Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, attend a summit in the Élysée Palace, Paris, on 9 December. Photograph: Mikhail Metzel/Tass
In February, Russia and Belarus initiated war games, an exercise in capabilities, in Belarus, Northwest of Ukraine. Shortly afterward, fighting in “separatist zones” in Eastern Ukraine intensified. On the 24th of February, Russian President Vladamir Putin announced a “special military campaign to support the right of the peoples of Ukraine to self-determination.” Within minutes of Putin’s announcement, explosions were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and the Donbas, Russian troops had landed in Mariupol and Odessa, Russina military vehicles entered Ukraine through Senkivka near Belarus, The Country of Ukraine was attacked on all sides by a foriegn military campaign, promising not to occupy but still taking territory.
It is believed that President Putin envisioned a three day campaign with Ukraine surrendering quickly, as shown by his procession of tanks with inadequate fuel. It is presently day fifty five and the Ukrainians have had meaningful victories. They sank the Moskva, a flagship of the Russian Navy; there is talk of them winning the war.
Ukraine doesn’t have many military targets, but with a civilian, resistance style force everything is a target. Civilian buildings, schools, hospitals and apartment complexes are now targets. When the refugees return it will be to rubble.
While millions of women and children have escaped to the west via Poland and other neighboring countries, the men have stayed behind to fight like the corned animals they been forced to become, fighting to protect their homes in a battlefield of their homes. It feels odd to watch some of the footage from the area; Gentle older men in tweed jackets with shotguns and blood on their shirts walking through the bombed out remains of their village. Without gunfire the scene is peaceful, stray dogs and birds still around. The determination and bravery of the Ukrainian people is highlighted in an exchange between a Ukrainian outpost on an island off the coast. Offered the opportunity of safe passage upon surrender, the small contingent of Ukrainians replied “Go fuck yourself.” Most of the Ukrainian soldiers survived the immediate, brutal shelling by the warship.
Russia entered the conflict with more soldiers on the border than they sent into Afghanistan in the 80s. The war is routinely referred to as the biggest since WWII. But this war is unique.
This is the first ground war in a nuclear power. The Ukraine has 16 nuclear reactors, including the remains of Chernobyl. There is not an “off” switch for nuclear facilities, they require specialized maintenance constantly. The potential for fifteen more Chernobyls rests in the hands of Russian conscripts as they move across Ukraine. The Chernobyl site itself was “occupied” by Russia until radiation poisoning convinced them to abandon the site.
An “end game” is difficult to discern. There have been reports of Ukrainians being kidnapped and relocated in Russia, so the speculation is that Putin is aiming for an unoccupied buffer zone formerly known as The Ukraine. There is the possibility Russia will lose, but only if Putin does not exercise his nuclear and biological weapons abilities. America has stayed out other than providing weapons, fearing a direct conflict between Russia and the United States of America, two nuclear powers with no common border. A war between the two could only be fought with missiles and invasion forces. Picture New York City in Mariupol’s condition, imagine what is taking place in the bombed out board rooms and stock exchange.
If Putin does decide to go “all in” on genocide, will the world react? Right now we’re trying cold war tactics, sanctions and such, because WWIII is not where anyone wants this to go. By using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine, any belief that Putin would not use them in a larger conflict are erased. If we enter a war with Russia we face the same tactics, will he bomb New York City or Wichita? We haven’t experienced civilian casualties since Pearl Harbor. An end of civilization may be closer than we think.
In the alternative, how long can we stay out of this, watching daily acts of genocide? Is that not also an end of civilization? There is enough of the old warrior still within me to say the end of the world is preferable to a world that accepts occasional genocide. As you might have guessed from my “Roland the headless Thompson Gunner” shirt the other day, I can only imagine how I would have reacted seven years ago, before my TBI. Single with few ties I’m sure I would visit the Ukraine Embassy and volunteer. War is an awful thing, and should be waged by those with an appreciation of life and death, by those who love their children.
The hero of Ukraine has turned out to be a former comedian, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine. Never cowering, leading his people calmly. Of all the things he has said this stands out to me; “I don’t want my portraits to hang in your offices. . .Hang pictures of your children there and look them in the eyes before every decision.” Volodymyr emits “soul,” infecting his people with confidence and letting them see their own strengths. As Americans, we are not familiar with war at our doorsteps. The Ukrainian people are fighting for a homeland they are standing in, often the very ground they sleep over, knowing that if they lose they will be erased in the history of the victor.
Despite the resilience of the Ukrainian people, Russia has superior numbers and hardware. Even if they choose to slug it out with ground forces, it is their war to lose. How they lose it may change our world forever.
In some ways, Ukraine has already won.
KBlakeCash 