My first reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was to think back a few years ago to my German History professor at the University of Miami, and his lessons about the battles between Nazi Germany and the USSR during WWII that took place in Ukraine. The cities that we hear about in the news today are the same that were important locations during that conflict like Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odessa. I also think about the debates during the Cold War over nuclear weapons, since we now know that President Putin has ordered his nuclear weapons to be at a higher stage of readiness.
However, today we find ourselves in a new conflict, and indeed in a new age that history books will have the opportunity in the future to name. To help Ukraine we should mobilize all resources to fight the Russian government’s actions.
The U.S. should immediately sanction all of Putin’s oligarch friends to the highest measure, including possibly seizing assets to further fund the Ukrainian military. The rest of the world should follow our example, and every Russian bank should be kicked out of SWIFT. Business opportunities with Russian companies should be immediately ceased, and we should applaud the efforts of companies like BP that are divesting from the Russian energy sector.
Finally, with sanctions the U.S. should go after Russia’s energy sales and severely limit their ability to sell oil to other nations. These measures will increase prices for gas, but it is necessary in order to turn off the flow of money that Putin’s regime relies on.
The U.S. should also give whatever military resources are necessary for the Ukrainians to defend themselves, and apply pressure to other nations to do the same. This includes anti-aircraft weapons, along with any other machinery the Ukrainians think they need. The free world should also not take direct military action off the table, and should give Putin warning that we intend to set up a NATO enforced no fly zone over Ukraine. If conflict continues the United States and its allies should consider sending in ground forces into Western Ukraine, with the full intention of driving Russian forces out of the country.
Some will argue that this will lead to the next great human conflict, my response is that the next great conflict is here and all of the free world is at stake. Today Ukraine is under threat, but tomorrow it might be Finland and Sweden or potentially a smaller NATO member nation. Putin will not stop until he feels like he has reconstructed the old Russian Empire. Better to stop the man now when we have a chance, then to have to fight to protect both Europe from Russia, and Asia from China. Many brave souls will be lost if we fully mobilize both economically and militarily against Russia, but the consequences of noninterference are worse.
The fall of a democratic state in Europe is sending a message to all authoritarian nations, that the free world is ripe for the picking. This will not only lead to worse bloodshed, but force whole pockets of the world back into perpetual darkness of being under the rule of dictatorial leaders. For Putin may not seem so scary until he is joined by the likes of President Xi Jinping of China, the Un family of North Korea, and the brutal theocracy of Iran.
What can we do as ordinary citizens then? Write to your local lawmakers and tell them to support sending every piece of military equipment that is needed to Ukraine. The support for Ukraine across the free world also must continue, not only in lighting up important landmarks in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, but also in charitable efforts to help those already displaced by the fighting. As hundreds of thousands of refugees have already crossed into other neighboring countries. While our governments should hear our voices to support sending military equipment to Ukraine, we should also help those that have been displaced.
A number of charities focusing on providing such relief can be found at NPR and The Washington Post. We should also organize more community efforts to raise funds across the U.S. for the Ukrainians in need, which I am proud to have read are already underway throughout this great country. For Putin has declared not just war on Ukraine, but also war on freedom across the world. If this conflict is not stopped now the freedom of other nations will soon be threatened. To borrow a phrase from Winston Churchill in closing, let our support and aid for the Ukrainians today be known as our generation’s “finest hour.” Where once again people across the world said no to the encroachment of evil and darkness upon the light of humanity. Slava Ukraini!
This story was written by Joseph Krupar, a Marquette student who volunteered to write this letter. He is not a staff member for the Wire. He can be reached at [email protected].
To submit a letter to the editor, email Executive Opinions Editor Alex Garner at [email protected] and copy Managing Editor of the Marquette Tribune Ben Wells and Executive Director Aimee Galaszewski on those emails. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].