The Victor Pinchuk Foundation organized an online conversation with Yuval Noah Harari and Timothy Snyder, moderated by Anne Applebaum, on the war in Ukraine and the future of the world. Below, we have selected the most interesting quotes from the debate. Anne Applebaum – What is truly interesting about Ukrainianness is that it is actually an identity that has been shaped in a spirit of rebellion, in opposition to the establishment, the nobility, or the tsarist regime, then to the Soviet Union, and most recently in opposition to an autocratic dictatorship. One of the unique things about Ukraine is how national identity, the definition of who we are, is now linked to the idea of democracy. Ukraine desires democracy and integration with the West, and this is what makes them Ukrainian, and consequently, drives them to fight against the Putin state. Ukraine is fighting against a political system, not against Russians – said Anne Applebaum, an American-Polish journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner (2004), and columnist for "The Atlantic," during the conversation. Timothy Snyder – In fact, we now know from the course of operations and from some accidentally published documents that the goal was for Russia to quickly enter Ukraine, kill the Ukrainian leadership, establish a new government, and assume that the rest of Ukraine would accept such a state of affairs. The problem with the first stage of the invasion was that the Russians were not prepared for a long war, and this creates a significant flaw in the plan. The goal was to end the operations as quickly as possible, so that the Russian people would not have to be prepared for war. That is why Russian propaganda was so ineffective and unconvincing this time, even to many Russians. I think we are now looking at Putin, who has been opposed. We are now in the second phase of the war, which is a kind of accidental fury. I don't think this phase was precisely planned either. Because the leader is furious and malevolent, we will see standard Russian tactics, which unfortunately also means civilian casualties. This is what we are looking at now – Timothy Snyder, an American historian, professor at Yale University, specializing in the history of modern nationalism and the history of Central and Eastern Europe. Yuval Noah Harari – Putin has lost touch with reality. Like any dictator, he is surrounded only by people who tell him he is right, and at some point, he himself believes it. The danger is that when he makes a mistake, he cannot admit it, he doesn't have people around him who can tell him he's wrong, so instead of backing down, he doubles his efforts. I don't think Putin has any limits, and I have no hope for him. I am counting on the spirit of rebellion in the Russian nation, which will not tolerate his behavior – added Yuval Harari, historian, author of the world bestseller "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind," Yuval Noah Harari will speak on May 11 at this year's edition of Impact'22 in Poznań, marking his first appearance in Poland. You can read more about this – and how to get tickets – here.