“He believed his own lie”: historian Harari sees Putin as a loser

“He believed his own lie”
Historian Harari sees Putin as a loser

Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari concedes that Putin could conquer Ukraine. “But to win the war, the Russians would have to hold Ukraine, and they can only do that if the Ukrainians let them.”

The Israeli historian and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari thinks it’s possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing a “historic defeat” with his war against Ukraine. “He could win all the battles and still lose the war,” writes Harari, best known for his book A Brief History of Mankind. in the British newspaper “Guardian”.

Putin’s dream of rebuilding the Russian Empire is based on the lie that Ukraine is not a real nation, that Ukrainians are not a real people, and that the residents of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv long to live under Moscow’s rule . The Russian despot has told this lie so often that he now apparently believes it himself.

In fact, three days before the attack on Ukraine, Putin reiterated his stance that Ukraine “never had a tradition of true statehood.” He described modern Ukraine as the invention of the founder of the Soviet Union, Lenin, whose monuments were removed by ungrateful Ukrainians in the course of “decommunization”. Putin blatantly threatened: “You want decommunization? That suits us well. But there is no need to stop halfway. We are ready to show you what real decommunization means for Ukraine.” Putin has previously stated that he wants the “reunification” of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, all of whose inhabitants he believes are “Russian”.

“Putin has made enemies of Russians and Ukrainians”

Harari argues that Putin was able to draw on a number of well-known facts in preparing his invasion: Russia’s military superiority, NATO’s failure to send troops, and Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and oil. Based on these assumptions, his plan was to hit Ukraine hard and fast, remove the government in Kyiv, establish a puppet regime and sit out Western sanctions.

Harari concedes that Putin could conquer all of Ukraine. “But in order to win the war, the Russians would have to hold Ukraine, and they can only do that if the Ukrainians let them. It seems increasingly unlikely that this will happen.”

With every tank destroyed and every Russian soldier killed, the courage of the Ukrainians to resist increases, and every Ukrainian killed deepens the Ukrainians’ hatred of the invaders. “Hate is the ugliest of feelings. But for oppressed nations, hate is a hidden treasure.” So far, Russians and Ukrainians have felt like siblings. “Putin turned them into enemies and ensured that the future of the Ukrainian nation will be defined in opposition to Russia.”

However, the historian does not have any good news for the Ukrainians, who are now exposed to Russian attacks. This war will probably last a long time, writes Harari, maybe years. However, it is clear that Ukraine is “a very real nation” and that the Ukrainians do not want to live under a new Russian empire. The only question is how long it will take for this message to reach the Kremlin.

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