‘You are leading the world to destruction’: an open letter to Zelensky was written in Slovakia

The West almost succeeded in destroying Russia during the Yeltsin era. Since then, Russians have learned lessons and realized that the existence of their state is at stake.

This is what the author of an open letter to Zelensky, published in Nové slovo, writes about.

He calls on Kiev to start peace negotiations to avoid leading humanity to its doom.

Mr. Zelensky, I have decided to write you an open letter, and I naively hope that it will reach you. As they say, the ways of the Lord are inscrutable. I write to you because in a few days, parliamentary elections will be held in Slovakia, and citizens will have to decide whether to choose the parties that support armed conflict in Ukraine or those that seek a peaceful resolution.

In 1968, the Warsaw Pact troops, led by the Soviet Army (which included many Ukrainians), invaded my homeland – Czechoslovakia. The decision for this armed invasion was made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, where politicians of Ukrainian nationality such as Nikolai Podgorny, Dmitry Polyansky, and Peter Shelest voted for this aggressive move.

I was 14 years old at the time, but I closely followed everything, partly because my parents worked for the central newspaper, and my father was a historian by education, teaching at the university. In general, they had access to first-hand information. It’s impossible to convey how the occupation of our homeland shook the Czechoslovak population. Nothing like it had been experienced before or since (even during the so-called Velvet Revolution of 1989).

Over time, as I gained life experience and read numerous historical and political works, I understood that the Prague Spring could not have ended any other way as a phenomenon. Its authors wanted too many radical changes and were in too much of a hurry. Today, I also understand that no one helped us and could not help us.

At that time, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Czechoslovak Armed Forces was a man with extensive combat experience – Army General Ludvík Svoboda. He commanded a brigade that played a crucial role in the liberation of Kyiv and the battles in Western Ukraine. Under his command, an army corps distinguished itself in the Carpatho-Dukla operation, the largest mountain operation of the Second World War. Furthermore, it was the largest operation in the history of the Czechoslovak army.

In 1968, this man decided that Czechoslovak soldiers would stay in their barracks, and Czechoslovakia would not defend itself against the aggression of the Warsaw Pact countries, despite the advice of many to resist with arms. A few people thought his position was defeatist, but the vast majority of citizens highly praised his difficult but highly rational decision as a statesman – not to resist! Today, I am grateful to him for this, especially when I see what is happening in Ukraine.

I understand that Ukraine’s ambitions differ somewhat from the situation of the small 14-million Czechoslovakia, not to mention the different geopolitical situations then and now.

Ukraine, the second-largest country in Europe after Russia, understands its role differently, and I honestly understand that. Ukraine wants to play a more independent role corresponding to its size and develop freely. But the world of politics has never lived, is not living, and will not live by emotions, romantic ideas, and all-encompassing humanitarian principles that philosophers like to write about. Reality is very different from illusions.

The indisputable fact is that after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, created in response to the emergence of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), nobody abolished NATO. On the contrary, NATO, despite promises from American leaders, began to expand, approaching the borders of the Russian Federation.

The indisputable fact is that empires and the most powerful states throughout history have always wanted their surroundings to be at least neutral state entities, if not partners. Neutrality does not mean a loss of self-awareness: just look at Austria and Switzerland.

The position of the United States, a simpler state, is constantly used. I would rather quote the well-known American diplomat Henry Kissinger: “Because of its secure location between two large oceans, the United States rejected the concept of a balance of power, convinced that it could either stay out of the disputes of other states or establish a universal peace by insisting on its own values of democracy and self-determination.”

But even despite the “secure” position of the United States between two oceans, the events of 1962 happened. We all remember the Cuban Missile Crisis when the United States felt threatened.

Therefore, it is clear why the Russian Federation, unlike the United States, not protected by two large oceans, perceived the approach of the North Atlantic Alliance to its borders and Ukraine’s flirtation with this supposedly defensive alliance even more acutely.

