War in Europe!

Vladimir Putin did the most terrible thing possible. He just broke the order that had been in force since the end of World War II, or, if you prefer, from the beginning of the Cold War. Europe has not known a great war since 1945. The bloody conflict in the Balkans was, however, only a civil war, and its trigger was the national and religious feuds that had been growing over the centuries.

The war that started tonight is the first geopolitical-driven warfare since 1945. The first aggression against an independent state in Europe. The first attempt to rebuild one of the former empires. Russian troops will not stop in Ukraine in any particular place. In his speech, which was broadcast overnight, Putin made it clear: "our goal is the demilitarization of Ukraine", a state that is for him a "puppet" of the West, a state that, as a NATO and US bridgehead, is "the greatest, vital threat" to Russia's security.

Putin's goal is all of Ukraine. The minimum plan is to install an obedient, pro-Russian government in Kiev and to bind Ukraine with agreements that will make it completely dependent on Russia and the police presence of Russian troops. And the maximum plan? This is not the time to scare anyone and build catastrophic scenarios. This is a time of preparation and responsible anticipation.

Every war is a state of extreme chaos. Its development and end are usually determined by factors that cannot be predicted at the time it erupts. The entire Polish health care system must be prepared for any variant of the course of events. To receive hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. To help the victims of a new war in Europe. And even in the event of a conflict that crosses NATO's borders. In such an unpredictable moment in history, responsibility makes you prepare for any scenario. Even the one we don't even want to imagine ...

Witold Laskowski