The Ukrainian invasion continues, as NATO steps up their defence lines, Russia keeps insisting that it is a special military operation, while Zelenskyy has addressed most of the democratic world for help, but we sit here and watch Ukrainians suffer and die. In some ways it is like a strange reality show where some players chip in when they want to, while reporters and the media record the images and tales. None of us want to be in this ‘reality show’ and many people who aren’t near the action can, and do ignore it even if it isn’t morally right, it is their choice.
We must differentiate between Putin’s Russians who want this war, and the Russian people who do not want this war. Putin claims that the world is becoming anti-Russian due to the sanctions, but that is not because of the Russian people, but it is because of his choice of actions. Did he hold a referendum to ask the people of Russia if they wanted him to de-nazify Ukraine on their behalf? Even if there had been one, the chances of it being rigged would have been high.
I read Russian literature at University, and often the themes were oppressive and depressing, but it gave you insight to the plight of Russians, the corruption at all levels, but also the struggles between the state, the rich, and the proletariats and peasants. The country is rich in historical conflicts, with gulags, and penal colonies dotted around remote parts of the country, and nothing much appears to have changed in that respect. Money and power rule, and peasants are disposable, like Putin’s troops. He doesn’t care for them and can replace them, or buy more troops who are expendable. If they die, he doesn’t have to pay them.
What is the answer if NATO can’t or won’t offer more help to save Ukraine? Must we wait until Ukraine is ‘broken’ then see what Russia does next? If Russia chooses to invade another non-NATO country, must we sit through the ‘reality show’ again, and watch and offer some food and bandages? Many want to do more but can’t, and those who can do more, are either too afraid of the consequences or don't want to.
Some say that Ukraine never stood a chance and should have surrendered to survive. I would disagree, for giving in to a bully never ends well either. Many Ukrainians have chosen to stay and fight, or to die fighting. The Ukrainians want Zelenskyy to fight for them, and for him to surrender would be a betrayal. Like many of you, I have read tales of people who survived the concentration camps of the Second World War, only to be killed in this illegal and unjust war (is any war ever just?). They fought for freedom and liberty, and at least died free and not under Russian occupation.
When you see someone being bullied, it is not enough to shout at the bully to stop and go away, sometimes you must intervene directly so they won’t return when you have gone. That is what the West are doing, shouting and telling Russia to stop, but they don’t have to listen, but we all have a choice to act if we can.
Years ago, I saw a small schoolboy being bullied outside a major shopping centre in London. There were about six boys surrounding him, pulling at his clothes and you could see the terror in his face and hear him begging them to stop. It was rush hour, and crowds of people passed them to get to the bus station and tube, and some glanced with a disapproving look, others carried on and ignored it all. By the time I got there (I was crossing the road) I stopped and yelled at the boys who immediately stood back. I could have left then, but I decided to stay and asked the boy if he was okay, and if he needed me to walk him to a bus stop. The bullies eventually dispersed as I didn’t leave until the boy was safe, and told them to ‘get lost’ in their vernacular. I carried on to the next road crossing, where people came up and said to me, ‘Good on you’, and others said they were going to say something as well, but the fact is none of them did, even though they were standing next to the scene before I got there. The point is that I chose to do and say something, and yes, the boys could have turned on me but I was willing to take that chance. Others nearby who were much loftier and sturdier than I, could have done something, but it took me to act for them to acknowledge that they could have done something, and that they had a moral right to do so.
At times people are afraid to act because they think they are interfering, that it is none of their business, or that they have no right to do so. That is what I see from the West, NATO and the UN. Ukraine is like the little boy I stood up for, and Russia are the gang of bullies. Sometimes we must stand up for the ones being bullied at our own risk. I know this, for I was bullied and no one stood up for me, and that is why I intervened so that little boy knew that he mattered and one day, perhaps if he found himself seeing others bullied, that he would have the courage to stand up to the bullies. We should never be afraid of standing up for what is right, moral, ethical and just in the world.
The UN and NATO rules are red tape what humans created and are never permanent, but ethics and morals are traits that are eternal in every human being, in the past, present, and in the future. We cannot dismiss the power of these elements that help us to shape humanity, because UN resolutions and NATO articles can be replaced and rewritten—our moral obligations to others can never be erased, and will always exist. We have a moral obligation and duty to help Ukraine, and we simply are not doing all that we can.
Day 31 (26 March)
Macron has intervened to negotiate evacuation corridors for those in Mariupol, in conjunction with Turkey and Greece.
Since NATO has rejected a no-fly zone again, protesters are calling for NATO to supply jets, but the issue is how to deliver them, and would that constitute engaging in war?
Air raid sirens are becoming the norm is some cities and towns across Ukraine. Among the affected are: Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, and Kropyvnytskyi.
Putin has signed a new law that can lead to a 15 year jail sentence for those found to have spread ‘fake news’ about the Russian military and organizations abroad.
Hungary appears to be getting isolated as the Czech minister criticizes Hungary, and refuses to attend a meeting of the Visegrád Group (V4) that comprises of Slovenia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. It was created in 1991 as a cooperative alliance to help the countries shift from Communism to Democracy, and help aid membership into the EU. With the exception of Hungary, the other three nations visited Ukraine on 15 March as an act of solidarity. The absence of Hungary, and the recent statements that the country did not wish to offer more support should raise concerns about their loyalties. https://www.visegradgroup.eu/about
A Belarusian Volunteer Battalion (Kastus Kalinouski) officially joins Ukrainian troops. This is another indication of the conflicts between the people and the government of countries such as Belarus and Russia. We cannot blame all the people, for many do oppose the war and the dictators in charge but to speak out may lead to death or imprisonment.
Biden is to meet with Ukrainian ministers in Warsaw.
Zelenskyy made an appearance at the Quatar Doha Forum, calling for the world to support Ukraine against Russia.
The Snake Island soldiers who were captured at the start of the conflict have been released in a prisoner exchange.
The War Crimes Watch project has been launched online to document war crimes. Associated Press will collate images as evidence for upcoming war crimes. While this is helpful to prosecute those responsible, perhaps looking at how to prevent these crimes in the first place, or to find measures to do so would be preferable?
Kyiv is under a weekend curfew, while personnel around the country disarm unexploded bombs and clear mines
In retaliation for imposing sanctions against them, Russia has begun to conduct military drills on the disputed islands near Japan. It has been a 70 year old dispute that has not been resolved since the Second World War. The islands are known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils by Russia.
"We have a moral obligation and duty to help Ukraine, and we simply are not doing all that we can." The truest words describing the situation I've read yet, EL. Thank you for doing what you can to present the information in as straightforward a manner as possible.
Your words, 'many people who aren't near the action can, and do ignore it even if it isn't morally right,' are so true and believe this applies to myself and many Australians. 'The reality show' could be coming closer though with China settling in the Samoan Islands.