“In the aforementioned circumstances, the fundamental question is what Russia can do for not to be fully overshadowed by the rising prestige of Ukraine. For now, we see that the Russian elites are ready to periodically threaten with the resort to the ultima ratio...”
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Red button – ultima ratio 

A series of resonant events took place last week in response to the decisions to annex the territories of Ukraine and the massive bombarding of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure by the Russian army. The most important of these are: a) the meeting of the G7 leaders following the missile attacks on civilian infrastructure and cities in Ukraine; b) adoption of the UN Resolution condemning Russia for the annexation of Ukrainian territories; the Ramstein 6 meeting on support for Ukraine; adoption of the Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine, etc.

This way, we convince ourselves that the regime of Putin, by aggressing Ukraine, found itself in an unpredictable situation. The so-called special military operation that was to last for several days turned into a real war that will last for an indefinite period of time and that required the mobilization of reservists. The incorrect calculations and corruption revealed that the Russian army, which has been robbed by the own generals, is nothing but a paper tiger. Respectively, in such circumstances, the regime of Putin has to resort to the: terrorization of civilian population through the agency of bombardments; annexation of occupied territories; energy blackmail; and,  the last argument, nuclear threats.

The question is, how did the regime of Putin reach such a state? Leaving aside the multiple explanations about the messianic role that Russia attributes to itself, it is worth presenting the synthesis of these, as it was formulated by the leader of the Russian Communists Gennady Zyuganov: “Russia cannot lose the battle for Donbas, for the Russian world – this is an order from our parents and ancestors, from all the heroic generations that defended the freedom and independence of our nation”. It’s a pity that Communist Zyuganov cannot raise to the level of his idol Vladimir Lenin, who supported the defeat of the own imperil government and promoted militant atheism. The point is the thesis about Russia’s invincibility is based on the messianic mystics promoted by the Russian Orthodox Church.

So, for the sake of the messianic role and the restoration of Russia’s grandeur, Russian invaded Ukraine and terrorizes the population of the neighboring country. As any action meets with counteractions, the terror of Russia that considers itself invincible caused response actions with the following consequences:

• the G7 summit of October 11 that condemned Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians, declaring these a war crime. Respectively, Putin and other responsible persons will be held accountable;
• the UN resolution of October 12 that condemned Russia for the annexation of Ukrainian territories through self-styled referendums, being supported by ¾ of the UN member states. In fact, the condemnation refers to Russia’s blackmail for defending its territory, including the illegally annexed regions, by using nuclear weapons. The adoption of the resolution showed that Russia achieved one of the pursued goals, becoming a pole of the multipolar world, alongside North Korea, Belarus, Nicaragua and Syria;
• The sixth round on October 12 of the contact group in Ramstein, which involved  over 50 states and centered on the counteracting of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and strengthening of the defense capabilities of the latter, decided that Ukraine will receive the most modern air defense systems and the equipment needed for offensive operations, from a number of states;
• In its October 13 meeting, the PACE declared the current regime in Russia a terrorist one (see item 13.7). This is an additional confirmation of the fact that Russia is the terrorist pole of the multipolar world.  

Propaganda metamorphoses

There is no doubt that the Russian propagandists who promote the grandeur and invincibility of Russia bear responsibility commensurate with that of decision makers for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. They were those who incited hatred but after the regime of Putin got stuck in the war it started, the propagandists ascertained that Russia meets with difficulties as it is trapped in lies, while the invincible army has been robbed by the own corrupt generals. In such circumstances, the imperialist patriots reached the conclusion that in fact, the destruction of the international prestige of Russia was planned by Putin who is the agent of the West and whose mission is to destroy Russia by order of his masters from overseas.

According to the patriots, owing to Putin’s unwise actions: a) the NATO was reanimated and strengthened as two years ago this had the brain paralyzed; b) the modernization of the armed forces of the NATO member states was restarted; c) the enlargement of the NATO was caused, with Sweden and Finland reaching the conclusion that they need the Alliance’s umbrella to defend themselves from Russia’s unprovoked aggression; d) it became clear to everyone that the estimated fighting potential of the Russian army was exaggerated, this being actually undermined by endemic corruption among the generals; e) Russia’s military-industrial complex was discredited, underlining the fact that Russia’s technological backwardness affected also the production of armament and it is therefore projected that the sales of Russian armament on the international market will see a pronounced decline, etc.

Annihilation of Russia’s prestige and enhancement of Ukraine’s prestige

By its aggression against Ukraine, the regime of Putin destroyed the century-old prestige of the country. This is already felt in culture and sport. It is well-known that the prestige is usually monitored by different ways. Russia’s isolation through sanctions has dramatically reduced the economic potential of Russia. The qualified personnel continue leaving the country, especially after the aggression launched on February 24, 2022. After the mobilization of reservists was announced on September 21, additional staff segments are being taken out of the economic circuit. The demographic situation will worsen further and the effects will become visible soon. Respectively, the technology discrepancy in comparison with the West, China and other developed states will continue expanding. Also, Russia will have to compensate Ukraine for the destruction caused during the war of aggression or it is unimaginable how Russia can somehow regain its credibility and reintegrate into the international economy.

For its part, Ukraine manages to resist, showing that it is a real united nation with character that loves freedom and for which it is ready to fight. The last thing attracted international sympathy and support. Respectively, the Russian aggression’s goal to demilitarize Ukraine has the opposite effect – Ukraine has the most prestigious and combative army in Europe, which is outfitted with relatively modern equipment. The Ukrainian citizens know that by fighting, they not only defend their freedom but also build a new future as part of the European Union after their country was granted the EU candidate status. This fact will definitely have an impact on the reconstruction of the country, with the support of the international community, after the aggression is over. But the most precious thing that the Ukrainians have now is their new political elite that have been forged during the Russian aggression. The representatives of these new elite do not have any reason to become dependent on the old elites and on oligarchic circles. Evidently, the credibility of the elites will be a decisive factor in the process of detaching from the Russian world and joining the EU.

In the aforementioned circumstances, the fundamental question is what Russia can do for not to be fully overshadowed by the rising prestige of Ukraine. For now, we see that the Russian elites are ready to periodically threaten with the resort to the ultima ratio...