To the editor: There’s not a “war” going on in Ukraine. There’s a brutal ongoing attack on a tiny peaceful nation by a vast tyrannical one. That’s political aggression, not “a war.”
Russia, the aggressor, may in fact be losing. Rather than annexing Ukraine in mere days as planned, Russia has lost thousands of men to battlefield deaths, plus defections of citizens who oppose this attack. In three years, Russia has recruited fighters from prisons, from its Far East, and recently from North Korea — yet not won.
But battles-of-attrition, with nightly attacks on civilians by drones, are easy to wage. Maybe akin to assassinating opponents. Ukrainians are dying daily while not truly “at war” but under attack by a terrorist state and its “elected” dictator, Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s president-for-life, Putin, “wins” elections with 99% of the vote. He’s reviled as a tyrant by nearly all U.S. allies — or maybe former allies, given our current president. Though bored by the peace process, our president “likes” Putin, says he’s “strong,” somebody who might “make a deal.” This U.S. stance horrifies our allies, who universally side with Ukraine’s President Zelinskyy, a man of principle, b according to our president “holds no cards.” Meanwhile, a recent BBC newscaster asked Russians about “the war.” They all said they want it to stop; most hope our president will end it. Some praised our president for “respecting Russia.” They want to stop being reviled. They hope to be part of the world. One Russian said, of the U.S. president: “He’s our guy.”
That “guy” won office claiming he’d “end the war” on day one or before. (This claim seems idiotic, of course, but in character.) So: Ukraine is not really “at war” but under attack by a brutal terrorist dictator: Putin can stop the carnage today. (If Russians admire our “guy” so much, why not deliver him to Putin as a deal-maker/hostage? But I digress ...)
None of this makes any sense. Maybe the young Ukrainian woman I saw on TV weeks ago summed everything up best. She said, in perfect English: “Our fate is in the hands of two crazy elderly men.”
