NEW YEAR’S RANT: Yes, the war in Ukraine is about civilization.

2025 will show whether Europeans will stand up for civilization. Or whether we are as ignorant as Donald Trump. Or as corrupt as Gerhard Schröder.

BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN

(Students from Kyiv demonstrating for Ukraine as part of Europe, 2013, the Maidan)

On the first day of the year that will likely decide or at least define Ukraine’s fate, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin reminded us again about what is at stake: A Russian drone strike on Kyiv killed two Ukrainian scientists, Olesia Sokur and her husband Ihor Zyma. Olesia was a biologist and Ihor a neurobiologist. Prominent in their fields, they both worked at Taras Shevchenko University. They were killed when a Russian bomb hit their flat. Killing peaceful people in their beds is not civilized.

(Olesia Sokur and Ihor Zyma)

In 2022, their son Andriy was killed at the front while defending Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Attacking neighboring countries because they want to live in freedom is also not civilized.

There is a direct line from the killing of this family back to the 2013-14 Maidan demonstrations. This was when Ukrainians in their millions took to the streets to demand to live in a civilized manner, in democracy – and this was when Putin decided that he could not allow this to happen. Because if Ukrainians could do this, when would the Russians get the same idea?

(2013, thousands of people demonstrating in Ivano-Frankivsk for Euro-Integration)

It was one of the most beautiful, uplifting things I have ever seen. In the middle of Kyiv, 11 years and a bit ago. On the Maidan: thousands of young people shouting ‘Ukraine is Europe’ (‘Україна – це Європа’) and ‘Cortege nyet!’ – meaning no to the limousine motorcades of corrupt politicians.

In 2013-14, young Ukrainians demanded to live in a civilized country, with the same rights as other Europeans; the right to say what they want, to think what they want, to vote how they want, to fuck how and who they want, to travel and study as they want, to decide over their own lives. In short, to live in a civilized country.

Full disclosure: I am using ‘civilized’ as shorthand for modern Europe for this rant. Sure, I’ll admit, this is horribly Euro-centric and all that. But for all its massive shortcomings, nobody has ever shown me a fairer and more peaceful way of living together than the one that has existed in (Western) Europe since the Second World War. Safeguards against being killed, tortured, or unfairly imprisoned by a crooked ruler or invaded by your neighbor surely must count as the most important features of a civilized manner of living together. So, until somebody shows me a better way, I am using ‘civilization’ and ‘civilized’ as living in a stable democracy and peace – as we have done in Western Europe for 3-4 generations. But - thanks to our civilization - you are free to; a) disagree, b) let me know why, c) stop reading this text.

I covered the demonstrations on the Maidan in Kyiv every day for months; there was not a day where the young people’s words did not bring me to tears. Proud tears. Standing in freezing temperatures surrounded by sometimes hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, I learned much about my own democracy – on the Western side of Europe - during those months. How less fortunate people look at our democracy, what they cherish, and why they are fighting to achieve it and become a part of that civilization. It makes you humble and grateful.

I remember being asked by journalists, colleagues and my listeners back in Denmark many many times during those months about the difference between young Danes and young Ukrainians? I always answered the same: “There is no difference. They listen to the same music, they watch the same films, they have the same dreams. They are all ‘Europeans.’ It is only when corrupt adults and politicians interfere and manipulate, that artificial differences occur.”

And yes. it is actually about being ‘civilized’. Or not civilized. Admittedly, we Europeans have committed many bad deeds around the world. These days, though, the main crime is probably ignoring bad people and rulers and not helping where we should out of selfishness and greed.

But one thing we Europeans do not do any longer is kill each other in wars.

Learning from the last horrible war in Europe (1939-45), clever and informed men like Winston Churchill, Robert Schuman, and Jean Monnet understood that this could not continue and was not a civilized way of living together.

Therefore, they created what is now the European Union. They understood that the continent and its people could not afford to repeatedly dwell on the hatred and revenge that sprung from the past. We could not afford to let dodgy rulers sacrifice thousands of soldiers and innocent people in their dirty political games. On that basis, Europe has seen unprecedented democratic and economic progress in the last 70 years - Europeans can talk, vote, move, and live as they want.

Today, other Europeans are still outside the European Union, and their leaders have a choice. They can either strive to become members of this civilized community. Or not. Before you decide, look at how people live in Holland or Germany versus Russia.

