Besides grenades, cluster bombs and cruise missiles, the media is the most important weapon in the war in Ukraine. Via live streams, we see how, day in and day out, mediagenic President Zelensky holds out longer than anyone else while being a complete underdog. From inside his bunker, he addresses the European Parliament one moment and a mass demonstration in Prague the next. Today more than ever, we are witnessing a live war and thus feel the fear and pain of the Ukrainian people.

Through live streams from the battlefield, we see what horrors the Russian army is committing. And also how he is hopelessly stuck in other places, forced to deploy unmotivated troops with shoddy equipment against fearless Ukrainians. The putschist’s handbook that you should first take control of a country’s radio and television station clearly needs an update. Because after almost two weeks it is evident that the Red Army faces the almost impossible task of silencing all transmitters and receivers. And then Elon Musk’s Starlink (internet from space) is still on the way…

It is for this reason that I was – and remain – adamantly opposed to the European Union’s banning of Russian channels such as Russia Today and Sputnik. This gave Putin the perfect alibi to deliver the final blow to press freedom in Russia as well. With this, the European Union has shot itself in the foot. Because who knows, maybe the independent news channels still picked up in Russia could have tipped the scales among the population.

Innovation on the battlefield tends to result in even more gruesome weapons, whether thermobaric or so-called precision weapons. In the case of Ukraine, there are two innovations that offer some hope: the cooperation of international hackers in Anonymous, which hacked into Russian websites and government institutions. And second, the deployment of camera drones to record crimes against humanity.

As our apartment is too small to accommodate refugees, for the moment we have to content ourselves with making donations so that we can do something for the victims of this futile war. This weekend, I supported the Free Press Unlimited organization and the new Eyes on Ukraine foundation, which sends dozens of drones from the Netherlands to the front to record war crimes.

See you in court, Vladimir!

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