Russia Creates a Wave of Territorial Conflicts

After staging sham referenda in the occupied territories of Ukraine in September 2022, Russia is trying to legitimise its territorial seizures at the level of international law. Russia's demand to recognise the seizure of internationally recognised Ukrainian territories by its troops is a dangerous precedent that could trigger a series of territorial conflicts around the world. Putin is trying to change the existing world order by any means possible - and to do so he is prepared to provoke wars and divisions that will pose risks and threats to the West

The Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to liberate 52.5% of Ukraine's territory seized by Russia after 24 February. The territories currently under Russian occupation are subject to repression and arbitrary rule: Russia is trying by all available means to integrate them into its territory and to impose its rules and laws. That is the essence of the so-called "special military operation" that Putin started  in February 2022 - the name conceals an ordinary war of aggression because the return of Ukraine under Russian control has always been one of the main priorities for Putin.

In the same way that the Kremlin is trying to legitimise its occupation of Ukrainian territories internationally, it is trying to create preconditions for territorial conflicts to arise across the globe. The Kremlin's narrative "given the current territorial realities in Ukraine" means that the whole world should "turn a blind eye" to Russia committing the crime of invading a sovereign country accompanied by war crimes - murder, rape, looting, mass destruction of settlements and expulsion of civilians. 

If the West agrees to this - it will set the stage for similar precedents to be repeated in the world where there are territorial disputes between countries, for example in Cyprus, between India and Pakistan, and so on. Putin seeks to create a series of local conflicts to which Russia is invulnerable, while for the West they will create additional challenges and threats. Global "geopolitical turbulence", under the guise of which Putin will intensify his aggression, is a key objective of the Kremlin.

The West should not fall into the trap set by Russia. The only way to peace and a stable security system in Europe is to defeat Russia unconditionally. All occupied Ukrainian territories must be recaptured and Russia must be branded an aggressor and occupier, akin to Nazi Germany, for decades to come. Timely deliveries of the necessary weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces are the only way to contribute to the restoration of justice and to return its sovereign territories to Ukraine.