Why Has Vladimir Putin Already Lost The War? By Barbare Sturua ('25)
Before we get to answering that, the question is why did the war start between Ukraine and Russia?
The president of the biggest country on earth, Vladimir Putin – who was elected as a president in 2000, and has been in power ever since - decided to claim that Ukraine belongs to Russia, despite the language and cultural differences. Yes, there is a truth to it: Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine) was a refined and beautiful city, long before Moscow even existed, and between the 9th and 13th centuries, it was the capital of a shared land under the name of Kyivan Rus. But after Kyivan Rus fell, it broke into three independent pieces: Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. It is like saying that Greece and India are one country because they shared land during the reigning of Alexander the Great. President Putin told himself this lie so many times, that in the end he started believing that it is true.
Behind the curtain, we all know his desire to reunite the republics that were part of the Soviet Union. What else can we expect from a former KGB agent? All the countries he is attacking are post-Soviet republics such as Moldova, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine. We also see his desire to feed his ego and the mania to be praised and worshipped. I do not want to talk about his childhood but we can sense a lot of traumas there. His desire to be remembered as a Machiavellian character in history and a Hitler–like tyrant is ridiculous, because all we see are memes on Instagram how president Putin stands under a gay flag with an eccentric make-up looking like a clown. Sadly, posting this picture on social media in Russia was considered treasonous and many people got arrested.
But why has Vladimir Putin already lost the war?
Of course, he has already thought about the fact that NATO wouldn’t send troops to Ukraine. He knew that because of his oil and gas exports, many countries wouldn’t rush to stiff the sanctions. Of course, he knew that governments of Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and etc. would suffer in fear and loathing. But what he didn’t know was the hatred and anger that already existed in public.
It is that vital feeling (anger), that gives us the force and the drive to fight for our beliefs and to stand for ourselves. It is easy to destroy but it is hard to build. He didn’t plan that attacking a country in the heart of Europe, in 21st century when democracy is the basis of modern community, violence wouldn’t be tolerated. It is not only Ukrainians who are resisting with their whole heart, but Russians themselves as well, trying to overthrow their dictator. It is the citizens of Georgia, who went through the same story in 1993 and 2008 and 20% of the country is still occupied. It is the citizens of Belarus, who live under the fear of their government as they are puppets of Mr. Putin. It is the whole world being scared for nuclear war and failure of democracy.
It is the twelfth day of war. Protests all around the world are getting bigger and bigger. People are fighting for justice. Thousands of people gathered in the centers of Budapest, Rome, London, Vilnius, New York, Washington D.C, Boston, Tbilisi, Moscow and many more major cities. From almost every country there is a plane traveling towards Ukraine full of food, first hand medical products, warm clothes and etc. People have raised funds, created campaigns, organized meetings with government members, encouraged social media platforms to support Ukraine, fought against propaganda. In the past few days we have seen humankind at its best. When we stand with each other and when we love each other, once more, we proved that we are not animals and we do not fight with instincts, but we fight for our truth and morals. We think beyond physical needs and solve social dilemmas.
At this very moment we are living through history. It will be forever remembered how one of the poorest countries bravely resisted the strongest country in the world. How citizens of different countries volunteered to fight for someone else’s homeland. How Ukrainian troops told a Russian warship, “Go f*** yourself.” How Ukrainian Romas stole a Russian tank. How Ukrainian grandmas invited Russian troops over for tea, put poison in the tea and killed them. We are living through the threat of third world war and a threat of nuclear bombing. We, members of humankind, will not bow our head to injustice. As we haven’t done so in the past: we fought for gay rights, women’s rights, against racism…
One day you will wake up and there’s another issue that blows up the internet and one day it might be you who’s under attack… Therefore, until we have time we have to take actions. Every post, every story, every minute spent on the protest, every cent donated, every moment reading the news, has shaped the history and has made this war much more than just a war… It has turned the war into the development of human kind. As Dante Alighieri said, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.
What has Vladimir Putin achieved in less than a week?
He united the entire world. Sweden and Finland are considering joining NATO. Turkey and Greece have a common enemy. Georgia and Ukraine might become part of the EU. What has Mr. Putin not achieved? Ukraine. Stay strong folks and Stand With Ukraine.