Ukraine's independence is not the only thing threatened by Russia's expansionism

On August 24, 1991, 34 years ago, Ukraine declared its independence after 70 years of Soviet military occupation of the country.

The defenders of Ukraine deserve respect and the invaders do not deserve a reward
An effect of appeasement: Putin targets Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

The collapse of the Soviet communist dictatorship made it possible for other countries to regain their freedom, as was the case with Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, invaded and annexed by the USSR in 1940 following a secret pact between the communist dictator Joseph Stalin and the National Socialist dictator Adolf Hitler. The Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians not only lost their independence, but also their freedom, and were subjected for decades to a totalitarian regime that killed millions of people and massively deported the population of those three countries to the Siberian Gulag.

The Russia that emerged from the collapse of the USSR initially took a turn towards democracy under Boris Yeltsin, but Vladimir Putin's rise to power ended up destroying the dream of freedom held by many Russian citizens, subjecting them to a criminal regime comparable to that established by his allies Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. Furthermore, Putin unleashed a succession of aggressions against neighboring countries: the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, and the Russian invasion of the rest of Ukraine in 2022, a war that continues today and in which the Ukrainian people have been demonstrating fierce and heroic resistance against the Russian invaders.

Since the start of this full-scale invasion in 2022, pro-Russian propagandists have invented many lies to justify this aggression, whether they are paid by the Kremlin or simply because they are fanatics who justify anything out of pure hatred for Western and democratic culture. The duration of the war is also causing many to contemplate a solution that rewards the invaders, in a false and crude idea of ​​​​peace that consists of Russia benefiting from having invaded a neighboring country without any provocation. Many people in the West believe that a Russian victory will not affect them in any way, and will even be beneficial due to the end of the sanctions imposed on Russia.

This mentality is not new. In 1939, many Europeans believed that Germany's aggression against Austria and Czechoslovakia had nothing to do with them, and that it was even worth sacrificing Poland's independence to appease a criminal like Hitler. Appeasement only served to strengthen the Nazis and plunge Europe into the deadliest war in its history.

Similarly, many Spaniards believed that giving in to the terrorist group ETA in exchange for it stopping its killings would not affect them at all and would even be beneficial for Spain. Today, this capitulation to the terrorists has led to their political heirs enjoying total impunity in paying homage to the murderers of 853 people (including 22 children), while 180,000 Basques exiled by separatist terrorism remain unable to return to their homeland, where the bullying of ETA sympathizers continues to degrade democracy.

Believing that giving in to criminals is okay is one of the gravest mistakes we can make, especially when those criminals have already proven that they take advantage of any sign of weakness in the West to invade neighboring countries and commit all kinds of atrocities. The most basic notion of justice demands that criminals pay for their actions, that a country's independence and sovereignty be respected, and that no people have to live in fear of being invaded by a thug like Putin's Russia.

Giving in to the Russian dictatorship in Ukraine would put other countries, including NATO member states, under threat. Russia has already targeted Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, hoping that the weakness and cowardice of many people in the West, including some prominent political leaders, would allow Putin to invade other countries again with impunity and once again profit from it. In fact, rewarding an invader for attacking a neighboring country is the best incentive for it to attack others again.

Therefore, today, as in 2022, Ukraine's independence is not the only thing threatened by Russian expansionism. Dictator Vladimir Putin intends to turn Europe into his private estate, realizing his desires through threats and aggression, just as Stalin did in the last century. History shows us that the only fair and decent way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him, and that giving in to them does not bring peace, but oppression. If some have not yet realized this, it is because they have forgotten our own past.