It is in Europe’s interest to redirect Vladimir Putin’s attention away from his multifaceted hybrid warfare scheme designed to intimidate European nations for their support of Ukraine. That can be accomplished by manifestly threatening Russia’s hold on Ukrainian territories it has occupied, specifically Crimea. Ukraine has been in open conflict with Russia now for more than 3.5 years and has demonstrated its military capability to inflict massive injury upon the Russian invader. Europe therefore has its hammer to retaliate should it choose to use it to good effect. The means to this end rests in supplying Ukraine with the necessary munitions sufficient to isolate the Crimean peninsula and force the surrender of any remaining Russian forces no longer able to evacuate the territory. Russia’s loss of Crimea would be the first step in retaking the remaining territories and bringing about the collapse of Putin’s regime for its failure to accomplish its goal of subduing Ukraine while, in the process, neglecting the welfare of his own people.
Russia is seemingly rushing to end its war with Ukraine before its economy collapses and public tolerance for the war has crossed a threshold that threatens the regime. Desperate measures have been undertaken to bolster Russia’s military with the purchase of Cuban fighters to join with the North Koreans and an odd assembly of African and other Asian fighters on the front lines in Ukraine. Russia’s recent territorial losses in the Donetsk Oblast have concluded a failed summer offensive marked by massive casualties and heavy losses of armament. On the domestic front, concerns have risen considerably with fuel shortages across the Russian Federation, a looming economic crisis, food insecurities, demographic decline, worsening disparities in health care accentuated by recent war casualties and a dramatic escalation of violent crime.
While he has managed to successfully delude the Trump administration and diminish U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Putin has also committed himself to accomplish the same end with the European Union (EU) using efforts intended to intimidate and, worse, demoralize its member nations. These latter efforts have intensified in the last several weeks largely with aerial incursions within a number of European states following upon innumerable acts of sabotage, assassinations, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, election interference, political meddling and espionage conducted over the years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the face of this, certain predominantly right-wing populist movements in Europe have seen fit to excuse Russia presumably seeing its actions as acceptable behavior, expecting perhaps that a pro-Russian stance will be looked upon favorably by a resurgent hegemonic Russian presence. The memory of decades of Russian economic and military repression in eastern Europe during the Cold War appears not to have enlightened these benighted elements of European society that Russian recidivism continues alive and well, ready to impose itself once more on democratic Europe.
The EU has imposed further sanctions upon Russia and increased defense spending but the most direct and simplest solution to deterring further Russian incursions within individual European nations rests with Ukraine and its desire to live free of Russian tyranny. Putin seems inclined to expend his dwindling financial resources with further adventurism on the continent attempting to force the EU to desist in its efforts to aid Ukraine. While doing so, he remains oblivious to the notion that the same approach by much more overt military action upon Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure has failed to bend the will of Ukrainians.
Relentless bombing of Ukrainian cities, escalated over these past months, has only hardened resolve in the country and turned the tide of battle in Ukraine’s favor. The same resolve must pervade the rest of Europe if it is to see the end of Russian malfeasance. It is a necessity for the EU to concentrate efforts that significantly enhance its defensive infrastructure but just as evident is the need to fully load Ukraine with the munitions needed to rout the enemy from its land and bring about the more immediate change required within Russia itself. Putin, with his notions of empire, cannot prevail and, in the absence of effective negotiations, he must be shown how the hammer works.
Copyright @Kost Elisevich, MD, PhD 2025. All rights reserved. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action.
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