Russia has found an alternative to missiles: what the Kremlin's new strategy entails and how Ukrainians can protect themselves.
As I read the news feed, I (and probably you too) get the feeling that the world is slowly crumbling. Falling apart. Shaking. Disintegrating.
However, when I step into the physical reality, especially when we travel around Ukraine, I have a different impression. Everything is stable. It has taken root. It possesses a reserve of strength. It has been shaped by millions of steps of care.
No one is going anywhere.
And then I clearly understand:
Russia will not defeat us with force, nor will it destroy us with missiles. But it can win through cunning. A microscopic virus. A thought. A perception. An emotion.
If they can make us think in a certain way, feel in a certain way, perceive in a certain way — then they have a chance to win.
What is this viral thought?
That everything is collapsing. That everything is falling apart. That everything is disintegrating. That everything is made of sand.
That your neighbor is an enemy. That "up above" are only traitors. And "down below." And across the street. In short, that we are a house of cards.
Information and propaganda are not just weapons. They are a more powerful weapon than conventional ones. The aim of information warfare is not to mislead or to lie. Its goal is to make the enemy think as you want them to. To act as you want them to. In other words, to deprive them of their own will.
Will is the key word in Ukrainian culture. Because it encompasses freedom, will, and the will to master one's own will and the wills of others.
Russia cannot defeat us. But it can unleash a virus through which we will defeat ourselves. Through which we will direct our will against ourselves.
This has happened multiple times in our history. It is high time to learn from our own mistakes.
The author expresses a personal opinion that may not align with the editorial stance. The responsibility for the published content in the "Opinions" section lies with the author.