IN 1936, the people of Madrid found themselves in an unenviable position.
Spain was regarded as a European backwater, and the international community cared little about what happened to it.
The country’s army, and many of its cities, had thrown in their lot with fascism. A brutal civil war was underway, and General Franco’s forces were advancing north from Sevilla.
In their path lay sprawling, seemingly defenceless Madrid.
Britain and France — mindful of the devastating loss of life in the First World War and terrified of provoking Hitler — declared a policy of ‘non-intervention’.
Meanwhile, Germany and Italy were actively sending guns, tanks, planes, and men to supplement Franco’s troops.
But the madrileños did not hesitate. Ordinary working people started organising. They built fortifications by hand and turned their university into a castle.
A woman named Dolores Ibárruri became the symbol of the city’s defiance.
Known to the masses as La Pasionaria, she delivered a rousing speech where she coined the phrase by which the defence of Madrid will always be remembered: “¡No pasarán!” (They shall not pass!).
Exactly 90 years later, history is repeating itself.
There is an obvious and striking parallel between Madrid in 1936 and the ongoing struggle in Ukraine in 2026.
In both cases, incredibly courageous civilians have offered an inspired resistance to heavily armed aggression while the outside world wrings its hands.
There is a direct line from La Pasionaria to Volodymyr Zelensky, the ordinary citizen who rose to wartime leadership.
A former comedian who played the part of a nobody ascending to head of state on television, Zelensky found himself President of Ukraine in the most amazing ‘life-imitates-art’ event in recorded history — just as Russia was preparing to invade.
Under uncannily similar circumstances to Madrid, ordinary people in Kyiv abandoned their day jobs in the early days of the war and gravitated en masse to the suburbs of Bucha.
READ MORE: ON THIS DAY: The Madrid train bombings – how Spain’s worst ever terror attack unfolded 22 years ago
They had few weapons, but they were determined to block Vladimir Putin’s progress. And they did.
By the time Franco’s army reached the gates of Madrid in the 1930s, they faced a formidable civilian obstacle that literally took years to overcome. Today, Madrid is still standing. But where is fascism now?
The chilling answer is that it is still alive in 2026 — but it wears a different disguise.
Who among us, having lived through the Cold War, could ever have imagined a far-right Russia, emboldened by sympathetic rogue US president in the West, menacing its democratic neighbours with tanks and drones?
The capital city of Kyiv is still attacked by missiles on a near-daily basis. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power stations in a brutal attempt to freeze the population into surrender.
And do not underestimate how cold Kyiv gets.
While March is considerably warmer than February, daytime temperatures are currently averaging just 6C, up from last month’s bitter average of -2C.
At night, everything is frozen solid. In an entire year, Kyiv enjoys only 180 days without frost.
Yet, throughout the drone strikes, the kidnappings, and the bitter cold, the people of Ukraine are still going to work, shopping in the markets, and fighting on, hoping their overseas allies will not abandon them to the same ‘non-intervention’ fate that befell the Spanish Republic.
The heroism of ordinary people has been underestimated once again. Ninety years after Madrid dug its heels in against the fascist advance, let us salute the civilian defenders of today, and say: Slava Ukraini!
Let’s just hope that this war does not have the same outcome for Kyiv as the Spanish Civil War did for Madrid.
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“ Better to die on our feet than live the rest of our lives on our knees
An extraordinary fact that the fascists never actually took Madrid during the entire three year war…
Thank you for your well written article, drawing direct and correct comparisons with what happened in Madrid, to what is happening today. In Ukraine and other parts of the world, the bullies intimidate and kill those weaker but braver than themselves. And Yes who would have believed Russia and the US would jointly be leading such merciless and barbaric attacks. Seek the truth and stand up against injustice and cruelty.
Mair, your generous words are appreciated. Thank you.
Michael Coy