I have been thinking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine a lot, just like most other people, I suppose. I am also trying to understand how things got to where we are now and how things are likely to proceed and end up, whether soon or after a much larger tragedy and more human sufferings.
Not knowing Russian history to any decent degree and not being privy to what the strategic thinkers and planners in the West and Russia are doing – to be honest – it is very difficult to take a clear-cut moral position on the war. However, at one level, it’s clear that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is morally wrong, outrageous and unjustifiable. The war has caused enormous human suffering to innocent people, including the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions. They are the victims of Putin’s invasion.
If we assume that Putin is a brutal dictator and that Ukrainians and Western leaders knew that – although what they knew may have been less than what turned out as a result of the invasion – wasn’t there a need to seek a compromise so that something like this could have been avoided. Although it’s too late now with the invasion to think of possible compromises that might have avoided the catastrophic war, it is not too late to see how things can be ended without aggravating the situation further.
People stick to principles and often, not always, harden their positions proportional to the levels of bloodshed in a conflict. This leads to further bloodshed and tragedy and widens the gulf between people involved in any bloody struggle. If strategic thinkers and world powers are engaged in a long-term conflict concerning the disaster in Ukraine, then it is unlikely that the war will end soon. It is because half or part completion of their overall aims will be viewed as a failure, so each side will try to prolong the war to try and achieve more of their objectives.
Those of us who have no clue at what’s happening in terms of the games that big powers are playing, and refuse to participate, unknowingly, in a conflict, the best thing we can do is to condemn the bloodshed, legitimately blame the Russians for starting the war and causing the deaths of thousands of totally innocent civilians, and help the fleeing civilians, especially women, children and the elderly, with whatever we can.
I hope one day we can stop big powers from killing civilians for the strategic goals, they want to achieve and say no to ‘ends justify the means’.