By Kole Omotoso

A soldier of the 82nd Airborne Division checks his weapon before deploying to Europe, February 14, 2021, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. – US service members based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are preparing deploy to Europe as the crisis between Russia and Ukraine escalates. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP)

Russia masses 180,000 troops on its border with Ukraine on the basis that Russia is free to move its troops as it sees fit within its borders. Are you joking? Of course, I can swing my arms as I like. But when I start to hit you, I have to stop. Or else you might have to get hold of my leg to stop my hands hitting your jaw.

This is a continuation of the Cold War which Russia lost and the West did not win decisively. Although, at the time, there was a triumphant trumpeting about the end of History and Victory of Democracy over Dictatorship. China changed to a ten yearly change of leadership. The world was at peace.

FOR a few years world collective action focused on world problems together. Climate change, the world heating up and the possibility of alternative sources of energy. No matter what we do we do need energy to survive.

There was an end to nationalism, ethnicity, fight against racism. Remember it was during this time that the only racist government on earth was defeated, the apartheid government of South Africa, with the collective efforts of the whole world, mind the efforts of the ANC to claim the victory.

But Democracy wasn’t safe, Dictatorship had not ended. China changed to a one-man rule. North Korea became a one-man rule and these governments became governments that Democracies began to admire until the United States of America wanted to rig its election to set up All along, Vladimir Putin, the one-man ruler of Russia, was wondering how to reconstitute the United Socialist Soviet Republics, perhaps with the Socialist replaced with Democratic to read the United Democratic Soviet Republics. He moved his troops to three quarters of his border with Ukraine claiming that he had the right to move his troops any how he likes within his borders. But he sends a note to the President of the United States of America to stop Ukraine joining the NATO, the Western Club that signifies freedom, democracy and the rule of law. More importantly for now, assure me, Vladimir Putin, that Ukraine, part of Russia, will not join NATO. Do not forget I have my troops at the border.

In the meantime, Putin swears he does not wish to go to war with the NATO Alliance and President Joe Biden, the de facto head of the NATO Alliance, says he does not wish to have American soldiers face to face with Russian soldiers. Who is fooling who? You dress in the shorts that hunters wear to hunt. You wear the dansiki soaked in the blood of previous kills. You fetch your sakabula gun and begin to clean it. You put aaya and bullets and gun powder and aaya. You bring the gun rod to measure and gauge of the gun. And finally you bring out your ancient bag. And all this time you are declaring to your household that you are not going hunting and the bush animals of the forest should not be careful. Who, in God’s name, is fooling who?

THERE is a personal element to Ukraine as far as I am concerned. In 1983, I made a two-month trip to the Soviet Union, visiting the theaters of the Soviet Union. My trip almost ended in Kiev as Kyiv used to be spelt at that time. We had an argument about the status of Trotsky in the first cabinet. My guide said that I raised the matter of Trotsky because I wished to cause trouble. That stopped me immediately. Anyway there was something more interesting in Kyiv. It was the world capital of the Embassy of Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations aka Embassy of God. It was founded by Senior Pastor Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian pastor.

He was a student at the university when a loud Arab student helped him, inadvertently, to lose his shyness. When God called him to the service in the ministry, he studied, with the help of videos and cassettes of other prophets and pastors. So, in no time someone who could not speak before two people was speaking in front of thousands of people. According to information Embassy of God is one of the mega churches of the world with 100,000 members in Ukraine and churches in the UK, Germany, Ivory Coast, France, Nigeria and many countries around the world. He uses private jets to visit these churches.

The church in Ukraine provides soup kitchens for homeless people. Drug addicts get relief from the churches. The church is criticised for preaching prosperity. The police arrested a leader of the church for money-laundering. What role does such a church play in what is happening in the country today?

YESTERDAY, President Biden announced a number of financially punitive measures against Vladimir Putin and his government. President Biden might say he is not at war with Russia but he is at war with President Vladimir Putin for whatever it is worth. We can watch and see which side will overcome.

But are we merely onlookers? Do we not have stakes in what is happening? Already the price of petrol has gone up. With the price of petrol going up, the price of consumer items would go up. Families in various corners of the earth will have to pay more for their needs and necessities. Herein lies the involvement of the rest of the world. We are not mere onlookers, we are involved. We might not join the army as fighters in the first and the second world wars. During those wars, our countries were colonies of the countries at war and we were compelled to go to war with our colonial overlords. Today, things are different.

What will be the fate of Vladimir Putin, war monger? If Russia loses the war as they are bound to do, will Putin be put on trial and condemned to life imprisonment? Is there another Putin, waiting, aggrieved, ready to continue the war? It is not unlikely that such a person exists among the persons who voted in support of President Putin in the Duma. So, there will always be war.