Let’s be honest. The old life will not return for a very long time. But do not be afraid, because below are answers on how we can move forward, and there is no endless darkness. There are conditions.
First, it is worth recognizing and accepting the inevitable changes not only for us. What we have gone through, the European Union will also have to endure, the only question is in what form. Our advantage is that we are already awake and acting, while they are still rubbing their eyes. Although, we also have many who believe that pre-war times can be returned. No, Russia did not systematically prepare for war since the early 2000s for nothing, and the attempt to capture Tuzla under Kuchma was the first test.
Does this mean that the war against Ukraine will last for a long time? Yes, in large part, it has been ongoing since the 17th century, just in different forms and intensities. And the current intensity is not forever. We will have to become a fortress, to be among the leading states with the best defense technologies, to reduce the chance of a repeat full-scale war, since Russia does not attack the strong, when it understands it will get punched in the face.
Yes, we can live like countries with a foolish neighbor: a normal life with constant safety rules. There is no need to fear this – Israel has existed this way since its modern founding. And we will have it so, when we can return to normal life with adjustments for the orcs.
What is needed for this? Not much, though it is both little and much in reality:
– an adequate government that makes decisions in the country’s interest, not the oligarchs; which builds technological defense enterprises with the best developments and real projects, not getting multimillion-dollar contracts through proximity to the supreme commander;
– strong anti-corruption and honest law enforcement and judicial systems. It sounds like a utopia, but it is already clear that corruption has infected legal institutions so deeply that without the participation of international experts in selection, it is unreal to clean these Augean stables;
– complete restructuring of critical infrastructure and logistics systems under neighborhood risks;
– new professional diplomacy: in a rapidly changing world, the creation of alliances will proceed not so much on principles and values but on interests. We need not only to ask but to offer. The managers of the quarterly Fire Point managed not only to undermine trust but also to trivialize an entire industry, yet Ukrainians in MilTech (military technology) are now the most valuable due to the experience of the first war of the new generation. Drones controlled by AI are not fiction, they already exist, and we need to develop both our systems and countermeasures against enemy ones;
– the EU and NATO are clubs of civilized states, and we need each other, but we need to rebuild the country according to club rules. This is necessary not for them, but for us, because the key word there is civilized. The current government is trying to do everything so that real reforms do not occur, but it will still have to happen: no one will feed a corrupt dynasty and barriers;
– cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, energy, transport, telecommunications, and services collecting user data is fundamental. Eliminating Russian oligarchs from beneficiaries is overdue, but they are still present in energy and telecommunications.
Each of us wants peace and a normal life. But peace with Russia will come only through strength, not concessions. And this strength is within us. The main thing is to remove that and those who restrain, oppress, damage, and rob it.
Photo: Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform
