Kremlin’s Latest Attack on Kyiv Children’s Hospital Fits the Pattern
It is a message
There is always a message.
When the African delegation visited Kyiv, there was a missile attack on Kyiv. When EU’s top diplomat Joseph Borell vistied Ukraine, there was a missile attack on Kyiv. With NATO scheduled to meet in 48 hours, Russia has sent a message by attacking the children’s hospital in Kyiv.
“The attack on the children’s hospital in Kyiv and many other Ukrainian cities is proof that Putin’s Russia will stop at nothing. Attacking the most vulnerable is inexcusable. I am about to leave for the NATO summit, where I expect a consensus that we all see Russia as the biggest threat for which we must be thoroughly prepared,” said Czech President Petr Pavel.
“Russia cannot be unaware of where its missiles are landing and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes: against individuals, against children and against humanity as a whole” President Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
I can’t go into detail about the attack. I understand that I have taken this job seriously, and I do feel like I am shirking my responsibility. I will learn to live with it. But there are certain things I simply cannot do. One is following any stories on the children in occupied Ukrainian territory being moved to Russian foster homes, and the other is the attack on hospitals. I have always kept my distance from them and will continue to do so until the end of this war.
However, I want to examine why the Kremlin felt the need to attack a hospital, fully knowing it would anger the entire world. This behavior, sending a message that they are unyielding and ready to go to any lengths, is ingrained in the DNA of the Kremlin. This is how they operate.
I think it was the series “Killing Eve” where I first heard the term that, when it comes to Russia, there is always a message. Or maybe it was somewhere else; I am not very sure. But wherever I heard it the first time, it stuck in my head, and the Kremlin keeps proving it over and over again.
But what is the message?
The message is, “I am ready to go to any lengths; are you ready to match my resolve?” Often, this psychological game works. The other side wants us to fall into despair. They do not want us to build our confidence — our confidence that we can prevail, that we can win, that if we keep fighting, we can win.
There are so many people I meet in my regular life who invariably ask, why the pain, why the struggle, why not give up? I tell them that giving up would mean facing the same situation a few years from now, with evil having learned its lessons and had time to restore its broken bones.
But how often do I get a positive response, in terms of understanding the righteous position? Not many. Even those who nod their heads in agreement often have a tinge of disapproval.
These are not bad people. They are good people, some extremely smart. Why do they want to give up? Why do they feel the need to give up? They just want all this brutality to stop. It is human nature to reflexively avoid pain. Politicians are humans too. A 1% doubt is worth one missile. It will be much more than that.
But you understand what I am saying, don’t you?
Conceptually, it is the same way bullies operate. Bullies want to appear tough. They have this desperate need to assert their dominance and have a sense of control over their victims. The Kremlin’s tactics are no different from the bullies we face in real life.
There is only one way to counter them: the same method you need to counter bullies. Victims who project confidence will deter bullies. This doesn’t guarantee success, but it will make the bully less likely to see you as an easy target. You have to believe in yourself. You need to be confident in yourself.
The NATO summit in Washington, D.C., is the perfect opportunity to send a message back. Decisions will be made. Pick the strongest one and name it after the hospital that was hit. That is how you need to respond. It not only sends a message back to the Kremlin, but it also sends a huge message to all our allies:
Injustice will not be tolerated.
