For four years, Russia has been conducting a war of conquest against Ukraine. It is a war that became Ukraine’s endless tragedy and Russia’s endless humiliation.
What was planned in 2022 as a three-day operation to take Kyiv and a 15-day blitzkrieg to occupy most of Ukraine became Russia’s years-long walk of shame, with complete rejection by Ukraine’s civilians on the one side and the unbreakable resistance of Ukraine’s military on the other.
Blinded by imperial arrogance, the invaders were expecting flowers from a nation that they see as “inferior” — and met only fire and death instead. What for?
Despite huge casualties, the Russian army only managed to occupy one out of twenty four Ukrainian oblasts. To put things into perspective, if their advancement progresses at the same rate as it has in the last three years, it will take Putin from 100 to 140 years to occupy the whole of Ukraine. I wonder if he plans to live that long.
Sixty kilometres — that is the progress Russia made in Donbas since early 2023. Every centimetre of it is soaked in human blood — which explains Russia’s sudden interest in recruiting Africans.
They want it to be African blood, not Russian — as simple as that. And since Russia still earns enough oil money worldwide, for now they can afford to pay for it.
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It would be sensible for Africans to avoid this trap — physical and moral. Because even if they survive the meat grinder and come back to their families — they will come back from a war that will not make them proud and (I am deeply convinced) will not make their families happy. It will be tainted money, made off the death of innocent Ukrainians who just wanted to have their lives on their land and be free.
Invading your home, destroying your life, spilling rivers of blood and declaring: “From now on, what was yours is mine” — this is what Russia does in Ukraine.
Historically, it must ring a bell for Africans who for centuries faced cruelty and audacity on the part of old empires. Well, the empires of the 21st century are not much better.
Seeing Africans fight and die for this insane comeback of imperialism in its cruelest, boldest form is simply wrong on so many levels.
And, of course, it is wrong for Russia to claim that this war of conquest is somehow supported by “the global majority” — the global south. Aggression, torture, rape, mass looting and abductions — Russia pretends that all this imperial vortex of insanity is somehow serving the cause of anti imperialism and is in the interest of the global south. It clearly is not. Imperialism does not beget anti imperialism.
So, maybe, it is time to say: as you did not ask us before starting this war — so, do not hide behind our backs when what you did comes to haunt you. This war is on Russia — not on the global south. So, do not play your mind games with those who have nothing to do with your decision!
Now is the moment of truth about Russia’s true objectives in Ukraine. It is amazing how cynically Putin plays with the world’s desire to restore peace.
Four years ago, he justified his decision to go to war claiming that Russia’s “legitimate strategic interests” were disregarded and the world order was unfair — implying that somehow Ukraine was a threat to Russia, not the other way around.
But look what is happening now: Russia is using the so called “peace negotiations” to twist everyone’s arms to get more of Ukraine’s territory as a precondition to end the war — the very territory it could not conquer in four years.
So, in the end, what was originally announced as resurgence against the “unfair world order”, turned out to be a plain old imperialist land grab, which is one more reason to draw a line between this imperial war on the one side and Africa on the other.
The continent that suffered too long from one sort of imperialism cannot become the blunt instrument in the hands of another.
Sadly, Russia does not want peace. It wants more land (as if it did not have enough). It wants more power. It wants a bigger piece of the global pie, starting with Ukraine. As Putin says: “There is no end to Russia’s borders”.
The only way to stop this insanity is for sane nations of the world who respect international law to hold together.
Europe and the global south, Ukrainians and Africans — we might be different, we have different historic backgrounds and skin colours, but there is something really important that connects us.
We do not attack our neighbours. We respect borders. We believe in freedom, kindness, hard work instead of worshipping the “dear leader”, soaking land in blood of others and looting their homes. And this is more important than all the money and political technologies of the world.
There is a high chance that the solution to Russia’s war against Ukraine will be a template for how things will be in the 21st century.
Will it be the century of shameless land grabs or of international law and justice? A lot will depend on what the nations of the global south will support or even tolerate in Ukraine.
Olexander scherba in Ukraine’s Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe.