Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine was commenced as a last resort to uphold the integrity of its national security red lines in that country in particular and in the region more broadly that were being crossed by the US-led West in pursuit of its grand strategic plot to restore its declining unipolar hegemony. Had President Putin not decisively acted when he did upon the failure of his country’s noble attempt to diplomatically resolve the undeclared US-provoked missile crisis in Europe through the sharing of its security guarantee requests in late December, then he wouldn’t have successfully averted World War III like he just did. Russia would have inevitably been placed in a perpetual position of blackmail by a Weapons of Mass Destruction–equipped Ukraine that would have coerced incessant concessions from it on its Western patrons’ behalf, ultimately leading to its “Balkanization” with time.

It’s for these reasons why one can objectively describe Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as an existential struggle in defense of its independence and sovereignty exactly as that country’s top officials have explained to the public. President Putin made this abundantly clear in his 24 February address to the Russian people announcing the onset of this campaign when he dramatically revealed that “If we look at the sequence of events and the incoming reports, the showdown between Russia and these forces cannot be avoided. It is only a matter of time. They are getting ready and waiting for the right moment. Moreover, they went as far as aspire to acquire nuclear weapons. We will not let this happen.” This was eventually followed up by Foreign Minister Lavrov in similarly stark terms earlier this month.

Russia’s top diplomat said that “We have come to understand that it’s not just about Ukraine, it is about an aggression against all things Russian, including Russia’s interests, religion, culture, language, security and so on. And now, the West’s reaction to our actions, which is completely frenzied I would say – please excuse the harsh words – shows that an actual life or death struggle is underway for Russia’s right to exist on the world map and fully ensure its legitimate interests.” Russian Foreign Intelligence (SVR) spy chief Naryshkin added to this yesterday by explaining that “Our country is experiencing a truly historic moment right now. The fate of Russia, its future place in the world, is being decided. The main factor in the development of Russia, the core of its thousand-year history has been and remains sovereignty – the right to independently, freely and consciously determine its own destiny.”

READ MORE