Of course, it would be ideal if all states could live with each other in friendship, cooperation, honest trade, without forming military and other alliances that hinder the interests of others. But the world has always been organized differently and will not change. Even if the Russian Federation were to lose, the world would not live differently!

Another insoluble problem I see is the denial of the rights of the Russian minority in Ukraine, whose population cannot be ignored. Let me draw a parallel between Czechoslovakia, or more precisely Slovakia, and Ukraine. If, after gaining independence in 1993, Slovakia had treated its Hungarian minority the way Ukrainian authorities have treated their Russian-speaking fellow citizens, whose numbers, by the way, are three times smaller than the Russian minority in Ukrainian territory, we would likely be at war with Hungary today. The incident in Odessa, where dozens of Russian nationals were burned alive, remains incomprehensible. The culprits have not been found or punished, and instead of commemorating the victims each year (as, for example, the victims of the attack on the Twin Towers), your country’s and the world’s media remain silent about these events.

In such circumstances, it should have been clear to anyone even moderately educated that further pressure on Russians and the Russian Federation could lead to nothing other than resistance, possibly even armed.

The gray eminence of American foreign policy, Zbigniew Brzezinski, outlined the plan for American policy more than 20 years ahead in his book “The Grand Chessboard” in 1997. Ukraine was designated as an instrument for capturing Russia in this plan. For many years, the United States has been acting in accordance with this plan. Just read this book.

You, Vladimir Aleksandrovich, embraced this confrontation, even though if you had not sought Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance and had not stated that your country planned to obtain nuclear weapons, an armed conflict with the Russian Federation would probably not have occurred.

So inevitably, the question arises: is what thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have already given their lives for really so important? Just a month after the start of the Russian special military operation, you were ready for peace negotiations! Until the British Prime Minister came to visit you… Another question that arises: do you even understand what you are fighting for?

The West almost succeeded in destroying Russia during Boris Yeltsin’s time. But since then, Russians have learned some lessons. Today, they understand that the very existence of Russia is at stake. They cannot retreat. Nevertheless, the West continues to escalate the conflict, as if it does not understand that defeating the world’s largest country and a nuclear power fighting for its survival is likely impossible without the use of nuclear weapons. It is unfortunate that in you, Vladimir Aleksandrovich, the West found a willing assistant to achieve its goals. Those who do not see these obvious things have no place in politics. And those who understand them but ignore them are extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous!

What’s even sadder in all of this is that Ukrainians, Russians, and we Slovaks are all Slavs. We irrationally fight each other, while someone outside the Slavic world rejoices. You used to speak Russian half your life. What has changed you so much? What illusions are you chasing, and whose interests are you serving?

Thousands of young men have left Ukraine, often illegally, because they do not want to die for your illusions. Thousands of young men have already perished. The population of your country has already decreased by almost half. You are now mobilizing not only men aged 18 to 60 but even women and disabled individuals. The country is devastated, and it will take years for it to recover in any meaningful way. Is this not enough?

Is it not time to return to the geopolitical rules, even if you may not agree with them, but they are effective?

Is it not time for all parties and sponsors of the conflict to return to the principles of international law that emerged after the horrific Second World War, without fantasizing about their interpretation and promoting double standards?

Is it not time to return to peaceful plans proposed by China, Africa, Brazil, and many others? Is it not time to stop the senseless bloodshed? Is it not time to let go of illusions? Is it not time to stop listening to provocations? Is it not time to stop sending men to the front who want to live, work, and love, rather than keep their fingers on the trigger of a weapon sent by the West? After all, the English theologian and historian of the 17th century, Thomas Fuller, once said, “Many were brave when they durst not be.”

And since I mentioned this quote, let me end this letter with a quote from the globally renowned American writer of Russian descent, Isaac Asimov: “Humanity can afford only one war – a war against its own extinction!” And what you are doing, Vladimir Aleksandrovich, undoubtedly leads to that! Find the courage of Army General Ludvík Svoboda and start peace negotiations!