I am writing this post in English today because my message is primarily for a Western audience. Most of you, even as of 2026, are still living on the "Planet of Pink Ponies." It has been four years since the Third World War began — are you aware of that?

But today, we will talk about the Second World War. Most historians agree it started in 1939 with the invasion of Poland. In my opinion, it began even earlier — with Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia.

My cousin Andrii gave a copy of William Shirer’s "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" to my grandmother years ago. After she passed away, my mother brought the book home. It is a massive work built on archival documents. Over the last four years, I have read it three times — usually during winter blackouts, while Russians target our power grid and heating systems with missiles and drones, leaving us without light or internet. Good old printed books have become relevant again.

What strikes me most about "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich":
The incredible parallels between WW2 and our current war. We see that Europe and the USA have learned almost nothing from history. This ignorance gave the aggressor ample time to act. You need to read this book to understand the catastrophic consequences of such politics.

For example, when Germany invaded Poland, had France decisively supported its ally and attacked Germany immediately from the West, it would have achieved great success. German troops were exhausted and running low on ammunition. This is not my conclusion; it is Shirer’s conclusion based on captured German documents: their ammunition was depleted, and restocking would have taken significant time. Germany was vulnerable, yet France chose to sit behind the Maginot Line.

What I disliked about the book (and what is historically inaccurate):
Shirer constantly refers to the Soviet Union and the Red Army as "Russians," completely forgetting that the USSR consisted of 15 different countries (hence the name UNION!). Calling the Red Army or the USSR "Russians" is equivalent to calling the entire European Union "Germans" today.
For instance, Ukrainians made up roughly a third of the Red Army (from 25% to 40%, depending on the front sector). Now, you can clearly see how the Russians fight without Ukrainians and against Ukrainians. They started with the slogan "We can do it again," yet the Russo-Ukrainian war has already lasted longer than the part of WW2 Russians call the "Great Patriotic War," and Russian successes remain very modest (if not pathetic, considering the resources they had at the start).

The Nightmare Scenario:
The worst thing that could happen next is if Ukraine falls and is annexed by Russia. If that happens, a new "Red Army" will appear on the borders of the EU — one that will be qualitatively different from the current Russian forces.
Please remind yourself of this every time you feel the deceptive relief that you can get by with yet another expression of "deep concern."

An actual photo of my book, exactly as it is:

Bogdan Karasiov, Ukraine, February 3, 2026.

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