ABN at 70 – Global Coalition Needed to Defend X-Captive Nations

World War Two was fast becoming a horrible memory by 1946. Nazi Germany was defeated and the fighting was over in Western Europe, as well as in North Africa and the Pacific. However, unbeknown to many in the West, the fighting and killing still raged in Eastern Europe, where Soviet Russia replaced Nazi Germany as the aggressor. Moscow was hard at work invading and occupying former independent countries and establishing its notorious prison of nations behind the infamous iron curtain.

However, spearheaded by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, under the leadership of Stepan Bandera and Jaroslav Stetsko, a secret meeting of the anti-Russian combatant nations was convened on November 21, 1943, near Zhytomyr, Ukraine. This conference paved the way for the establishment of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, which began its work on April 16, 1946, in what was then called West Germany.

The founders of the ABN confirmed that the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of any single nation cannot be guaranteed without the same, comprehensive status for Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Caucasus and farther east. The ABN illustrated classic regional, multinational unity and commitment, and they provided a platform for the fight against Russian imperialism and communism through combined ideological, political and military strategies. The participants’ shared goal was to defend jointly their independence and contribute to the dismemberment of the USSR as the only practical means of ensuring regional and global security, stability and peace. Their motto was: Freedom for nations; Freedom for individuals.

The following organizations were members of the ABN since its inception or for varying periods of time: ‘Free Armenia’ Committee, Bulgarian National Front, Belorussian Central Council, Cossack National Liberation Movement, Croatian National Liberation Movement, Czech Movement for Freedom (Za Svobodu), Czech National Committee, Estonian Liberation Movement, Union of the Estonian Fighters for Freedom, Georgian National Organization, Hungarian Liberation Movement, Hungarian Mindszenty Movement, Latvian Association for the Struggle against Communism, Lithuanian Rebirth Movement, Slovak Liberation Committee, National Turkestanian Unity Committee, United Hetman Organization, and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Bandera faction).

Seven decades after the end of World War II and the establishment of the ABN, Europe – and the free world – are still facing the real threat of Russian aggression. Some 26 months ago Russian soldiers and mercenaries invaded and occupied Ukrainian Crimea and then two eastern oblasts in Moscow’s latest attempt not only to keep Ukraine from fulfilling its historical mission of formally joining the European Union but also to resurrect its empire, the prison of nations.

What has transpired since February 2014 has evolved into a major escalation of Moscow’s saber rattling against the free world, Ukraine and the x-captive nations. Thousands of regular Russian soldiers and thousands of pro-Russian terrorists along with hundreds of pieces of armored equipment, missiles and tanks have crossed Ukraine’s border in an obvious attempt by Russia to re-conquer Ukraine. Russia even established outlaw, renegade republics in Donetsk and Luhansk.

While the free world, led by the United States, have been paralyzed by the launch of the Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-16, Russia’s belligerent message did not fall on deaf Eastern European ears. Individually and collectively they have rightly begun making plans for a unified defense against a potential Russian attack. The free world and NATO have offered tepid support by dispatching merely brigade strength military units and a few instructors but stopping short of providing enough personnel and hardware to send a clear message to Moscow that any encroachment against the former captive nations would be an act of war against the free world. Their excuses have been based on their fear of angering Moscow and disbelief that Russia, a full-fledged participant of global events, intends to re-subjugate the former captive nations.

At numerous global meetings including last September’s UN General Assembly debates, presidents of Ukraine and the x-captive nations denounced Russia’s invasion and warned the free world that its security and stability are also threatened by Moscow’s belligerence.

The free world did not recognize the plight of the captive nations during World War II and since then it has demonstrated mild interest in their pain and suffering. The West never comprehended their captivity as well as their desire to distance themselves as far as possible from Moscow. Free countries refused to hear the former captive nations. The free world remained dumbfounded, long on superficial political platitudes but short on comprehension and action.

East Europeans and the Baltic states have never given any credence to western theories that Vladimir Putin has abandoned his Mein Kampf of subjugating Ukraine. The x-captive nations expressed grave concerns about regional Russian aggression and pragmatically have initiated their own defense preparations. There are numerous examples of their arrangements in current news reports.

Reuters, The Baltic Times and other news media reported that leaders of nine Central and Eastern European and Baltic states said in a joint statement on November 4, 2014, they were gravely concerned about Russia’s “continuing aggressive posturing” and endorsed a sustainable NATO military presence in the region.

Despite NATO’s vacillation about its mission, the x-captive nations, the countries that were to be beneficiaries of the alliance’s military protection, still believe in its viability and commitment to defend their collective independence.

“We will stand firm on the need for Russia to return to respect of international law as well as of its international obligations, responsibilities and commitments as a pre-condition for a NATO-Russia relationship based on trust and confidence,” they said in the joint declaration.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said NATO simultaneously faces threats from the east and the south, necessitating “more troops, more infrastructure and more common actions” as he and his colleagues urged the alliance to take an active role in safeguarding their and by association global freedom.

