After six years of war, Ukraine’s security potential was recently tested on the new front: domestic terrorism.
On July 21, an armed man took civilian hostages and set out demands for the authorities. This was virtually the first attack of its type in Ukraine’s history.
For a whole day, the country was glued to the screens of their TVs and smartphones, waiting for news from Lutsk, the capital of the western Volyn Oblast, where a man held a bus with 13 passengers prisoner, threatening to blow it up unless his demands were met. He finally released hostages and was arrested in the late evening.
It was as horrible as it was surreal. The man, who was armed with a gun and claimed to also have explosives, put out a variety of strange demands, most notably for President Volodymyr Zelensky to record a video address endorsing the 2005 animal rights documentary “Earthlings.”
And he complied. After Zelensky posted a video repeating the text scripted by the attacker, he surrendered.
This immediately led to a broad discussion. By complying, the president breached the rule familiar to anyone: no negotiating with terrorists. Some argued that this sets a dangerous precedent, and might inspire other attacks, with other demands for Zelensky.
Others sensibly pointed out that it was such a small concession that it didn’t bear any consequences and probably saved lives.
One thing is obvious: Ukraine needs to up its game when it comes to responding to terrorism.
During the hostage situation, law enforcement and officials’ mistakes and bizarre actions were painful to watch. Why did special forces storm the bus after the attacker was detained and taken away? Why did the president and interior minister chat with the attacker, instead of leaving it to a professional negotiator? Does Ukraine even have hostage negotiators or a protocol for how to react?
Understandably, Ukraine doesn’t know how to respond to hostage taking. Although the country has suffered many security challenges, true domestic terrorism is a new one.
But there is no excuse for not being prepared for future attacks. Domestic terrorism is a global challenge, and while Ukraine has been lucky enough to avoid it, the man from Lutsk might inspire other attackers.
Moreover, as Ukraine integrates with the European Union — which has regularly faced terrorism — it may increasingly face this problem. With the Lutsk attack, the country got a warning shot.
Ukraine has shown that it can defend against Russia’s militants on the battlefield. Now it must prepare to defend itself on the home front.
