Based on the recent events of the war between Russia and Ukraine, I must, unfortunately, conclude that both sides have switched to using the tools of terrorism. At the same time, there is a slight difference in the behavior of the two sides — while Putin admitted that in response to the attack on the Crimean bridge he personally gave order to attack Kyiv and a number of other cities of Ukraine, which led to numerous human casualties, on behalf of Ukraine, we still have to wait for similar confessions.
When describing the recent military incidents I am using the word ’terrorism’ because these milestones of the war clearly reflect such main characteristics of terror as bomb explosions, attacks on symbols, intimidation, power demonstration, etc. In addition, terrorist acts are often committed on weekends when state mechanisms, including investigative bodies work slower. In the vast majority of cases, terrorists take responsibility for their actions, because they are proud of them and so they can interpret their attacks on social networks in a manner which is favorable for them — by doing so they are able to promote their own reputation.
Let’s not forget that the current series of terrorist attacks began with a bomb hidden in the car of Daria Dugina on the third weekend of August (20th of August), on Russian soil, even in the very heart of Russia. It can be assumed that the target was Dugina’s father, philosopher and ideologist Alexander Dugin, who is a living symbol, who embodies all sorts of ideas that a sovereign Ukraine should not exist, but only as part of Eurasian Russia.
The acts of sabotage of the Russian Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 gas pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea were carried out during the last weekend of September (24–26 September), just before the sham ’referendums’ in four Ukrainian regions was held on 26 and 27 September, when residents of Zaporizzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk regions voted for joining Russia. After the regions’ ’Yes’, Putin in Moscow announced the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions to Russia (September 30) (more precisely, their entry into the Russian Federation). In his solemn speech, Putin called the attacks on gas pipelines an international act of terrorism that was aimed at critical infrastructure. On the same day, the President of Ukraine Zelensky declared that it was impossible to hold negotiations with Putin about the issue of war and peace.
The second weekend of October started with a detonation that shook the bridge connecting the annexed Crimean peninsula with Russia. The attack against the Crimean Bridge, which has symbolic significance and plays an important strategic role, was timed to coincide with the 70th birthday of Vladimir Putin (8 October). The message sent to Putin by the partial collapse of the bridge was supplemented on social networks by the world-famous performance of Marilyn Monroe ’Happy birthday Mr President’, which made the message clean-cut and, fully personal. It was clear that this surprise was precisely prepared for Putin himself.
Russia’s reaction, especially after Putin called the events a terrorist attack aimed at civilian infrastructure, was not something open to question, and Kyiv, undoubtedly was one of the main targets. The response came the next day after the Crimean Bridge was blown up (10 October), and led to numerous victims and injuries among the civilian population.
But now let’s go back some years to the past!
You probably can recall that a few years ago Ukraine introduced the so-called ATO, i.e. it launched a counter-terrorism operation in the eastern breakaway ’peoples’ republics’. Later it was replaced by a military operation, seasoned with the motto of ’reintegration’. And in 2022, in its desperate fight against Russia, Kyiv pulled terrorism from its tool-bag, and began to use it outside the country — the murder of Dugina, the sabotage of the gas pipelines, the explosion on the Crimean Bridge all fit into this particular chain of events. By these actions Kyiv, although it did not take responsibility for them, acted like a terrorist state against another terrorist state, as it declared Russia. And then the head of the Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba confessed everything during a prank call…
Now, let’s see Russia’s approach. In February 2022, Russia launched a ’special (military) operation’ against the ’Ukrainian Nazis’, but soon had to leave this stupid slogan behind. Moscow began to use the word ’terrorism’ in connection with the murder of Dugina, then when describing the explosions on the undersea gas pipelines and, finally, when parts of the Crimean Bridge were blown up, stating that since these actions are considered terrorist acts, Russia will act against the perpetrators as terrorists.
When you ask why terrorism is useful in war, the answer is simple — it leads to escalation.
And this is bad news for everyone. In terror, everything is allowed, especially if both sides seem to have not only accepted this rule of the game, but also committed to introduce these new rules. At the same time, I think it is worth mentioning that, in most cases a Russian response is a reaction to certain Ukrainian steps or rather provocations. In a broader perspective, all this can undoubtedly cause serious damage to Europe, where critical infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines, electric mains, Internet and telephone cables can be damaged or even destroyed.
After the Swedish and Danish investigations, a German investigation into the hacking of Nord Stream gas pipelines is already underway. According to Germany’s assessment, the explosions, as such, are considered unconstitutional and acts of sabotage — they were most likely provoked intentionally and threaten both the internal and external security of Germany.
The character of the states changes according to the changes in the character of the war. But the war changes not only the character of Ukraine and the Russian Federation (neither of them was a terrorist state before!), but also the face of Europe, including Germany. In the current situation, not only in Europe and small member states, but also in Germany, there are signs of an incipient economic downturn. And it took only a few months to get into such a situation… Bravo!
Finally, I would like to mention one more characteristic feature of terrorism, namely its transborder nature. Therefore, terrorism must be prevented, both on the territories of the countries affected by the war and beyond their borders. Innocent human losses are simply unacceptable, and that is why everyone and especially every single EU member state should focus on advancing peace negotiations, instead of prolonging the war and assisting terrorism.
In conclusion, let me quote the words of Angela Merkel. As a mouthpiece of Vladimir Putin, she recently stated that it is necessary for Europe to strive for peace, and Putin should be involved in the peace process. In addition, she also warned that Putin’s words should not be taken as a bluff. We would better believe her. She knows it better than anyone else in the world.
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