It's time to wake up and smell the gunpowder. Like a shock wave from a rocket explosion, the war that Vladimir Putin unleashed on the outskirts of Europe is moving rapidly west. It breaks down the doors of houses, companies, hits workplaces across the continent: from Berlin to Birmingham. War showers Europe with a toxic rain of instability, disaster and fear.

The notion that the Russian war against Ukraine can be locked inside Ukraine has become a convenient political illusion for NATO. And the belief that Western sanctions and arms supplies would stop the Russians was nonsense.. Now, enraged by Kyiv's stubborn resistance and determined to hurt those who punished him for his aggression, Putin is preparing to mock all of Europe.. Simon Tisdall, columnist and assistant editor of the British edition, writes about this on the pages of The Guardian..

By weaponizing energy, food, refugees, and information, the Russian autocrat sows economic and political pain by creating war conditions for everyone.. A long and turbulent winter is approaching Europe, during which energy resources will be scarce.

“As in the case of a cubic meter of gas, the price of cowardice and myopia of Western leaders is growing every hour. Russian destabilization operations, social media manipulation, cyberattacks, double diplomatic standards, nuclear blackmail, and the relentless killing of Ukrainian civilians will only deepen the European siege in the coming months.. The West's strange belief that it can avoid a continent-wide escalation is rapidly evaporating..

Not entirely the fault of the war Putin unleashed, but Europe now faces fundamental challenges that are much bigger than the financial crash of 2008, Brexit, or the coronavirus pandemic.. But many politicians in the EU and the UK are hiding their heads in the sand in denial.. If the forecasts of a gas supply shutdown come true and the lights go out, then the problem will not only be that plants will shut down, jobs will be lost and markets will go into a depression.. Pensioners will freeze, children will starve, supermarket shelves will become empty, and unacceptable prices will become even higher.. Wages will depreciate, and strikes and street protests could reach the point where a Sri Lankan-style crash is repeated. Is this an exaggeration? The author claims that no. The consequences fanned by the Putin-loyal right are already taking effect from Greece to Italy, from the Netherlands to Spain..

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It is possible that the solidarity of the EU will fall apart if national governments start to compete for the remaining resources.. Brussels set to publish winterization plan this week. But his provisions are unclear. And they can't be done. EU energy policy lacks broader context. Despite commitments under bilateral cooperation, a complete halt in gas supplies from Russia could turn country against country, fuel inflation even more, and split the international coalition against Moscow.. According to this scenario, Putin will begin to demand the lifting of sanctions in exchange for the resumption of energy supplies.. He has already resorted to such blackmail in the context of the blockade of the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea..

Dependent on imports, Germany is already making unilateral moves in search of alternative gas and oil suppliers. Moscow halted gas supplies via Nord Stream I, bringing emergency closer. Many in Berlin fear (and some environmentalists hope) that any introduction of energy rationing could become permanent.. German vice-chancellor publicly warns of a possible start of a " French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire's comments last week also sounded panicky.. He talked about the imminent stoppage of gas supplies.. In a Napoleonic way, he called on the countries of Europe to prepare for battle. But as in 1812, there is a "

The author also points out how the Russian war against Ukraine affects efforts to combat climate change and preserve biodiversity.. UK and other countries risk abandoning zero carbon targets. European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans suggested that Europe temporarily return to fossil fuels due to " And here Germany again showed leadership by increasing the production of electricity from coal-fired power plants.. The West again looks to the oil tyrants in the Persian Gulf with the hope of salvation. European winter could also lead to tensions with the US. America's economic recovery from the pandemic is much stronger and its economy is more resilient. US energy prices are also significantly lower. However, it was President Joe Biden's leadership in NATO that brought Europe to a geopolitical impasse.. Even the euro became cheaper than the dollar for the first time. For Europeans, all wars are actually local. And for Americans they go on somewhere far abroad.

Sanctions, economic aid and other non-military measures that Biden prefers will not be enough to put Putin in his place. Some have begun to suspect that a stalemate that will slowly bleed Russia dry is in the US interest. But now it is Putin who bleeds Europe. Sanctions have “returns” or are poorly implemented. Russian energy revenues are growing. And aside from Ukraine, Europe's less affluent countries are hurting much more from the consequences.. As volatility grows, U.S.-Europe disagreements will intensify pressure to change Western course.

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The obvious " Such a shameful trade has powerful lawyers. If Russia returns to normal business, the suffering of Europe will be eased, which cannot be said about the suffering of Ukraine. At the same time, such an agreement would set a precedent that would lay the foundation for a catastrophe for the future of peace and security, both in Europe and around the world.. Worth thinking about Taiwan. Or Estonia. The sovereign integrity of democratic Ukraine will be destroyed.

Fortunately, there is an alternative solution: “use NATO's superior force to decisively change the course of the war”. The author is convinced that direct, targeted and powerful Western action to repel the disgusting Russian horde is not a declaration of the Third World War.

This is the only way to quickly end this horror and make sure that Putin and those who might want to emulate him do not benefit from the illegal massacre they have orchestrated..

“In pursuit of the goal of causing maximum damage, Putin openly threatens the core of European democracy. All the evidence is clear and can no longer be ignored. Enough half-measures and cowardice! NATO must act now to force Putin's marauding army back beyond recognized Russian borders. Now not only Ukraine, but the whole of Europe needs salvation,” the article says..