CHRISTOF FORSTER The Federal Council lifted the last Covid restrictions in mid-February 2022 – only to face a new problem one week later. Nonetheless the government found it hard to flick the crisis switch back on immediately. In front of the media, the President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “sad day” and made vague reference to sanctions. The government appeared before the cameras one day later, now as a group of three, but once more it was still unclear where the Federal Council stood. Everyone had seen the shocking footage from Ukraine by then. Protests against the invasion drew crowds around the country. People in Europe had got used to peace after the Cold War and, again, after the Balkan wars of the 1990s. There has been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014. But it was not until the full-scale invasion and the battle for Kyiv that the conflict properly hit home in Switzerland. The tangible consequences came in the form of a wave of refugees Switzerland and the war in Ukraine Four years on, and the war in Ukraine continues to have an impact in Switzerland. Amid fierce debate over increased defence spending and the question of neutrality, the armed forces are enjoying renewed public support, while the flow of refugees from the war zone has stiffened Switzerland’s asylum stance. from Ukraine. Cars with “UA” registration plates soon became a common sight around Switzerland. Meanwhile, demand for Ukrainian flags surged. People stood with Ukraine. Defence spending increased. And parliament debated whether soldiers should again be allowed to keep ammunition at home – this, too, a consequence of Europe’s security landscape being reshaped by the war. The great neutrality debate By adopting European Union sanctions against Russia, the Federal Council sparked a fierce debate around Swiss neutrality that rumbles on to this day. Former Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher (SVP) wasted little time in announcing a popular initiative. He described economic sanctions as a “weapon of war”. Playing into the hands of an aggressor is not being neutral, Cassis countered. Blocher’s initiative advocates a strict interpretation of neutrality. Switzerland should no longer be able to imUkrainian refugees have largely melted into everyday Swiss life – but continue to take to the streets to denounce the Russian invasion. Archive photo: Keystone; Zurich, February 2025 Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 12 Society
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