russian Army right now is tired, it is struggling to make headway and its troops are taking heavy casualties and running out of food and fuel. It is possible to help play a small part in this by amplifying just how exposed, vulnerable and weak the Russian position is and in undermining the morale of their forces and families – anything that can be done to attack the morale of the aggressor is a good thing.

We should not glorify war, nor celebrate the death of young conscripts ordered into a futile war by an elderly tyrant dreaming of an imagined glorious past, but we should be partisan. Every dead Russian soldier, every knocked-out tank, every shot down transport jet means less Russian troops, less Russian resources and less Russian chance of victory.

Simply put, this is war at its most blunt, bloody and attractional, and every Russian casualty is a step towards winning. We must relearn again the lesson that war is about inflicting horrific violence on some to save many others from a worse outcome. The time for pity for those impacted will come, right now is the time to recognise that violence is, temporarily at least, the answer to saving millions from an unimaginably awful fate.

Do all you can to praise Ukraine and its people, and to undermine the Russian State, Military and Regime on social media. You can play a small part in the information war by showing the world the bravery of the Ukraine, and the evils of the Putin Regime.

This is a fight that all of us can do something to help, because at its heart this is fundamentally about a conflict between right and wrong, good and evil. We must ensure that we all do as much as we can to ensure that good prevails at all costs.  

Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava!