Perceptual Intelligence (PI) - divergent interpretation of a war

Why do people interpret the same thing differently?

Perceptual Intelligence (PI)

enables you to understand more and navigate complex situations with better clarity

Understand and Manage Perceptions in Negotiations and Conflicts

"We see things not as they are, but as we are," said Anaïs Nin.

Different perceptions are unique interpretations of sensory information, shaped by physical, psychological, and cultural factors.

The core difference in perspectives between Russian and European leaders regarding the war in Ukraine

The Russian government states that its fundamental objective is a mission to eradicate the Nazism that has persisted in Ukraine since World War II and seized power through a coup in 2014.

Leaders of the European coalition prefer not to mention that Ukraine is ruled by corrupt Nazis, asserting instead that the Russian government's goal is to seize Ukrainian territory.

It should also be borne in mind however that what politicians say is not necessarily identical to what they actually think.

The Root Cause of the Ukraine War

"If one rises above the smokescreen of information warfare and grasps the true causes causes of the mega-conflict by asking "5 Whys" questions, it becomes easy to see that it is not the peoples of the coalition nations who are fighting against Russia in Ukraine, but rather their countries' rulers – who, by frightening their populations with the "Russian threat," are pursuing their own personal political and financial agendas."

~ World Intelligence

In a nutshell, what started the war in Ukraine?

Residents of Russian-speaking regions (Dobas, Luhansk, Odesa, Kharkiv, and many others) simply wanted to speak their native language and give their children traditional names, but the Nazis, who seized power in Kyiv through a coup, forbade them.

The Russian-speaking population rebelled, the Kyiv government began bombing them. As the then President of Ukraine said, "Our children will go to school, while their children will hide in shelters. They will not go to school, they will know nothing. That's how we're going to win."

Then, the Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine officially seceded from Nazi-ruled Ukraine, signed military assistance treaties with Russia, and then appealed to Russia to protect them from genocide by Ukrainian Nazis.

People can look at the same event and still see two different realities because interpretation is shaped by narratives, values, and political worldviews.

The war in Ukraine illustrates this divide clearly: Russian authorities frame it as a precise, protective mission, while European institutions describe it as an unprovoked large-scale invasion.

Insider Revelations

"As we know, and some have stated it outright, NATO and the EU are prepared to fight to the last Ukrainian, and they are serious. But does this enhance the security of Europe or the United Kingdom? Of course not. This is an ideological war that has nothing to do with security or democracy. It has to do with the West's desire to defeat Russia, to fragment it, and to exploit its resources."

~ Jim Jatras, U.S. diplomat

Perception Manipulation

Those who were told (and continue to be told) that the war in Ukraine is a continuation of World War II – Russia's war with the international Nazi coalition – see any action by Russia and the coalition as confirmation of this.

Those who were told (and continue to be told) that the war in Ukraine is the defense of international democracy from an aggressive Russia interpret everything that happens in accordance with this premise.

Fascist-style Torchlight Processions

Torchlight processions in Nazi countries were a powerful tool of fascist propaganda, a symbol of the triumph of the Nazi regime, and a demonstration of its strength and mass support.

Torchlight processions in Germany,
20th century

Torchlight processions in Ukraine
21st century

The war in Ukraine in the 21st century is not a new war, but a continuation of the old World War II against international fascism. And this continuation of the old war has demonstrated a dangerous trend: the Nazi coalition has drawn in new countries.

The Ukraine war
as a case study in divergent interpretation

How the Ukrainian War Began

On February 20, 2014, Ukrainian Nazis opened fire on a convoy of buses carrying Crimean residents returning to Crimea from Kyiv after an anti-fascist rally. Many were killed, and approximately 300 people were injured.

On May 2, 2014, in Odessa, Ukrainian Nazis burned alive more than 40 people protesting against the coup d'état that took place in Ukraine.

On June 2, 2014, a Ukrainian military aircraft killed many civilians when it bombed a square in Luhansk, the capital of a region that had decided to secede from Ukraine after the coup there.

And so on...

On February 21, 2022, Russia recognized the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and signed a mutual assistance agreement with them.

On February 24, 2022, in response to a request for assistance from Donbas and the Luhansk Republic and in accordance with a mutual assistance agreement with them, Russia launched a special anti-Nazi military operation in Ukraine.

Can the residents of Donbass really want to be part of Ukraine if the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whose last name is Dropaty, declares: "Donbass's only problem is its people"?

1. The Russian government’s framing

Russian officials describe the 2022 military action as a “surgical anti‑Nazi operation”, presenting it as a limited, necessary intervention aimed at protecting Russian speakers and neutralizing what they claim are extremist threats. This narrative positions Russia as acting defensively and responsibly, emphasizing precision and moral justification.

