War Goes On...
In the days leading up to February 24 of this year, I was so sure that Russia would not invade Ukraine. The day before the offensive began, I was still telling my grandfather that Putin could not possibly be bold enough; the whole thing seemed like a baseless threat, the military buildup on the borders simply intimidation.
I was very, very wrong.
Russia did indeed attack Ukraine, with almost no solid reasoning whatsoever. They attacked on three fronts: the coastal towns in the south, like Mariupol, the north, centered on Kyiv, and in the semi-autonomous regions in the east - which Russia claims Ukraine has been oppressing. Ukraine has exceeded all expectations, lasting far longer than everyone expected, even the Russians. Their invasion lost steam, and they eventually had to pull back from the Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital city.
The fight has reached unprecedented levels of heroism and barbarism. On one hand, there are men and women like president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who’s actions in defense of his country have launched him into international stardom. And for good reason. He has led Ukraine through some of the most dangerous times in the nation’s history, never showing weakness in the face of an unrelenting enemy. The leadership he has exhibited is no doubt a key reason for why Ukraine’s still in this fight at all. And yet, despite efforts by Zelenskyy and others, Ukraine seems to be slipping. Russia is growing more and more brutal, committing acts that have enabled many to label Putin as a war criminal. War crime activists and investigators have poured into the country building upon the knowledge we already know.
This is a war that defies everything we love about civilization.
We must end this war. We must show Vladimir Putin and the Russian oligarchs that you can’t just cancel a country, can’t excuse your way out of war crimes.
Make them pay.