I wonder how many people commenting on this crisis have been to Ukraine? I have, twice. It’s a beautiful country with lovely and hospitable people, but has many problems with poverty and corruption. The fact of the matter is that Ukrainians don’t want to be Russian, and Russia has attacked a country which has done nothing wrong. Ukrainians are a proud people who don’t want war. As always, it’s innocent Ukrainians who are the ones to suffer the most. I have friends currently stuck in the bomb shelters of Kyiv in fear of their lives.
Regardless of what’s happening in Ukraine, my biggest worry is what if he doesn’t stop there? Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and possibly Bulgaria and the Balkan states of Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia are now all at risk. If we do nothing now, what will anyone do if Putin decides to occupy these countries? For me personally, many of my friends and much of my life is in Poland. I fear for them, with fighting currently going on less than 100 miles from the border.
What can we do? I think the worst possible option is to do nothing.