News reports noted that the x-captive nations’ declaration also said the leaders would join efforts to secure “a robust, credible and sustainable” allied military presence in the region, and would advocate deeper cooperation between NATO and the European Union.  ‘Hybrid’ warfare, cyber defense, energy security and strategic communication were listed in the statement as key areas needing their attention.

The statement was issued after a meeting in Bucharest, Romania, of heads of state including Lithuania’s Dalia Grybauskaite, Latvia’s Raimonds Vejonis, Estonia’s Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Slovakia’s Andrej Kiska, Bulgaria’s Rosen Plevneliev and Hungary’s Janos Ader.

At a NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius emphasized that Russia has tested the alliance’s vigilance and unity, and called on NATO to ensure a permanent presence of its troops in the Baltic states.

Other European countries have begun to modernize their defense capabilities amid fears and uncertainty over Russia. Poland has begun a military modernization program at a cost of more than $35 billion. Poland and Sweden signed a military cooperation agreement in September that also cited Russian military fears. Sweden said it had increased its own military spending by 11%.

“Once a sea of peace, the Baltic has become a sea of danger,” observed Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.

Fearing Russian military incursion, Poland, the first country to recognize Ukrainian independence in 1991, is seeking to reaffirm its role as Ukraine’s biggest EU ally with pledges of more financial and diplomatic support, in an effort to reassure Kyiv that the West – or at least those x-captive nations that have been accepted into western structures – has not forgotten about its two-year war with Russia.

“Ukraine is a great strategic partner of Poland,” said Duda at a joint press conference in the Ukrainian capital. “Ukraine’s sovereignty is one of the major issues for our country.”

The Lithuanian head of state together with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Latvian President Andris Bērziņš and Polish President Bronisław Komorowski have confirmed the implementation of decisions adopted at a NATO Summit in Wales as well as energy, information and cyber security issues.

“Our countries have a shared goal – secure and economically strong region. We will only achieve this goal by standing together in the implementation of long-term collective defense measures and strategic projects aimed at ensuring the region’s energy self-sufficiency,” the Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine delivered a wake-up call regarding appropriate levels of defense spending for the small Baltic states. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are on heightened alert as Russian military planes and warships circle their airspace and sea borders on a daily basis in what they call “unprecedented” Russian activity.

Separately, Polish President Duda observed in the website http://www.ji-magazine.lviv.ua that contemporary Russia has nothing to do with democracy.

In addition to violating its own constitution every day, Duda said Russia “is the first European country which has committed military intervention in the affairs of other independent European state, taking away part of its territory” referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia should not be the focus of any negotiations, Duda said, adding that the Minsk discussions involving Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France reminded him of Yalta of 1945, at which the free world surrendered parts of Europe to Soviet Russia in a naive gambit to appease Moscow.

“We cannot accept the fact that Russia should swallow Ukraine by pieces. We are responsible for the integration of European states and the integrity of borders in Europe. Stopping this decaying process will be a triuimph for Europe. To accept a rotten compromise will defeat it,” the Polish president said.

Lithuanian President Grybauskaite, a consistent and unambiguous advocate of Ukraine, in 2014, became the first European leader to speak frankly about the Russian aggression in the Donbas region of Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea. Grybauskaite said frankly in an interview with The Washington Post that she saw both the Islamic State and Russia as terrorists.

“Russia is terrorizing its neighbors and using terrorist methods,” the Lithuanian president was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Harkening back to the founding principles of the ABN, Grybauskaite has noted that Ukraine is not just fighting for its own sovereignty, but it is defending the sovereignty of all European nations. Her acerbic denunciation of Putin’s war is without comparison in Eastern Europe.

During an interview with German news magazine Focus, Grybauskaite said the Russian despot “uses nationality as a pretext to conquer territory with military means. That’s exactly what Stalin and Hitler did.”

Grybauskaite elaborated: “Russia is at war against Ukraine and that is against a country which wants to be part of Europe. Russia is practically in war against Europe,” she said, adding that she is prepared to “take up arms” in the instance of Russian attacks.

Grybauskaite is convinced that if Russia is not repulsed from Ukraine, Putin will sweep across the Baltics, central Europe and northern Europe.

“The situation is still deteriorating. Russian troops are still on the territory of Ukraine. That means that Europe and the world are allowing Russia to be a country which is not only threatening its neighbors but is also organizing a war against its neighbors. It is the same international terrorism as we have in Iraq and Syria.

“In Ukraine, it is a real war (not hybrid as the free world is antiseptically stating – ID). The European Union and most of the leaders in the world are trying to talk about it as if it is not war but some kind of support of terrorist elements. We saw Crimea. In the very beginning, it was green men, and it became Russian military. Now it is the same in eastern Ukraine. And I’m sure that it is not the last territory where Putin is going to demonstrate his powers.

“If we will be too soft with our sanctions or adapt sanctions but not implement them, I think he will go further trying to unite east Ukraine with south Ukraine and Crimea. He recently said that in two days he is capable to reach Warsaw, the Baltic States, and Bucharest. So that is an open threat to his neighbors.