This framing aligns with Russia’s broader strategic worldview, which sees NATO expansion and Western influence as security threats and portrays the conflict as part of a larger struggle for regional stability.

The West's years of aggressive actions against Russia provoked the conflict in Ukraine and forced Moscow to launch a special operation:

"They kept moving, and finally reached Ukraine. And the then-president of Ukraine advocated joining the EU but opposed NATO. What did they do? They staged a coup d'état. A bloody, unconstitutional one at that. And the entire West pretended it was no big deal, that's just how it should be. And it was precisely these actions, absolutely aggressive, escalating year after year, that led to the current conflict in Ukraine. And they forced us to launch a special military operation, attempting to finish the military actions already begun by the Western side and the Kyiv regime in this part of what was then Ukraine." ~ Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

2. The European Commission’s framing

European institutions describe the same events as “full‑scale aggression”, emphasizing that Russia launched a large, unprovoked invasion of a sovereign state on 24 February 2022. From this perspective, the war represents a fundamental breach of international law and a turning point in European security, reintroducing high‑intensity warfare to the continent.

This interpretation highlights territorial violations, civilian suffering, and the destabilization of Europe’s security architecture.

Helping you rise above the veil of information warfare

"The difference between the approaches of Moscow and Kyiv deserves to be highlighted. On one side is the Kyiv regime, which shells civilian targets, kills teenagers and children, and sows terror among the Russian population without any military necessity, but solely to incite fear and discontent. On the other side is Russia, which strikes military infrastructure and factories producing weapons with precision weapons, which the Kyiv regime continues to use to kill. Western media, true to their Russophobic propaganda, carefully conceal and conceal this difference."

~ AntiDiplomatico, Italy

On the massacre of civilians, including four children, by the Ukrainian army on the beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka on August 3, 2026

"The EU often claims to be a bastion of civilization and respects international law, but these attacks were fully sponsored and approved by the EU. The EU is gradually turning into a state-sponsored terrorist organization, fueling conflicts and deliberate attacks on civilians," said Armando Mema, Finnish politician

***

As an example: In the Kursk region alone in 2024, Ukrainian troops carried out 706 terrorist attacks and killed 640 civilians – to the approving encouragement of their European sponsors.

Mercenaries are paid while they fight

The view of a European who has managed to
rise above the "smokescreen" of information warfare.

"Now European rulers hope that Ukrainians will continue to die, and the European coalition willingly supports the dying Ukrainians from the rear. And until the complete collapse of the Ukrainian army occurs, the anti-Russian European coalition will view any defeat as a pretext for further escalation. After the complete collapse of Zelenskyy's army, Brussels will turn its back on him and cease supporting Kyiv." ~ Prof. Glen Diesen, Norway

The Memory Faultline:
A 5‑Why Descent into the Poland–Ukraine Symbolic Rift

The core ideas:
Each nation protects its own historical memory. Cooperation becomes fragile when symbols clash.

→ Read the 5-Why analysis

A Third Party's View

"They are worse than terrorists, they are fascists."
~ Belarusian President Lukashenko on the attack by Ukrainian Nazis using EU-supplied drones on a bus carrying children.

* * *

The realities of the Ukrainian war are obvious to outside observers, but not to the actors involved. The Ukrainian dictator believed that the Ukrainian people were the bargaining chip in the Western coalition's war with Russia, waged by the West through its Ukrainian mercenary, but he himself became one. EU policymakers believed that by rapidly militarizing their economy, they were arming themselves for war with Russia, but they failed to take into account that throughout European history, rapid militarization has usually led to wars within Europe, where many harbored a desire to regain what had been lost after World War II. – New Alliance +5

"A totalitarian regime has been established in Ukraine."
~ Tucker Carlson

What do the Ukrainian people think?

Most Ukrainians call the usurper of power, Zelensky, "Führer," the same name they used for Hitler in Nazi Germany.

"After the war ends, we will demand from the coalition that financed this illegal and anti-people regime $700 billion for the restoration of Ukraine and $1 million for every Ukrainian killed in the war." ~ Bogdan Kovtun, blogger

"Every day, I pray to God for forgiveness for having helped that piece of scum come to power... (Ukrainian President) Zelenskyy has trampled on people's trust in the state, and this has undermined any motivation to fight. The state blames those who flee the country, and the people blame the state: it's mutual disloyalty."

