Soldier
Turned Academic Explains why War with Russia was Inevitable
A Ukrainian academic turned soldier turned academic has held on
tightly to his conviction that no matter what is happening in international
affairs, war with Russia is inevitable.
And thus we have another drastic explanation, clarification or
justification why more than a decade ago I selected as the name for my blog “The
Torn Curtain 1991.”
Yes, 35 years ago, the Ukrainian nation declared its independence
and sovereignty from the Russian empire after centuries of subjugation. History
has taught us that in the course of those centuries every flash of Ukrainian independence
and the germination of a Ukrainian state in one fell swoop Russia – tsarist, communist
or putinist – destroyed it. And for the most part, until now, Moscow was at
least temporarily successful. In the 20th century alone, Ukrainians
several times established and reestablished their national statehood only to be
vanquished each time by Russia with the naïve aid of Western allies.
On November 9, 1989, the infamous Berlin Wall, the ultimate barrier
between Russia and the free nations, between evil and good, was destroyed by
the people, and the captive nations cheered their new found freedoms. The Iron
Curtain was torn down and trampled on.
However, was that the end of the division and oppression? Fortunately,
for some, especially those who were destined for membership in NATO, their path
to freedom and independence had triumphantly concluded and the western
powerhouses assured it.
In the past, Ukraine – independent or not – was left out in the
cold, only to be re-subjugated by Moscow. With Russian aggressive desires not
slaked, Ukraine was bound to become enslaved again. Those attempts resumed 14
years ago in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea and then four years ago across the
country. Thus, for Ukraine, the Iron Curtain was not destroyed; it was merely torn,
leaving gaps for Russia soldiers, tanks and artillery to invade Ukraine again.
Ihor “Batko” Zhaloba, who enlisted to fight against the Russian
invaders in 2014, foresaw the inevitability of war with Russia but apparently
no one was able to prevent it. He explained that Russia’s historical path was
preordained for war and Ukraine has been its primary target.
In
a recent article by Julia Struck-Feshchenko in the Kyiv Post, Zhaloba, explained
that when Russia launched its full-scale invasion 2022, he did not hesitate to
enlist. He volunteered to defend Ukraine and served until he was demobilized at
the age of 60.
Zhaloba
spent decades studying Russian history before volunteering to fight it. His
verdict: Europe remains dangerously unprepared, and Ukraine is the continent’s
last line of defense.
Ihor
Zhaloba – known by the callsign “Batko” (Father) – is a Doctor of Historical
Sciences, professor, and Senior Research Fellow at the Department of History of
International Relations and Foreign Policy of Ukraine of the Institute of
History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He is also a
teaching professor in the Department of International Relations at Borys
Hrinchenko Kyiv University and president of the Ukrainian branch of the
Pan-European Movement.
Today,
he has returned to academic life at the Institute of History of the National
Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, while continuing to lecture across Europe,
raise awareness about the war, support Ukraine through volunteer work, and
honor fallen comrades.
He
also serves as president of the Ukrainian branch of the Pan-European Movement –
a political and cultural initiative founded in 1922 to promote European unity
in response to nationalism and conflict.
A
professor of history and its in-depth student, Zhaloba enunciated that another
Russian war against Ukraine was unavoidable. “My professional background led me
to conclude that war was inevitable,” he said. “For me, it was only a matter of
time before these two antagonistic models – Ukrainian and Russian – would
collide.”
“I
had studied Russian history for many years. As a historian, I understood the
mentality and way of life of that country. The principle ‘we will not stand at
any cost – we need victory’ can be consistently traced throughout the history
of the Muscovite state and, later, Russia,” he said.
“This
is the mode of existence of that state: it must expand its borders. In
peacetime, it has nothing to sustain itself with. They have not even built
proper sanitation infrastructure to this day, and struggle to organize their
internal life. Therefore, Russians go elsewhere to seize what they are
incapable of creating themselves.”
Until
February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its latest invasion of Ukraine, Zhaloba
said a large number of Ukrainians did not fully realize that Ukrainians had
already been at war since 2014. “Back then, it felt distant to many of us –
just as it still feels distant for many Europeans today,” he said.
“In
December 2021, I told my students – whom I taught in the course ‘Civilizational
Dimension of Modern International Relations’ – that there would be a major war
with Russia.” Later, his students told him: “Ihor Volodymyrovych, back then we
didn’t believe you.”
“This
is the mode of existence of that state: it must expand its borders. In
peacetime, it has nothing to sustain itself with. They have not even built
proper sanitation infrastructure to this day, and struggle to organize their
internal life. Therefore, Russians go elsewhere to seize what they are
incapable of creating themselves.
“I
also recalled the Russian philosopher Vasily Rozanov, who once said: ‘Why would
you need freedom? Freedom is necessary for substance, so that it can develop –
but what kind of freedom, and to what end, is it for something without
substance? And Russian society, after all, has no substance.’ In that sense,
they do not need freedom, because there is nothing to develop – Russian society
is empty.”
While
Russia was also facing its own internal struggles, he said Ukrainian society,
meanwhile, has managed to overcome economic and political challenges. Since
2001, Ukrainians have ensured economic growth while preserving their freedom –
and they value it, because it allows their “substance” to develop.
“This
represents an existential threat to the Russian model, in which Ukrainians have
always been perceived as ‘younger brothers,’ incapable of independent existence
and supposedly needing the ‘guiding hand’ of big brother Russia,” he elaborated.
Since
the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, he continued, there were expectations in
Russia that Ukraine would collapse and return “on its knees” in exchange for
cheap gas, timber, and other resources. “These expectations were never
fulfilled,” he pointed out.
For
him, Russia is the last colonial empire. “History shows that all colonial
empires eventually collapse, and Russia should be no exception. However, it is
not a classic colonial empire like the Roman or British empires,” he added.
Zhaloba
elaborated that Russia would need to be an external shock – some form of defeat
– that triggers internal instability. For example, Russia’s defeat in the
Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 led to the revolution of 1905-1907. Similarly,
the strain of World War I triggered the February Revolution, followed by the
October Revolution in 1917.
“However,
even if Russia begins to fragment, Ukraine would still have to continue
fighting and maintain forces to stabilize its borders,” he said.
Why
is the West so afraid of Russia’s collapse? Replying to his question, because
it would likely be chaotic, uncontrolled, and extremely violent – especially
given the presence of nuclear weapons. Many oppressed peoples within Russia
could seek revenge against those who dominated them. The consequences would be
brutal and destabilizing, affecting not only the region but the wider world.
His
optimism and dedication are fed by his being a teacher and love of working with
his students. “For 30 years, I have been telling them: ‘Take responsibility –
your future, your life, your country are in your hands.’ So what then – should
I have left and gone abroad? For me, my students are like my children. Who,
then, was supposed to stand up for them?”
It’s
teachers, historians and soldiers like Ihor Zhaloba who imbue current and
future generations of Ukrainians with an indelible sense of patriotism.This
is why President Zelenskyy is demanding strict, permanent security guarantees
for his country and nation. If President Trump and the West don’t want to face
another case of Russian inevitability then it behooves them to accept Kyiv’s
insistence of strict security guarantees.
