It was the early hours of the morning of February 24, 2022 when Russia began its brutal attack against Ukraine, triggering what would be the largest military conflict since World War II on the European continent. What Putin has called a "special military operation" has caused a chaotic situation in the country, full of hundreds of thousands of citizens trying to flee in a hurry through the cities. Weeks before, let us remember that the international community saw a war of such magnitude against the Ukrainian people as unlikely. Now we all ask ourselves, what does Putin intend by invading Ukraine?
I say Putin and not the Kremlin, because it is time to name the context we have. Putin is an individual actor, or as experts call it, "a personalist dictator." The worst version of a dictatorship subject to a single opinion: that of Putin, without influences, without counterweights, without brakes. Therefore, we are now facing reality, "Putinology," according to international analysts, for being the decisive and absolute actor who controls all power, whether military, political, economic, and social, in a ruthless, disconsolate, and implacable manner. It is now that the European Union (EU, hereinafter) must be prepared, must foresee the scenarios that arise, and thus have the tools to intervene effectively and strategically.
This war has shown us the disturbing side of the absolute power that Putin exercises over the state machinery and over the entire Russian society. His expansionist desires have reached every corner of the world - not in the expected way - with a clear message: "I am inevitable."
And for example, a button. Putin has been in autocratic, absolute power for twenty years, which is potentially more harmful and detrimental to world stability and peace. Let us not forget that Putin is very close to turning seventy years old, which have served him to survive several US presidents and EU leaders; like everyone who meets at the European Council, and he aspires to do so with Joe Biden.
Inevitably, the EU has reacted, so we have witnessed in the last week an intense and forceful round of economic and financial sanctions for Russia that put the country's economic expansion in a difficult situation. To list a few as an example, High Representative Josep Borrel, the European Council, and the European Commission have decided, among other incident measures, to attack the great oligarchs who have Putin's complicit support: freeze Russia's financial assets abroad; cut off access to the Central Bank of Russia and other designated SWIFT financial communications banks; activate the Temporary Protection Directive, which allows immediate assistance to be provided to Ukrainians who have arrived at the borders of Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, mostly women and children. In short, if there is anything that can strike the President of the Russian Federation's feelings, it is preventing him from any financial transaction and freezing all his assets abroad. Because the impoverishment of the Russian people and the needs of its citizens are matters of little importance in the eyes of a personalist dictator whose interest is the occupation of a sovereign country.
All these sanctions respond to a brilliant and impeccable action by the European Union that departs from the mistaken and terrible management taken in the great economic crisis of 2008, combining unity and cohesion with its willingness to impose as many sanctions as are in its power until the Russian troops leave the Ukrainian country.
The scope of the war is unpredictable. Concern has been unleashed to the highest level in view of the events that have taken place. This should give us many lessons, among others, that we cannot sink, nor walk sleepwalking, walking blindly and cowardly towards war. The warlike action exists. There is no room for euphemisms to hide it. Therefore, in difficult situations we must be prepared and not think that this situation will end with a horse at a gallop and everyone honorable, although we can think of the consolation that many of Putin's objectives are being truncated.
In the end, it will seem that we were happy during the confinement and we did not know it.
