Notes from the frontline: what the Russia tension looks like from Kyiv

UKRAINE - In Brief 25 Jan 2022 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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It looks like a potential Russian offensive is creating more nervousness in Western media than here in Ukraine. For Ukrainians a Russian invasion already started eight years ago and further attempts to occupy more territories of Ukraine or install a puppet regime by force have been just a matter of time. We did not know when it might happen (and still do not know whether the time has come or it’s just blackmailing) but the Kremlin’s view on Ukraine’s future was never a secret for Ukrainians and hardly anyone had any illusions on Moscow’s plans. The only difference might stem from perception of those plans since about 20% of Ukrainian citizens still are sympathetic to the idea of resurrecting USSR and dream of living in one big country with Russia. Luckily those pro-Russian inhabitants of Ukraine do not have any noticeable influence on political life of the country (after Revolution of Dignity in 2014). Nevertheless, Russian president Vladimir Putin has articulated his views and intentions on Ukraine many times openly, and current developments are seen as just logical developments of his policy for decades. So Ukrainians do not feel hysterical about everything what is happening currently after all those years living under the threat of Russian aggression. We did experience a real shock back in 2014 when Russia openly occupied Crimea and deployed Russian regular military forces to Donbas. None believed that Moscow would cross the red line and dare to destroy the post-war arrangement of the world (I mean World War II) but the Kremlin made its move, and in those days that were really scary, many observers were anticipating Russian military forces entering Kyiv – none was a...