Halyna Yanchenko

Member of Parliament of Ukraine

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Ukraine

Jan 7, 2026

In case you didn’t know: Berlin has been in a blackout since January 3.

After several power cables were set on fire, half of the city and part of the surrounding region were left without electricity. In the middle of winter, Berlin quite literally began to freeze.

It is telling that one of the first “Points of Resilience” was set up by Ukrainians 🙏💪 living in Berlin. Hot tea, warmth, phone charging, basic support — all the things Ukrainians have long learned to organize in real life.

On the one hand, I am genuinely proud of our people.
Even abroad, Ukrainians remain those who stand strong and help others.

On the other hand, this is a serious wake-up call for Europe.

What happened in Berlin is a terrorist attack. And I am convinced that even if German radical groups formally claimed responsibility, Russian intelligence services are behind it, testing the EU’s vulnerabilities and its readiness for crises.

War in the 21st century is not only about the front line. It is about energy, civilian infrastructure, and how fast a society can act.

Ukraine has already learned this lesson.
It is time for Europe to draw conclusions…

Comment from :

Jonas Hard af Segerstad

A week-long blackout in Berlin is not an energy incident. It is a failed resilience drill.

NATO’s Article 3 obliges every member to maintain the capacity to withstand sustained pressure on its own society — before Article 5 ever becomes relevant. That includes power, healthcare, transport, and the civilian systems that keep populations in place.

Germany speaks fluently about deterrence. But Article 3 is not about tanks or deployments. It is about whether a society continues to function when systems are deliberately stressed.

Ukraine has already shown the difference. Resilience is not something you activate in crisis — it is something your systems either have, or do not.

If a European capital can lose core services for a week, the lesson is uncomfortable but clear:
Article 3 is still being treated as a guideline, not as an operational requirement.

Robert Finney

Jonas Hård af Segerstad : This may be the most important comment I have read on LinkedIn for quite some time. What are Governments for if not to promote/ensure this?

Jonas Hard af Segerstad

Robert Finney : Thank you Robert! That question cuts to the core.

Governments are not primarily there to promote resilience. They are there to design and enforce it.

Article 3 is not fulfilled by statements, strategies or spending levels. It is fulfilled only when civilian systems are stress-tested, redundant, and able to function over time under pressure.

Today, most governments still measure inputs — plans, budgets, coordination — rather than the only metric that matters: how long systems actually hold when deliberately stressed.

Until resilience is treated as an operational requirement — with clear ownership, mandatory testing, and consequences for failure — Article 3 remains aspirational rather than real.

That gap is now visible.

Norbert Schindler

While Ukrainians are ready to stand and help their European neighbors, the rest of us need to ask: are we all standing by Ukrainians as they face daily terror since February 2022?

Maksim Pavloshin

By classifying it as a “terrorist attack” you are playing into Kremlin propaganda.

Call it what it is: an act of sabotage carried on orders from Kremlin.

Terrorists are disorganized group without a country. Sabotage can only be performed by state actors.

Words matter.

Star comment :

Christopher J O’Shea

Business Advisor, Activist, Author, and Publisher

DATELINE KYIV – DAY 1414 : 4340

Wake up, Europe!

“Europe does not defend itself at its borders in Brussels, Berlin or Paris. Europe defends itself on the frontline. And today, that frontline is Ukraine.” [Credit: Rolf Ivar Skår]

Only the decisive defeat of the Russian Federation’s armed forces in Ukraine will lead to a just and equitable peace, Russian accountability, and a brighter future for Europe and the world.

If you want to win the war quickly, the only sure way to do it is boost Ukraine’s armed forces with every weapon they can absorb NOW.

At present, a cease fire for its own sake will only inure to the benefit of the Russian Federation.

Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Time to stop enabling the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions.

Time to unshackle your inner raging bull.

Time to decapitate the snake.

V/r – IB
An American in Ukraine
(2019 – Present)

СЛАВА УКРАЇНІ! | СЛАВА ЗСУ! + СБУ! + ГУР + НГУ + ДПСУ | НПУ | ДСНС | ГЕРОЯМ СЛАВА!

ARMUKRAINENOW!

CLOSETHESKIESOVERUKRAINENOW!

RUSSIAISATERRORISTSTATE!

GLORY TO THOSE WHO POSSESS THE COURAGE AND THE FORESIGHT TO #STANDWITHUKRAINE!

…………………

Here are a few takeaways for Ukraine after the U.S. operation in Venezuela.

While the main goal of the United States was to dismantle Venezuela’s authoritarian regime (which has long been linked to drug trafficking in the Americas) and, to some extent, weaken the Cuban regime, this operation will also have implications for the war in Ukraine.

1️⃣ One of Russia’s key partners in the Western Hemisphere — the Maduro regime — has effectively been taken out of play. This is already visible in international voting, including support for Ukraine-related resolutions at the UN.

2️⃣ It is also a blow to the Kremlin’s broader strategy. Through its partnership with Venezuela, Russia sought to influence global oil prices — a critical lever for a “gas station state” like Russia.

3️⃣ The U.S. sent a very clear message to authoritarian regimes worldwide: when a red line is crossed, there will be action.

What remains an open question now is what comes next for Venezuela — and whether the country can achieve stability and avoid falling back under the influence of other authoritarian regimes…

Comment from :

Michael Schwartz

This is the right interpretation. What you did not say explicitly but imply:

Maduro’s fall is a win for Ukraine.
The stage is set now for Europe to ACT in Ukraine. Its reflexive dithering, posturing and paralysis is increasingly exposed. Ukraine is paying the price and so is Europe. It is time for Europe to send forces into Ukraine and drive Putin out.

Tammo Lotz

Here’s how I see the Venezuela operation and its potential impact on Ukraine. The US did what they did as they see Venezuela as Russia sees Ukraine, as belonging to their respective spheres of influence. This is very dangerous.

It’s vital that Europe commits to Ukraine’s future as a free and independent country. Europe must become a true global player. The integrity of Ukraine must be top priority on the European agenda.

Stanislav Filshtinskiy

Thank you Halyna Yanchenko for this analysis.

Here are my few points:

The recent intervention in Venezuela is a battle won in the war that is already going. It made one member of enemy alliance either weaker and gone. With option to take ruzzіа, IR and PRC influence down as well.
These are good news.
It demonstrated impotence of CRINK in terms of supporting each other.
This is good news.
It forced ruzzіа to issue a statement hostile to US and the current administration.
This is good news.
It created discontent in ruzzіа internally – one can observe ruzzіаn ultra-patriots crying and blaming pooh-tin for weakness.
This is good news.

Let’s take a win where we can.