February 24, 2022: the Russo-Ukrainian war (RUW)

The so called Russo-Ukrainian war (RUW) – one of the most popular names for it - may be called so, because Russia sent into Ukraine a military expedition challenged by the Ukrainian army that put up a brave resistance against the Russian troops. Technically, the definition seems to be inaccurate, since no war was declared by either side.

 On the other hand, the hostilities are taking place mainly on Russian and Ukrainian territories without spreading beyond their borders. When human losses are mentioned, they involve the losses of two countries: Russia and Ukraine. When international mediation is mentioned, the two sides that are supposed to be brought to the negotiating table are Russia and Ukraine. When they speak about the front-line, the latter, of course, separates the armies of Russia and Ukraine. When they speak about the exchange of prisoners, again the enemies implied are Russia and Ukraine.

Still, there is something unreal about this war with neither side declaring war on the other, trade and travel between the two countries following “business as usual” scheme. The name “Russo-Ukrainian war” contains an unbelievable, ridiculous and hardly decodable oxymoron since Russia and South-Eastern Ukraine belong to the same culture, share the same language, traditions and history.

So, “Russo-Ukrainian war” is equivalent to someone fighting with himself. Russians are, in fact, killing other Russians. It is true for 83% of Ukrainian citizens who, according to the Gallop Poll, speak Russian as their native language. It is true for people living in South-Eastern Ukraine; they are exactly like people of Russia proper, but they are absolutely different from those of Galicia (Western part of Ukraine). The official Russian narrative never uses the term “Russo-Ukrainian war”. Only the special military operation (SMO).

SMO suggests a “proportionate and selective” campaign, but its casualties are said to have already run into millions of the dead and wounded.

February 24, 2022: the special military operation (SMO)

Russia didn’t declare war on Ukraine, claiming that its expeditionary army in Ukraine was carrying out a “special military operation” (SMO). Russia's characterization of its actions as an SMO rather than a declaration of war suggests a careful legal and diplomatic maneuver aimed at justifying its military presence in Ukraine while avoiding the formalities and implications of a full-scale war declaration.

Putin repeated many times that the Russian army is not fighting the Ukrainian people which are Russian “brothers”; but the Russians came to deliver them from the rule of impostors and American puppets which agreed to turn Ukraine into the “anti-Russia” project.

Ukraine didn’t declare war on Russia either. Instead, it continues trade with an “aggressor”. Buses carry passengers across the border in both directions. Allowing trade and maintaining some degree of normal cross-border activities may also stem from humanitarian considerations, ensuring that civilians on both sides can access necessary goods and services despite the hostilities.

Russia has the benefit of absolute air superiority, but railway stations and the Dnieper bridges providing Ukraine with logistic opportunities remain in place functioning in their usual regime.

President of Russia displays strange courtesy to his Ukrainian counterpart by giving him assurances of safety through international mediators. And Zelensky, reassured, takes a brave walk in his capital against the background of apartment buildings hit by bombs.

While soldiers of both armies go on killing each other, behind-the-scenes deals between Moscow and Kiev result in the pulling out of Russian troops from Kiev, Kharkov and Kherson.  By this time Putin seems to have convinced world leaders that he is not interested in grabbing new territories.

It is clear that the aim of the SMO is not to conquer territory, but to impose a form of neutralization on Ukraine.

February 24, 2022: the Phoney War

Invading Ukraine and making his troops pursue trench warfare are two absurd and incompatible things for Putin to do, if the Russian President really intends to “denazify” and “demilitarize” Ukraine. I have strong doubts about it. There are no swift and decisive actions on the part of the Russian expeditionary army striving for military victory.

Something like that happened at the beginning of WWII. The Phoney War period began two days after the German invasion into Poland on September 1, 1939 with the declaration of war by the United Kingdom and France against Germany, after which little actual warfare occurred. This period lasted for 8 months and saw only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germany's Saar district.

A very similar situation can be seen in Ukraine with Russian troops running out of steam after a few weeks of swift offensive. Trench warfare dominates for more than two years, with the SMO losing its momentum amid the scepticism of the military.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is slammed by the head of the Wagner mercenaries Prigozhin (safely out of the way and dead), former Defence Secretary of the DPR Igor Strelkov and some other people as a phoney war: Russia entered Ukraine but didn’t bother to defeat the Ukrainian army, seize its cities, cripple its logistics. Senator Cédric Perrin said:

“The Russians made a monumental mistake at the outset… by not operating as Western doctrine would have it. i. e., by bombing the areas which today allow the Ukrainians to respond to them.”  [Baud, 2024: 9]

The impression is that the Russians would like to eat fish, but would not like to get into the water. It is quite feasible, that the aim of the Russian offensive is to bring the fault lines of the clash of Western and Russian civilizations into conformity with political borders.