RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AS A THREAT TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPE: THE UKRAINIAN DIMENSION

The article deals with issues related to Russian aggression against Ukraine in the context of the existing threat to sustainable development of Europe. Particular attention is drawn to the treachery of aggressive Russian policy towards not only the Ukrainian people but also the peoples of other countries which are traditionally considered to be the zone of influence and interests of the Kremlin. The authors have concluded that as long as the current Russian political leadership is poised to stay in power, it is impossible to expect any democratic changes in this country. The mentality of war professed by both the Russian authorities and Russian society is in opposition to the existing basic European values and democratic freedoms. At the same time, even the replacement of the current government will not automatically improve the political situation in the country. Only the disintegration of Russia into separate independent states will deprive it of its imperial status. Ukraine is considered not only in terms of the necessary support and assistance from the perspective of the legal and moral foundations of human civilization but also as a likely candidate for an active role in the post war political configuration of Europe. This conviction, as stated in the article, is based on the significant achievements made by the Ukrainian people in recent years in the context of meeting European standards of life and work in the demonstrated success in protecting national interests, the very idea of the existence of an independent Ukrainian state.