“If he will not be stopped in Ukraine, he will go further.”

Linas Linkevičius, Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, another outspoken critic of the free world’s political myopia, in an article in EurActiv, chastised the free world for paying too much attention to not provoking Russia. Linkevičius warned about the dangers of acting in a “pragmatic and responsible manner” with Russia.

The Lithuanian official recalled that at the 2008 NATO-Russia Summit in Bucharest, Russian President Putin urged the West not to cooperate with Ukraine, claiming that the country is an artificial creation, rather than a state. “That seemed to have set off an alarm clock. However, it was not heard, or the West comfortably chose not to hear it. Ukraine experienced the impact six years later, while Georgia witnessed warfare on its territory soon after, in August,” he wrote.

The difference in attitudes between the former captive nations and the free world, is striking, emphasizing have and have not experiences with bondage. The United States and old Europe do not understand this. If the x-captive nations are doomed to expect only tepid support from the free world, then they will have to seize the day and create a sovereign alternative that will ensure them of their all-inclusive independence – political, economic, commercial and military.

What are the former captive nations to do? With NATO immersed in a deep re-analysis of the mission that it was precisely mandated to undertake at the end of World War II – to defend the free world against Russian imperialism, then the alliance is not building confidence in the captive nations. The logical question is if the aggressor has clearly not changed, why then should NATO’s mission change?

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has warned against Russian aggression in what some have said were his strongest remarks since becoming Pentagon chief. He detailed Russian forces’ “challenging activities” at sea, in the air, in space and in cyberspace. Carter also said Moscow was “violating sovereignty in Ukraine and Georgia and actively trying to intimidate the Baltic states.”

“We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia,” Carter said. “We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all.”

Carter and US Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Samantha Power are the staunchest supporters of Ukraine and the x-captive nations against Russian aggression. But they are incapable of achieving anything in a White House that itself is not committed to helping the victims beyond economic sanctions.

US General Philip Breedlove, NATO’s top military chief, among high-ranking soldiers, has warned that Russia has enough troops on Ukraine’s border to carry out an incursion across the region.

“We are very concerned with the militarization of Crimea,” Breedlove told a press conference in Kiev, where he was holding talks with Ukraine's leaders. “The capabilities that are being installed in Crimea will bring an effect on almost the entire Black Sea,” he added.

The commander of American forces in Europe, said that cruise and surface-to-air missiles on the peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in March, could be used to “exert influence” over the strategic region.

Unfortunately, Breedlove’s outspoken and realistic opinion is a minority point of view not seriously regarded by political leaders.

Taking matters into their own hands, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland are pressing forward with discussions about a joint brigade that would provide an opportunity for Ukraine to learn from Lithuania and Poland’s experience of NATO integration and to develop efficient armed forces.

The plan grew out of a meeting in Kyiv between Lithuania's President Grybauskaite and Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko. Grybauskaite announced that Lithuania would be providing Ukraine with military aid, but did not specify if this would include weaponry or be of the non-lethal kind. Grybauskaite, whose country already has a tense relationship with Russia, recently called Russia a “terrorist country” because of its troops in eastern Ukraine.

In view of the Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-16, the joint defense concept charted by Bandera and Stetsko is worthy of a revival. The former captive nations already have made individual and collective political declarations and expressed a willingness that could lead to the successful resuscitation of such a structure.

Not surprisingly, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin had also alluded to the imperativeness of such a far-reaching coalition. Outraged by the Russian invasion of his homeland, Klimkin suggested soon after President Petro Poroshenko’s visit to Canada and the United States the creation of a Coalition of Freedom to defend democracy and Western values in a troubled world.

“It is about security for everyone,” said Klimkin during an exclusive Fox News interview on the eve of the 65th UN General Assembly. “If someone in this interchangeable and intertwined world cannot feel secure, how can US citizens here feel secure?”

Klimkin explained that Ukraine is confronting a threat any nation can face, adding “we need a network of security.” His Coalition of Freedom would consist of “countries which are committed to freedom, to democratic values, where we are not talking about spheres of influence, but the values and real interests of democratic countries.”

I applauded his decision in my blog at the time.

Undeniably and justifiably, the former captive nations are being threatened by Russia and cannot trust their sovereign, independent existence to the whims, politics and nervousness of NATO and the free world. They must unite for their joint security and defense against Russian aggression.

On the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of a historic anti-Russian defense alliance, the leaders of Ukraine and its neighbors should realize that the time and opportunity are now to revive the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, the World Anti-Communist League and the Captive Nations Week Committee for their common defense. They should form global, UN, regional, academic, military and NGO coalitions to defend democracy, liberty and human rights as bulwarks against Russian aggression.

What Ukraine and the former captive nations have experienced in the Russian prison of nations has convinced them that Russia can’t be trusted today. The former captive nations must convince Washington, the other capitals and Russia that they will unite, arm themselves and build ramparts against Russia if their common predicament is not remedied.

For the sake of global and regional stability, security and peace, their plight and mission should not be belittled by the United States and the free world.