FLASH
Shkruar nga Pierre Haski
The victims of the last weeks in Kharkiv are the tragic symbols of a contradictory behavior of the West...
Imagine for a moment that, like millions of people around the world, you are at the mall in your city on a Saturday afternoon. Suddenly, 2 glide bombs of 500 kilograms each, fall from the sky and destroy everything.
This is what happened on May 25 at 16:00 to the residents of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine. Balance: 16 dead, dozens injured, in an area without the slightest military target, which could justify the bombing.
Two days earlier, the printing press "Vivat" in the northeastern city of Ukraine was hit by Russian missiles, killing 7 people and destroying about 50,000 books. Again it was not a military objective. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of the ruins of the printing press, which went viral on social networks last weekend, as the tragedy unfolded in the shopping center.
These two very serious events illustrate a feature of this conflict: life goes on, Ukrainians go shopping, print books even while fighting. The problem is that to fight, they need weapons and ammunition, which arrive only in limited quantities and sporadically. Something Zelensky has expressed his frustration about in his daily video messages after his visit to Kharkiv.
Nothing new
We have heard Zelensky complain time and time again that supplies from Western allies are not arriving fast enough and in insufficient quantities. The problem is that Ukraine is currently being put to the test, as the Russian military has once again gone on the offensive on at least two fronts, using its advantage in troops and assets.
The Russians arrived at the entrance to Kharkiv at the start of the full-scale occupation two years ago, hoping the city's Russian-speaking population of 1.5 million would rally to their side. But this did not happen. Subsequently, Ukraine managed to liberate part of the Kharkiv region.
But in recent weeks, the Russian military has come dangerously close to the city, forcing the evacuation of civilians from several villages and small towns around it. Also, it is bombing the city almost every day, to force its inhabitants to leave, and Kiev to sit down at the negotiating table under unfavorable conditions. This is the trap that Zelensky wants to avoid, and the main reason for his persistent rhetoric in the face of the West's continued reluctance to provide military aid.
The contradictions of the West
In his latest message to his fellow citizens, Zelensky made two specific requests. The first is that NATO aircraft must be able to shoot down Russian missiles and drones from the airspace of Alliance countries such as Poland and Romania.
This would help protect Western Ukraine and free up defense capabilities, which should go to use on the battlefront in the east of the country.
But this is not yet on the agenda of Western chancelleries.
The second demand has long been on the table: allowing Ukraine to use the long-range missiles sent by the West to hit targets on Russian soil. The Ukrainian president has already reported on a new build-up of Russian troops across the border, as Moscow looks set to open a new front.
But he is unable to hit them on Russian territory, even though American, British and French missiles are capable of doing so. Not to mention the German "Taurus" missile, which Berlin refuses to hand over to Ukraine.
Zelensky is again highlighting the apparent contradiction in the West between declaring that Russia should not win this war, and not doing everything to ensure Ukraine's victory. This contradiction stems not only from the slow growth of defense industries, especially in Europe, but also from a weak will to act. And the victims of the last few weeks in Kharkiv are the tragic symbols of this contradictory behavior./ Pamphlet adapted from "Worldcrunch"
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