Artwork by Michael DiMilo
By Geoff Carter
As awful and unfortunate as the last two years have been—a time that included the Covid epidemic and its economic fallout, the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent January 6th insurrection, and the George Floyd murder and BLM activism—the war in Ukraine is beyond horrible. In some ways, the war has been a concentrated microcosm of the extremes—both good and evil—that we’ve experienced during this turbulent time.
These are extreme times. The courage and sacrifice shown by our health care workers during the worst of the Covid epidemic was inspiring. The Capitol Police put their lives on the line to protect our government representatives during the deadly January 6th riots, and those who stood up to protest the inequities suffered by minorities in this country also deserve credit for their courage; however, the war in the Ukraine has surpassed all those events in the extremes of its horrors—and in the unsurpassed valor of its people.
On Thursday, February 24th, a massive Russian force attacked the Ukraine, but then, against all odds, the Ukrainian Army, vastly outnumbered and outgunned, managed to hold its ground. They repelled the invaders in some quadrants and have since even been able to mount counterattacks. In this most unlikely of scenarios, it seemed as if the Russian aggressors were beaten back by little more than the sheer courage and iron will of the Ukrainian people.
After the Russians faltered and were eventually forced to fall back, the retreat revealed evidence of hundreds of atrocities, including the executions and tortures of non-combatants. In the suburbs of Kyiv, numerous instances of gang rape, torture, and pillaging have been reported. This has followed bombings of schools, hospitals, and other civilian targets. Only this past weekend, a missile attack on a crowded train depot resulted in the deaths of over fifty civilians, including women and children.
Most nations have condemned Russia for these atrocities and joined NATO in imposing stringent economic sanctions on Putin, but the Russians are still stubbornly trying to bomb the civilian population of Ukraine into oblivion. The slaughter has not ceased. In response, America and its NATO allies are still supplying Ukraine with weapons, including portable anti-tank Javelin and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles.
I had coffee with a friend the other day who told me that the American effort to supply the Ukraine with munitions reminded him of FDR’s Lend-Lease Agreement, a measure which supplied England with arms in the early years of World War II and allowed the US to support our allies quietly, without having to deploy American troops. It’s difficult not to draw more parallels between that era of history and the present-day situation in the Ukraine.
An autocratic—a fascist—despot, with dreams of restoring his country to its past glory invades a smaller country without provocation. Hitler attacked Poland in 1939 (after he stole the Sudetenland and Austria), effectively drawing the rest of Europe into war. Putin attacked the Ukraine, undoubtedly expecting it to fall within days, but was rudely surprised when his formidable army stalled and then fell back. Had Putin conquered the Ukraine as easily as he expected, would he—or perhaps would he be—provoking NATO into joining the conflict? Would we be pushing us into World War III?
Ukraine has stopped Putin’s imperialistic ambition in its tracks. At least for now. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who refused to leave the capital city of Kyiv during the first days of the Russian invasion, has stated repeatedly that his people will continue fighting for their freedom. The thirty member states of NATO and dozens of other countries are standing by him in condemning the Russian aggression and brutality.
This is not going to stop Putin. The stringent economic sanctions imposed on him, and his circle of ruling oligarchs have had some effectiveness, and in the early days of the conflict, the Russian people—despite facing prison terms—have risen in protest, but Putin remains undeterred. Nothing short of armed resistance will stop him. He doesn’t care what his own people think. They have been silenced.
Despite the devastation, the carnage, the brutality, and the suffering, the courage of the Ukrainian people is inspiring. I cannot imagine another head of state (certainly not Putin) remaining in a war zone to rally his people. The civilians who are enduring this horrible onslaught, losing their homes, their neighborhoods, and their loved ones deserve all the support they can get.
Today, despite everything we’ve done, Russia continues the slaughter. This begs the difficult question of whether armed intervention by NATO in the Ukraine is inevitable. It may be the only way of stopping the slaughter of innocent women and children. If Russia cannot be stopped by anything short of war—probably world war—should we fight? Should we—like Churchill and FDR—take a stand against tyranny?
Churchill stood up to Hitler for the people of Europe. FDR joined him. Should we stand up to Putin for Zelensky and the Ukrainians? And even though thousands of innocent lives are at stake, can we afford to enter another no-win situation and put our own citizen’s lives at risk? Or do we stand by and watch more children die?
There is no winner here, no right—or even good—decision, but if we ever wanted to pretend to be a world leader, the protector of democracy and liberty, this would be the time to do it.