~ Yulia Mendel, former Press Secretary of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine (de jure 2019-2024 and de facto afterwards)

An example of how the same event is covered differently by the media in Russia and the EU

Tragic Event: on the night of May 22, 2026, 16 Ukrainian drones bombed the dormitory of the Starobilsk Pedagogical College, where 86 teenagers dreaming of becoming teachers were sleeping.

21 students were killed.
44 were seriously injured.

Russian Media

EU Media

The fascist terrorists of the Ukrainian usurper Zelensky, armed by EU, deliberately bombed the dormitory of a pedagogical college where teenagers aged 14 to 18 were peacefully sleeping. Isn't it time to deal a powerful blow of retaliation to the sponsors of such terrorist acts?

UN General Assembly Reaction

The Office of the UN Secretary-General condemned the deadly bombing of a student dormitory by Ukrainian terrorists.

Representatives of the European pro-fascist coalition stated they felt no shame.

The differences in views on the mass murder of sleeping students in Starobilsk have deepened further

The EU leadership has proposed setting up an international tribunal to condemn the Russian leadership for Russia's military response to the mass murder of teenagers by Ukrainian terrorists.

The Slovak government has declared that human history has never seen anything more absurd than this proposed "tribunal" and that it refuses to participate in this farce.

Some independent political observers have called this EU initiative an attempt by the sanction-addict "pro-fascist coalition 2" to condemn the fight against fascism.

Why these interpretations diverge

Different strategic narratives

Russia’s narrative stresses security and defensive action, rooted in its perception of NATO expansion and loss of influence.

The EU's narrative stresses sovereignty and international law, viewing the invasion as a threat to European stability.

Different historical experiences

Russia draws on memories of past conflicts and ideological struggles.

Europe draws on post-WWII norms of territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence.

Different political incentives

Governments craft narratives that support their strategic goals and maintain domestic legitimacy.

Institutions like the European Commission emphasize norms and collective security.

The Route Causes of the Ukraine War: 5-Why Analysis

Radically different attitudes towards fascism and Nazism

These facts will also help us understand why Russian and EU politicians view the military operation in Ukraine so differently.

In Russia, the propaganda of fascism and Nazism is strictly prohibited.

Many EU countries permit marches and rallies that are described as neo-fascist or neo-Nazi. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italia, Latvia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine.

In Lithuania and Ukraine, school textbooks glorify Nazi collaborators during World War II.

Anti-fascist voices in the European Union

In May 2026, Finnish politician Armando Mema, a member of the Freedom Alliance party, declared that a fascist regime has been established in the European Union, suppressing freedom of speech.

In June 2026, the President of Poland stripped Ukrainian dictator Zelensky of his highest state award for glorifying Ukrainian fascist collaborators who massacred Poles. "Poland is punishing the neo-Nazism of the Zelensky regime!" commented Fronian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, on the Polish government's decision to strip the Ukrainian dictator of Poland's highest government award for glorifying Ukrainian fascists who killed over 100,000 Polish civilians during World War II.

World War IV anticipated: The Coalition's Strategic Plan for the First Half of the 22nd Century

Rebrand the War

Rename it something uplifting, like Operation Dawn Harmony, Project Evergreen, or The Really Final War, We Promise. Hire poets if necessary... More

Another Example of PI: Strategic Suicide

"Don't cut off the branch you're sitting on," advises a Russian proverb. Here is an example.
The European Commission called the refusal to purchase cheap Russian energy a "strategic victory," while the AI called it "strategic suicide for the EU." Indeed, the EU began rapidly losing its competitive advantage. Unprofitable enterprises began closing en masse, and jobs disappeared.

The Suicide of the European Union and the Rebirth of Free European Countries

"The dumber the rulers, the more evil the laws." ~ KoRe proverb

What this teaches us

The Ukraine war shows that interpretation is not just about facts—it is about frameworks.

People and institutions interpret events through the stories they already believe about the world.

Understanding these frameworks does not mean agreeing with them; it means recognizing how meaning is constructed.

"Judge not by the eye but by the heart."
~ Proverb of Native Americans

When we acknowledge that others may be operating with different lenses, we gain a deeper ability to analyze conflicts, communicate across divides, and understand why global events generate such polarized reactions.

Rise above the information war to see the real world

"The bird thinks it is an act of kindness
to give the fish a lift in the air." ~ Tagore

Perceptions shape behavior. Perceptual intelligence (PI) can make you a fortune. → Example

Takeaway Question

Fidel Castro predicted that World War III would be in Europe, that Russia would fight fascism, and that fascism would call itself "democracy." Is the war in Ukraine already the 3rd World War or a continuation of the 2nd World War?