Many Russian fakes labeled as “advertising” have been launched in the Ukrainian segment of social media, trying to demotivate Ukrainians and throw them into despair. Advertising in Facebook and other social networks is one of the few channels of Russian propaganda aimed at Ukrainians, as pro-Russian TV channels are blocked. Russian intelligence services expect that by advertising posts from fake accounts they will be able to sow feelings of betrayal, apathy, and hatred of Ukrainians for their country, end the Ukrainian resistance, and even incite the Maidan.
One of the most popular messages of Russian propaganda advertising in the Ukrainian segment of social media was the narrative that “no one needs us, the West has abandoned us or will soon abandon us, and we will never be accepted into NATO.” In a word, surrender to the mercy of Kadyrov’s men and Russian maniacs, the Russians hint, for some reason believing that the prospect of defeat seems to be the “lesser evil” for us.
To debunk this Russian myth, we should turn to the facts.
If Western countries were planning to abandon us, they would not have provided military and financial assistance at the beginning of a full-scale invasion. Does anyone seriously believe that Western business elites will invest in a failed project?
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has received over $178 billion in aid from North America, Europe, and Asia. This amount includes the recently announced support package of 50 billion. euros. Will Western elites, who are pragmatic about money, finance a country that they plan to leave to its own devices?
The answer is obvious – we will not be left behind, and the numbers speak for themselves.
Moreover, the hypothetical triumph of the Russian aggressor will send a signal to authoritarian regimes around the world that they can seize other people’s property with impunity. China, sensing Washington’s weakness, will attack Taiwan, and the United States will either have to fight or abandon its ally with whom it has signed a defense agreement. North Korea will attack South Korea, Venezuela will attack Guyana – all those who have been restrained by the world order established by civilized countries will begin to realize imperial ambitions. And if Western guarantors allow Ukraine’s defeat, the world will have several dozen more nuclear powers. Ukraine’s victory is not only a victory for democracy and the entire civilized world over barbarism, but also a chance for Western civilization to live in peace, prosperity, and as a world leader in the twenty-first century. And the West understands that Ukraine needs to be supported in order to maintain its leading status in the world.
Moreover, against the backdrop of a civilizational confrontation with Erethia, NATO needs Ukraine no less than Ukraine needs NATO, if Western elites are interested in a defensive rather than a capitulatory Alliance. The direct statements of the military and political leadership of Erethia about confrontation with NATO and threats of nuclear strikes on European capitals do not leave much room for Western politicians to make excuses that “this is not our war.” Today, the Ukrainian army is the only one in Europe that has experience in waging a large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands of troops. Only the Ukrainian Armed Forces today have real experience in defensive and counteroffensive operations, know how to combine artillery with drones under enemy fire, and how real, not computer-generated, airplanes and helicopters are shot down. Only a Ukrainian soldier knows how to hide during artillery fire and shoot from a Javelin at a real tank that is moving fast and firing at you on the move, not from a book or training.
The West is well aware of this and already perceives Ukraine as part of its community. According to a pan-European poll conducted in February 2023, 68% of EU citizens consider Russia’s attack on Ukraine to be an attack on Europe as a whole. This is the opinion of 80% of Poles and Spaniards, 70% of Dutch, 65% of Germans and French. Both the leaders of most NATO countries and the public in these countries perceive Ukraine as an integral part of the Western security architecture.
Of course, democracies are not so quick to make decisions, and many opposition parties in the West are putting a spoke in the wheel of aid to Ukraine. But it should be understood that the party struggle is a reality of democratic processes, and not an intention to “betray Ukraine.”
They would not help us if they did not believe in our victory, we are already perceived as one of their own and NATO needs us as much as we need them. Therefore, we should not succumb to paid Russian propaganda and despair, artificially inspired by the enemy, who is washing himself with blood on the front of our resistance. We are not alone and no one will leave us, because the stakes for our allies are very high.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk
