The editorial Board of “the Ukrainian truth” received this text from the Minister of internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov. We publish it completely unchanged, because we believe that this material expressed important ideas that require discussion in the Ukrainian society.
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“War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace time”
(Thomas Mann)
2017. Ukraine. Hybrid war.
Post-Maidan syndrome, military aggression, caused by the difficult economic situation in the country…
The current Ukrainian situation — external and internal — should be assessed in terms of a hybrid war. And, clearly, in their inner essence, the factor of “hybrid war” is the outer dimension.
This situation is embodied we have more than a difficult phenomenon of “hybrid society”. Companies for which all the more meaningful everyday is a component of a hybrid war. Voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly — but it is!
Hybrid war is reflected not only in the actual fighting, dead and wounded. Hybrid warfare is part of our life a constant toxic presence in the political, informational, socio-economic and psycho-emotional fields of our reality.
All, of course, watched the most vivid recent manifestations of hybrid action. Last year’s “procession”, “the immortal regiment” this year, and dozens of similar situations, remaining out of sight of the General public. Borderline manipulative TV, embargo, pseudo, the fake “national” political forces driven from the outside, and a powerful stream forming fake news… All this has as its underlying goal to make the “hard” (power) factor component of hybrid war in the Ukrainian society and politicum.
Fortunately, our law enforcement and intelligence agencies had the will and professionalism to prevent the implementation of such externally initiated “charitable action” challenging and provocative “mnogohodovok” heavy enough for Ukraine consequences. But the loss is still there — our power of creation seriously weakened waged against us hybrid action.
However, in General, successful opposition as a hybrid of peak to attempts of destabilization of a situation and the background of regular attacks — puts all of us in front of the obvious need to “play the lead”. A la guerre comme A la guerre. We just have to learn not only to respond quickly, proactively and thoughtfully, not only to act, but — more importantly — to prepare for the perception of the following for hybrid war-hybrid world.
Hybrid war will end sooner or later. However, already generated, and still the resulting problems of social plan will go nowhere. On the contrary — they will be included as significant components in the specific phenomenon of the “hybrid world” with whom to live to the Ukrainian society will have a very long time.
Socio-administrative training to the underside of a “hybrid world” need not even start, and a full news now!
First of all, you should pay attention to posed by hybrid warfare, the phenomenon of degradation — both at the individual/psychological level and at the level of the collective/social.
This social phenomenon is manifested primarily in the risks of gravitation to simple solutions based on simplified dichotomies of “good-bad”, “right-wrong”, “profitable-unprofitable”.
But can we in the current situation afford the luxury of uncompromising black-and-white view?
Sociologists have already fixed in the mass consciousness of our society the desire to solve problems is as simple and forceful ways. These deceptively “simple” and quick ways which often offer the left-wing and right-wing populists, in no way can not give the desired result.
Moreover, the future behind such erroneous actions of human disappointment and frustration on the falling spiral that can destroy our society and our country.
The desire, the propensity of companies to this kind of “simple” solutions always occurs against a background of distrust of the current government, the current steps and decisions in determining the daily rhythm of life of the country. And then multi-barrel cannon on the minds of the already shocked and traumatized by the war and difficult economic situation of the person is bombarded by a hail of negativity. “Zrada”, “all is lost” and “nothing around positive and good” is the key weapon of the enemy, destroying the faith and patience of a Ukrainian on the very difficult path of change…
With this destructive attack of negativity, destruction, solidarists their actions and the actions of a considerable detachment of political scoundrels. The incompetence and greed of those entities, often located in the core of power adds fuel and ammunition for destructive enemy cars to destroy faith in the harmonious future of man in the Ukraine…
How to deal with this hybrid threat the key? A monstrous threat, based on the thirst for simplification and destruction, through a loss of faith in the creation and in the possibility and existence of positive movement toward best?!
This is a key challenge of our time for each of those who think about the future of Ukraine.
