Edited by Angeli Alexia
Cover image. Author’s photo
Some thought that war was something distant, a constant element, but one that had no place in the cadence of European lives. Some had not reckoned with the past, with history, or with memory; some believed in a different world, where international law and solidarity among peoples were the only viable paths for the international order. For months, before the outbreak of the war, the entire world watched impassively as troops amassed on the borders of Ukraine. U.S. intelligence had announced the imminent start of a large-scale conflict, yet many inexperienced commentators, or those deliberately inclined toward Kremlin narratives, considered such an option either distant or even incredible.
From the very beginning, it was evident who was in favor of the Ukrainian resistance and who, instead, would have used the word “peace” in vain. In Italy and many European countries, solidarity with Kyiv reached unprecedented levels; however, as time passed, societies within the Member States were assaulted by propaganda and venomous pro-Putin and pro-Russia narratives. It is therefore imperative to undertake the most rigorous debunking of some of these claims. Brief and immediately understandable explanations will be presented for certain objectively erroneous statements.
“Russia is not my enemy”
Image 1. Source: Targets of Russian hybrid attacks, CSIS analysis
According to an analysis crafted by the CSIS1 and confirmed by the 2026 Estonian annual report on international security and policy2, there is ample evidence to conclude that Russia is our enemy. Without mincing words, Moscow, in comparison to other international competitor hubs, poses a significantly greater threat to European sovereignty. The Russian Federation is conducting a mounting “shadow war” against European sovereignty, a campaign of sabotage and subversion that witnessed a nearly threefold increase in attacks between 2023 and 2024. To strike Europe, Moscow employs a combination of hybrid tactics ranging from the use of explosives and incendiaries, which are utilized in 35% of the cases, to electronic attacks, such as the disruption of GPS signals, as well as the physical damage of underwater infrastructure via anchors or cutting tools. The Russian strategy aims to strike vital transport nodes (27%), government targets and military bases (27%), critical infrastructure such as data cables and pipelines (21%), and the defense industry (21%), with the specific purpose of weakening military support for Ukraine, creating divisions among NATO allies, and destabilizing European democratic values, while intentionally remaining below the threshold of an open conventional conflict.
“There are neo-Nazis in Ukraine”
The presence of neo-Nazis in Ukraine is indeed a reality, although their affiliation lies with the Russian militias. After the Wagner Group revolt in 2023 and the attempted coup by Evgenij Prigozhin, an unspecified number of PMC (Private Military Company) soldiers reportedly joined the regular Russian army. Wagner was founded by the neo-Nazi Dmitry Utkin, and within its structure operates the “Rusich Battalion,” which was founded by two Russian neo-Nazis with the participation of men from the Russian FSKN. Among the pro-Russian militias in Donbas, two groups have been particularly noteworthy: “Somalia” and “Sparta.” These groups have been formed by members of the extreme right. The first leader of the DNR was Pavel Gubarev, a former member of the neo-Nazi group “Russian National Unity”.
“NATO is also responsible; it should not have expanded to the East”
image 2. Pictoris, A. (n.d.). Map of NATO with 32 members in 2024. https://www.diploweb.com/Map-The-North-Atlantic-Treaty-Organisation-NATO-in-2024.html
This is one of the greatest lies repeated most frequently within our societies. Why is it false? NATO’s eastward expansion was a democratic and free process, desired firsthand by the states on the Alliance’s eastern front, moving in step with European integration in the early 2000s. A hypothetical informal agreement between the United States and the USSR aimed at impeding the accession of Eastern Bloc nations was never proven, let alone signed. This hypothetical arrangement, if it were to have existed, would have pertained to the question of East Germany, which, in any case, ultimately became a member of NATO through its unification with Federal Germany and Bonn. No exclusionary clauses were ever dictated for the Visegrad or Baltic countries. As for Ukraine, although the country had an objective will to join the Alliance since its first post-independence presidencies, the probability of Kyiv’s accession to NATO was extremely low. France and Germany had longstanding reservations, conscious of the Russian geostrategic breathing space or, at times, deliberately indifferent towards Kyiv (see construction of Nord Stream 1 and 2). February 24th, therefore, marked a turning point; Ukraine, brutally attacked by the Russian Federation, swiftly received European and Atlantic solidarity, thereby rekindling aspirations for accession to NATO. In 2023 and 2024, Finland and Sweden joined the Atlantic Pact. What was the result of the Russian attack in Ukraine? An additional 1,340 km of NATO border at Russia’s doorstep. Someone in Western public opinion, inclined toward the Putin narrative, would speak of betrayal. Those who do not bow to the Kremlin speak of a strategic defeat. These three false beliefs are by no means the only ones, but it is from these that all others develop.
Conclusion
This day, February 24th, 2026, marks 4 years of war for the Ukrainian people. Europe has the duty not only to pay tribute to these events but also to determine its own future and that of Kyiv. It must cultivate strength and the capacity to defend itself adequately. The resistance and courage of Ukraine must catalyze Europe to take charge of its responsibilities, protecting its values, its own democracy, and its freedom. If not now, when?
- Russia’s Shadow war against the West, CSIS, March 2025, last visualisation on 20/02/2026 https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-shadow-war-against-west ↩︎
- Estonian intelligence report, Valisuureamet. February 2026, last visualisation on 20/02/2026 https://raport.valisluureamet.ee/2026/en/ ↩︎