Even before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia faced isolation and economic sanctions by the West for its annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in the Donbas region. Its Olympic athletes could not compete under the Russian flag as punishment for state-sponsored doping violations and its economy was in a prolonged torpor.
Today, Russia is a fully-fledged pariah state. Its central bank has been sanctioned, its currency is in freefall and the assets of its leaders are frozen. While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky received a standing ovation from the European Parliament, Russia’s diplomatic isolation was illustrated yesterday when Western delegations staged a walkout as Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov spoke via video link in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council.
China, Syria and Venezuela were three of the few who remained seated. And even China abstained last week at the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Russia, while it now calls the invasion a “conflict”, which represents a change in position and suggested it could be prepared to act as mediator.
The West may stop short of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but Russia’s airlines are virtually grounded and its football teams have been kicked out of Fifa and Uefa competitions. All the while some Russians, appalled at the actions of their leader, whose bank cards have stopped working, are leaving the country.
The Prime Minister has a new slogan: “Putin must fail.” And in his first State of the Union address, President Joe Biden reaffirmed his “unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny”.
The situation facing ordinary Ukrainians is terrifying. Civilian casualties rise every day. It was reported today that a children’s doctor was killed when Russian forces opened fire on her car as she drove her injured nephew to hospital. The scenes of desperate people trying to board any train heading west conjure terrible flashbacks to Europe’s darkest days.
But the world is watching. Putin’s aggression cannot be allowed to succeed. As Ukraine heroically fights on, the West must be prepared for a long battle in defence of freedom.
