It has been 35 years since the Berlin Wall fell and Eastern European countries began, one after another, casting off the yoke of the Soviet occupation.

Since then, an entire generation has been born and matured . . . a generation that never knew the horrors of living under communism. But what about their parents? Have they forgotten what it was like, or how desperately they fought — and how many lives were lost — in order to break free?

It seems impossible that their memories could be so short. Yet there are those who are turning back to that era . . . leaning so far to the political right that they are electing governments friendly to Vladimir Putin, despite the ever-increasing repressions of his regime.

There is Belarus’ presumptive President, Aleksandr Lukashenko; Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban; Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico; and now, it appears that Romania is set to elect right-wing Eurosceptic George Simion, who just won 40.9% of Sunday’s vote and is favored to win a run-off vote on May 18th.

Is it coincidence that these people have come to power while Putin is demonstrating more and more clearly his goal of reasserting Russia’s hegemony over those parts of Eastern Europe that were once contained within the USSR’s Eastern Bloc? How much simpler would it be for him if those countries voluntarily submitted to his influence, saving him the trouble and expense of additional “special military operations” like the one currently underway in Ukraine?

It’s already well known that Lukashenko in Belarus has been Putin’s puppet for years. Given Russia’s history of election interference in countries throughout the world, it seems far more likely that Hungary, Slovakia and Romania are falling victim to the same sort of “peaceful invasion” . . . a coup by ballot, so to speak . . . without a shot being fired.

It’s insidious; it’s clever; and it’s working. And with all three countries maintaining membership in NATO, the EU, and the Schengen Zone, it’s a serious problem.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/7/25