Russia’s war on Ukraine shows how dangerous the world is. The liberation of Kherson illustrates what can be achieved with British support
The war in Ukraine appears to be approaching a critical moment. The scenes around the vital region of Kherson are nothing short of remarkable. Only six weeks ago, Vladimir Putin gave a speech boasting of the annexation of four occupied regions, including Kherson. Now, with yellow and blue Ukrainian flags flying again over government buildings there, he appears to have been humiliated.
No one, of course, is blind to the possibility that what appears to be a submissive retreat is in fact the tactical prelude to a vicious counterstrike. But even with his iron grip on the Russian media, Putin already appears unable to stem domestic consternation at this military ignominy. In the absence of a swift reversal of his army’s fortunes in Ukraine, his grip on power has surely never looked weaker.
Such a pivotal moment concentrates the mind on two issues. First, while no one should underestimate their courage and sacrifice, Ukrainian forces have done as well as they have in great part because of the support they have received from the West. Britain has gone far beyond its European neighbours in this regard, by supplying weapons that have enabled Ukraine to push Russia out of much of the territory it has invaded this year, with the potential to take back all land lost since February.
Secondly, these contributions, while vital, are expensive. They are proof that defence spending matters, that modern equipment can be decisive against well-matched “peer” enemies, and that maintaining effective Armed Forces will help keep the peace in future by deterring our adversaries from making the kind of disastrous assumptions that Putin made earlier this year. That deterrent is most evident in our nuclear capability, which has played its part too, its certainties making Putin think twice before deploying his own weapons of mass destruction.