his past week has been full of surprises.
The biggest surprise of all was, of course, the attack by Russia on Ukraine, from three sides at once. It was a surprise that had been telegraphed by Russian President Vladimir Putin for years and had been warned about by the Biden administration for weeks. But it still came as a surprise to many people, including officials and analysts who supposedly were studying Russia, especially Europeans.
Another surprise, though, was the response to the invasion. The European countries finally put in place strong sanctions alongside the US, despite their reliance on Russian natural gas—which had stayed their hands in the past. They also began sending armaments to Ukraine, including from countries like Sweden and Finland, which are not part of NATO and had previously avoided entanglement in the war of words between the two sides.
Germany, which had previously been obsequious to Russia, said that it would be increasing its defense budget, a topic it had sparred about with the US for years.
There was also a surprise on the ground in Ukraine. Despite the strength of the Russian military and its advantage—both in terms of numbers and in terms of supplies—over the Ukrainians, the Russians had a hard time pressing forward into Ukraine. Their early attempts to capture Kiev were rebuffed, and their supply lines seemed to be in disarray. A number of videos from Ukraine showed Russian tanks at the side of the road, out of gas.
The Russians were also unable to ground the Ukrainian Air Force or destroy Ukrainian air defenses, and they suffered for it, with downed airplanes and destroyed supply lines.
The personalities on both sides surprised people, as well. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Jewish comic-turned-politician who is Ukraine’s president, had been a question mark for many people for some time. Was he really up to the task of being president? Was he carrying out his anti-corruption campaign promises? Could he stand up to the threats from Russia?
The first few days of the fight for Ukraine seemed to melt away all cynicism about Zelensky. He appeared in videos on the streets of Kiev, stating that he and his fellow politicians and the Ukrainian armed forces and the citizens of Ukraine wouldn’t run from the Russians. Despite being an explicit target of the Russians, who said that they were coming into Ukraine to decapitate its leadership—perhaps not just metaphorically—he rejected the idea that he should flee.
The Ukrainian Embassy in the UK said that Zelensky had been offered assistance from the Americans to leave the country, but he had responded: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.” His courage seemed to spark determination in his fellow countrymen and admiration around the world.
Vladimir Putin’s personality, as well, seemed to surprise many people. Despite his long record of savagery toward political enemies and a history of aggression in Ukraine, the idea that he’d openly attack another country in this way seemed to suggest his way of thinking was more twisted than people had thought. And when Putin ordered his nuclear forces to go on standby—with Belarus soon approving the deployment of nuclear weapons on its soil—the questions about Putin’s psychology became more urgent.
The following articles look at various aspects of the situation in Ukraine, from Putin’s intentions to the West’s response to the survival of ordinary people on the ground.
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