I said, and I repeat again:
Populism leading political forces contributes to the frustration of the population, high expectations and disappointment from the lack of their implementation in reality is a poison that systematically poisons all of us. Contribute to politicians who are in power and the opposition forces.
Frustration is the source of aggression. Especially in the case where people tell how bad, but do not offer effective solutions to problems. Such homegrown and visiting Messiahs we have a dime a dozen. Yes, all that contributes to the damaging self-blame and frustration — actively helping our real enemy, leading a war against us.
In this situation vital the triumph of common sense and the dictatorship of the real tenets of survival and development. Postulates are heavy, not popular, not beautiful, not leading those who establishes, to the heights of power or wealth. Postulates are correct. Such, the implementation of which will ohnem on the severity of the road ahead, but we know that can lead us to a state of prosperous society, and we will live in a happy and successful country…
We, each individually and all together, they need to go is to transform the consciousness and actions. It is necessary to define its position and focus on those who create, for results clear and realistic plans.
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I would like to comment on one, perhaps private, but extremely important and unfortunately a large factor in the total destruction of consciousness as the result of a hybrid war — veteran postoyannom syndrome.
Every day the ongoing war appears more and more people, burnt the fighting, with an offset value categories — people, which is easy to cross the line of ethics and the use of force and weapons.
The phenomenon of degradation present in the society, directly adjacent, in fact, intertwined with him as before would say “Vietnam/the Afghan syndrome” — and now the Ukrainian veterans ‘ post-war syndrome.
We, Ukrainians, are more familiar with the “Afghan syndrome”, but not as a medical or rather health and social problem in society, and in the tragic life stories of relatives, friends, acquaintances… of the Soviet “Afghans” often are unable to find a decent place, after returning from the war, they “were never sent”… Drug abuse, suicide, aggressive behavior, conflict, broken families, destroyed lives…
Affordable, is clearly inaccurate, Soviet statistics, after the military conflict in Afghanistan has passed the 546 thousand 255 people — about 0.2% of the population of the USSR. No programs for the rehabilitation and social adaptation did not conduct.
The “Afghan syndrome” has remained a private tragedy for each individual, “the Soviet Afghan family.” It is important for us to turn to the experience of overcoming the “Vietnam syndrome” in the US — which has been recognized at the state level.
“Vietnam syndrome” in the United States is a medical term describing various nervous and mental disease whose victims were American soldiers and officers, past war in Vietnam. According to the observations of American scientists, most of the soldiers returned from Vietnam, could not find their place in life. Moreover, the reasons were overwhelmingly not of the material plane, but socio-psychological. Have returning soldiers there was a feeling that society rejects from a “Vietnamese” who had returned to his “other”, not like the others.
Within ten years after the end of the Vietnam war, 62 thousands of former American soldiers committed suicide (in peacetime), and by 1988 this figure has exceeded 100 thousand. (For comparison, according to the Pentagon, during the Vietnam war total combat losses amounted to 47 thousand 378 people, non-combat losses — 10 thousand 799 153 thousand 303 people were injured and maimed, and 2 thousand 300 people are still missing). Thus, the number of suicides (committed!) almost half of the total number of ALL casualties during the fighting.
“Vietnam syndrome” is characteristic and perhaps the most studied and applied meaningful example of the endemic “posttraumatic stress disorder” (PTSD) manifested in a massive scale (certain manifestations of post-traumatic syndrome was observed in 30% of Vietnam war veterans in Vietnam) and became for US a full-fledged social problem of national importance.
The problem of the “Vietnam syndrome” was recognized in the United States at the state level, it developed a wide and well-funded rehabilitation programs.
