September 11, 2001 — the day when civilian aircraft became weapons: Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes in the United States.
The first crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. The second into the South Tower. The towers collapsed in less than two hours. The third plane hit the Pentagon. The fourth — Flight 93 — did not reach its target: passengers tried to stop the terrorists, and the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
Almost three thousand people died. Among the victims were citizens of more than 90 countries. After the attack, the United States invaded Afghanistan. The hunt for Osama bin Laden lasted almost 10 years.
The tragedy of September 11 showed that even the strongest systems can be vulnerable. Russia proves every day that terror can become a system and part of reality. And Ukraine shows that it can be responded to — not with fear and tears, but with struggle.