We have seen the Baltics and many East and Central European countries make that decision with great oomph and success. With literally unparalleled success in world history. Just consider that for a second or two. Never before, in no other place, have such massive, peaceful, and democratic transformations taken place.

Never. Ever. Nowhere.

And recently we have seen the Ukrainians striving - even fighting - to move in that direction. And yes, whether you like the wording or not, it is about civilization. The first rule of civilization is that you must be able to disagree without killing each other. That you can have different interests without killing each other. You know, Voltaire and all that. It is the exact opposite of that most ugly of Russian political maxims ‘Kto Kogo’ – ‘Who does what to whom?’ – meaning, basically, you are either the president or you are in prison or worse.

Like Churchill warned in his Fulton speech in 1946 about an Iron Curtain dividing Europe, in 2024 a new dividing line is being drawn, literally this year, possibly even this very month. It is the dividing line between Ukrainians who want to belong to European civilization and Russians who (apparently) do not.

In the 1990s, in 2004 and especially from 2013 onwards, Ukrainians have been striving – paying with their lives – to push that dividing line, that iron curtain eastwards. On the other hand, Putin is striving to ensure that the relationship between Poland and Ukraine remains stable. For that reason, he invaded in 2014 and again in 2022: Putin invaded Ukraine to hinder the Ukrainians in belonging to modern European civilization. One uncivilized, crooked, criminal country invading, killing, maiming, and raping a neighboring society that wants to belong to European civilization.

(2013, students in Kyiv demonstrating for their country to belong to Europe, ‘to live instead of obeying Putin’)

This was again illustrated on the first day of 2025 when Russian bombs killed two prominent scientists in the middle of Kyiv. Two extremely well-educated, cultured human beings who had never done anything to harm Russians were brutally murdered - just because Putin and his thugs wanted to. And because they know that they would get away with it. Pure terror, no military reason, just to make Ukraine unlivable, to make Ukraine uncivilized. Again. To keep Ukraine in Putin’s Soviet Union. The couple’s son died in 2022 at the front, defending Ukraine against the Russian invasion. This family is just one of tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have lost their lives because they wanted to live freely because they wanted to belong to European civilization.

If we ever needed a reminder of what is at stake – the killing of this family is it, on the first day of the year in which Ukraine’s fate will be decided.

If we want to call ourselves civilized, we must stand up to this aggression in a much more open, direct, and clever manner. Frighteningly soon, we Europeans will have to make some stark choices regarding Ukraine. Indeed, when it comes to our civilization. And the choice could be forced on us by Donald Trump if the U.S. president abandons Ukraine. The question will then be: Are you with Trump, or are you with Ukraine?

At the beginning of 2025, it is clear that the people of the Northern Hemisphere are in the process of dividing themselves and their states’ world into three categories: civilized and non-civilized - roughly speaking, Europe vs the USSR. And now, recently, we can add a new category – the countries that seem intent on de-civilizing themselves, chucking to the wind democracy, free speech, and rule of law - most notably Trumpistan and Orbanistan. Several Eastern European countries are flirting with the same tendencies.

Trump, a convicted felon being elected on screaming ‘throw them in jail!’ about his political opponents, is the opposite of civilization. When a majority of the voters in a country carry such a man to the highest office in the land, it is a result of de-civilization, crudeness, lack of information, and political education. It is the first important step towards losing other freedoms and liberties. History shows us many examples of that. And few of them end well or peacefully. As they say over there, let's hope Americans will wake up and smell the coffee - in time.

But, sadly, in the short term, Trump and the Trumpists will play an important role in deciding Ukraine’s fate this year: will Trump – when all his blustering comes down to actual decisions and policies as opposed to mere politicking – be on the side of the USSR and despots like Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orban or on the side of European civilization?

I am also worried about Europe’s ability – or rather our political will – to stand up to both Putin and Trump. Will we prioritize our narrow, short-sighted financial interests or our long-term civilization and democracy? Our cynical and stupid buying of Russian (Soviet) gas for decades – propping up murderers and thugs in the Kremlin - was just one such example. There are too many.

If we want to call ourselves ‘civilized,’ we must make civilized choices if we want Europe to remain civilized. And choices cost money. 2025 will show whether we are ready and willing to stand up and pay for civilization. Or whether we are as ignorant as Donald Trump. Or as corrupt as Gerhard Schröder, the former German chancellor now on Putin’s payroll.

And a Happy New Year to you as well.