According to open sources, the total budget of the programmes for the rehabilitation of people affected by the “Vietnam syndrome” is $ 4 billion. However, until now, every military conflict involving the U.S. military brings to the social problem of post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to official statistics, in 2005, committed suicide 6256 veterans in 2012 — about 6.5 thousand veterans, and 349 cases of suicide were recorded among active-duty military. (For comparison, the combat losses amounted to 295 people) as of 2008, registered at the Department of veterans Affairs United States consisted of 12 thousand former soldiers, who tried to commit suicide. The Department in July 2007, they established a hotline to help those American veterans who are thinking about suicide. The budget of the project amounted to $ 2.9 million. Daily telephone service receives about 250 calls. Only for the first year of functioning of this “hot line” psychologists 1221 prevented the suicide of veterans. According to a sociological study conducted by the American Institute RAND in 2008, one in five soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffers from PTSD and is prone to suicide. Researchers from Portland state University found that veterans of the Iraq and Afghan campaigns in the United States commit suicide at twice the rate of other Americans.
As is the case in the Ukraine — three years after the start of the war?
As of mid-June, 2017 — 280,5 thousand people have the status of combatants. It is only those who issued the documents officially, that is not all. But even so, this is almost 0.7 % of the population, including infants and the elderly.
The universally recognized international standard for military conflicts — 90-95% of combatants subsequently have a medical (related to nervous system) and social problems, and about one-third of diagnosed PTSD, which is often suicide.
According to the military Prosecutor’s office at the beginning of June 2017 registered about 500 cases of suicides of members of the antiterrorist operation after returning from the combat zone.
According to the International human rights centre “La Strada Ukraine”, in 2015 the number of applications of family members of ATO participants with complaints of domestic violence increased by eight times.
From the point of view of the availability of post-war syndrome, it is necessary to take into account the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and those who remain in the occupied territories in the combat zone. That is, risk is several times more people!
For example, according to psychologists, after the September 11 attacks post-traumatic stress syndrome with more or less intensity was observed in almost 70% of new Yorkers. After six months this value fell to 30% (not counting, of course, family members of victims). Until now, many people still experience anxiety, depression, sleep badly and have completely lost the joy of carefree existence. They have this condition is preserved and even consolidated.
The symptoms of post-stress syndrome (increased anxiety, loss of concentration, loss of joy of life, depression up to suicide) survivors of the Spitak earthquake in 2013 had returned and increased in 30% of cases after 3-5 years. The earthquake lasted only 30 seconds.
In Ukraine three years there is a hybrid war and when it ends, the recognition and overcoming of consequences of military post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans and civilians — will be one of the key challenges of the hybrid world.
To overcome the Ukrainian equivalent of a “Vietnam syndrome”, exacerbated by national specificity, have been developed and implemented program of socio-psychological and socio-economic assistance. However, while this is largely departmental programs that solve problems mainly on individual or departmental level, but “take out the brackets” problem in General.
Requires a comprehensive, holistic program at the state level, aimed at minimizing the negative effects of “post-war syndrome” as a social phenomenon. You need understanding and recognition that this problem is a global problem of the Ukrainian society.
Have forgotten the Maxim that “war ends only when it buried the last soldier”. This is more than fair in the humanitarian historical Maxim, perhaps, has its continuation in the public plan: the war ends only when the socio adapts its last soldier.
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Hybrid warfare is a fact of life and must be recognized, accepted and considered by everyone, every citizen and public institutions, with all its peculiarities, risks and threats. Awareness of this fact, to address the factors hybrid war requires courage, bravery and vigilance every day from each of us.
It is very important now to prepare for the future hybrid world, which in turn will bring new unprecedented challenges and risks.
Ukraine and each of us will have to first learn how to live in this new world, to understand it and find their place.
But before that, we have to go through a difficult transition period, to survive the difficult stage of reconstruction of the country and soul all work together to overcome post-stress syndrome of the war.
I noted two main destructive factors which, in my opinion, society and each of us should be overcome: destruction, generating frustration and military PTSD.
However, I guess you could say that: it is the same destructive post-traumatic stress disorder, only it is expressed differently.
If we think about the future, if responsible before future generation of Ukrainians — we are today in a state of hybrid war — you need to think about the strategy of the hybrid world.
It is broader than what is mentioned in this text — and it behooves us to formulate, prescribe and adopt (if you want — the social contract) now, based on all the intelligence of the country.
Future must be laid down in the present!
