This Is Our War
Russia is at war with Europe. Europe pretends it isn't.
TL;DR: We are buying a military ambulance for the Ukrainian army. Payment link.
North Korea—a country of extreme poverty—has sent Russia 5 million artillery shells (Source1, Source2, Source3). To put this into perspective, the wealthier European Union has pledged to send Ukraine 1 million artillery shells—perhaps, hopefully, by the end of the year, if everything goes well.
I started NomadicMind as travel blog. But travel is life, and life is travel. In this last post of 2024, I would be hypocritical to share a travel story, instead of saying what needs to be said.
The war on humanity
Every day, one hundred of Ukrainian soldiers die. Every week, prisoners are tortured, women raped, and children massacred by criminals in uniforms. The Russian Empire is steadily advancing, annihilating children hospitals and entire towns along the way. Contrary to analysts' speculations, they are poised to win this war. Their resources are practically infinite (and if that weren’t enough, there’s the looming prospect of 1 million of North Korean soldiers). And their real enemy—Europe—is nowhere to be seen, pretending they are not part of this war.
The core reasons for the war go beyond economic and strategic objectives. It is conflict of core values. Russia, with its blatant contempt for truth, suppression of freedom, and disregard for humanity, is fundamentally incompatible with Europe.
Ukraine is no match for Russia’s scale. And Ukraine will not stand. After 1,000 days of war, the country is in ruins—and so is its morale. At least 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died, and 400,000 have been wounded (source). Even more concerning, 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have deserted (source). Some estimates suggest Russian casualties may be 10 times higher. Make no mistake: this doesn’t matter. The number of Russian deaths is irrelevant to Putin’s imperialist mindset.
The European Illusion
European aid to Ukraine is laughable. While the absolute numbers seem substantial (source), the perspective changes when we consider those numbers as a percentage of each country’s GDP (source) : Denmark contributes 1.8% of GDP, Poland 0.6%, Germany 0.37%, France 0.16%, and Italy 0.11%. Meanwhile, Russia is spending 7–8% of its GDP on this war (source1, source2).
In summary: Russia is at war with Europe and does not bother to hide this in its official narrative. Europe, on the other hand, pretends not to be at war with Russia. For example, the war against Russia is not even mentioned in the European Union’s 2024-2029 priorities.
Europe must wake up and admit that we are at war. It is time to say out loud what everyone knows but no one wants to acknowledge: Si vis pacem, para bellum ("If you want peace, prepare for war").
Until this happens, any vague political declarations or waving of Ukrainian flags is nothing more than hypocrisy. I do not mean the politicians. I mean ourselves.
The hypocrisy of humanitarian aid
It is comforting to believe we are helping Ukraine. But this perspective is not correct and detrimental. To Russia, Ukraine represents Europe. Ukrainians are not defending themselves—they are defending us. They are our first line of defense.
Therefore, raising money for Ukrainian tanks is better than raising money for humanitarian aid. As long as we focus on helping civilians, hospitals, and schools, we are fooling ourselves into “charity” way of thinking. Instead, we must confront the truth: we are not helping anyone other than ourselves. We are defending ourselves, our civilization, and our values.
This is why supporting Ukraine takes precedence over supporting Gaza, Yemen, or Syria. We should fully support the victims of those conflicts. But we remain third parties. In Ukraine, however, we are directly involved as the side who is being attacked and should respond.
The hypocrisy of blaming politicians
The second layer of hypocrisy lies in the convenient belief that politicians will act, so we do not have to. Deep down, we know they won’t.
The recent speech of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gives hope: "Europe will be at Ukraine's side for every single day of the war". But the path from this declaration to deeds will be long. For now, the aid the U.S. and the European Union sent to Ukraine is smaller even than the military aid of tiny and starving North Korea, to Russia. (Source2). This is not likely to change, because the politicians mostly say what we - the voters - want to hear. And we do not want to hear the word “war”.
This is why today, grassroots initiatives count more than ever. They generate financial and material aid, but that’s not key. What matters more is how they build of awareness and courage of the public.
The military ambulance
Today, we are raising money for this military ambulance for the Da Vinci Wolves brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This armored vehicle costs only Eur 4800, and can save many lives.
Why are we buying such an old vehicle? Several reasons:
It is affordable and a realistic short-term goal.
Its simple construction. Lack of electronics make it easy to repair in the field.
The vehicle is already armored.
Most importantly, the need and choice have been confirmed with the recipient.
The organizers of this initiative are the Spiderwomen of Opole—an all-female team of activists and volunteers from Opole, a small town in southern Poland. I know them personally and can vouch for their integrity. Aleksandra (Ola) Czarnecka, who is leading this fundraising effort, has a track record of systematically prepared grassroots activities backed by thorough research. She is in constant contact with Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines, understanding their needs and logistical constraints, and organizing help on an unprecedented scale.
In the photo above, the women wear sniper camouflage they manufacture. In Poland, where pro-Ukraine grassroots support initiatives are common, such handmade camouflage is mass-produced by female Ukrainian refugees, as well as Polish schoolchildren. This project alone has already saved thousands of soldiers' lives. The poster reads: "The war goes on. Join in."
The payment link is here.
Post Scriptum
If this topic interests you, some Substack authors for further reading (on Ukraine and related topics) are: