The War with Russia Reaches the 10-Year Mark
The time has come to end this thing and concentrate on isolating Russia for the next 100 years or so.
Say it with me: Welcome to NATO! Welcome to the European Union. Welcome to the post-Soviet reality, Ukraine. We did our “best” to help you defeat the fascists in Moscow but as you see, we have our own ignorant fascists (the Republican Party). The military support you need to push Russia out of your country cannot be counted on and things can only get worse.
The time has come to end this war once and for all.
Knees amongst the Monday-morning “warriors” worldwide violently jerk whenever someone mentions these words: “Let’s end it.” The thing is, most of those people who react with such passion and venom aren’t in Ukraine. They aren’t dealing daily with the effects of this war. Sitting comfortably somewhere far from towns and villages where residents can already determine if incoming rockets are meant for them or “down the roadways” by the pitch of the whine, they stomp around their homes, shouting how all Russians must die.
There are a lot of Russian folks, and it is believed that after the election, Putin will announce another mobilization. As Ukraine struggles to find fresh troops, Russia snaps a finger, and suddenly, 300,000 more bodies appear in uniform.
By making such a call as “Let’s put an end to this war,” people will accuse me of appeasing Moscow. If you have been reading me, you know my feelings for Putin and Russia’s fascists, so let me say this as politely as I can, “Don’t be dopey, dumbass.” Alliteration plays well here, right?
I, too, sit comfortably far from the air defense systems in Ukraine that pretty accurately take out incoming Russian rockets, but we engage with displaced Ukrainians every day. Many are leaving their European countries where, for the last two years, they have raised their children in safety because the government support for them is ending. Oddly, the influx of so many monied Russians (and Americans) has led to rent inflation in many places.
The Ukrainian female-headed households with one and two in-school kids can’t afford to rent apartments without support, so they are returning. Our close friend was over last night for homemade pizza and wine. She and her son come over every Friday for my pizza. My son calls him his best friend. They are leaving next week to return to Kharkiv. Kharkiv is pretty much on the front, and it gets hit almost daily. It’s heartbreaking, and we tried to talk her out of it, but she hasn’t seen her husband in two years; she can’t afford to live here, and her son is not dealing well with this whole situation. She is exhausted. Tens of thousands of such Ukrainian women across Europe feel the same way. Many are done and heading back.
Testosterone aside
Let me state this fact: There is nothing the Ukrainian military can do to push Russia out of Crimea. There is nothing the Ukrainian military can do to push the Russian army out of the illegally annexed territories of eastern Ukraine. With support dwindling and nightmares like the war in Gaza popping up “unexpectedly,” if this war doesn’t stop now, it will go on for another 10 years, taking with it eventually my son’s friend who is returning to Kharkiv. That little boy is 6. We can’t let this happen. A continuation of this war is becoming criminal.
A decade ago, this whole thing started. Since the first hours of this conflict in November 2013, when then-President Yanukovich refused to sign an agreement with the European Union for closer ties (note, all of this started not because of encroachment by NATO but because of closer ties with the European Union, which would have vastly limited Moscow’s opportunities for stealing Ukraine’s wealth), the Kremlin has been shaking the beehive. Each time the pro-Kyiv Ukrainians started to make peace with eastern Ukrainians, Moscow reasserted itself to cause flair-ups of violence. Moscow needed all of this and not a settlement between Ukrainians.
For eight years, the Kremlin did all it could to support the conflict between the eastern Ukrainian separatists and Kyiv. Two years ago, Moscow invaded, convinced it would take Kyiv in three days. Here we are, 727 days later, and Moscow is nowhere near Kyiv. Most likely, unless Trump wins, it will never get there. What we will have is this stalemate that churns out nothing but death on both sides.
It’s not good. It’s not healthy for the world. It has to end.
The eastern territories didn’t want to align with Kyiv, so let them go. Even if Ukraine gets them back, it will be populated with angry, terrorized people, and it will cost untold amounts of money and time to make the area livable again. Let Moscow deal with that.
Convene a big, fancy peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, giving Moscow control of those territories while simultaneously making Ukraine a member of the EU and NATO. Take the Russian money frozen in Western banks and use it to rebuild Ukraine.
Isolate Russia forever. Put the country into the North Korean class and intensify sanctions. Lift them only when Russia has a regime change that returns the occupied territories to Ukraine. Let Russia rot. Let Russians suffer from their tacit acceptance of Putin’s regime.
Ukraine becomes part of the rest of the world but must also be held accountable. Becoming both a member of the EU and NATO, the corruption that even today is causing problems and leading to arrests of government officials must be eradicated. It is an open secret that a lot of Western aid is being stolen by conniving bureaucrats in Ukraine even while the country struggles for its independence. Zelensky is trying to fight that war, but his hands are also full with another one.
If you know anything about Russia, you will see that it thrives when it’s making life for people hell. The more inhumane conditions become in Ukraine, the stronger Moscow gets. For 10 years, this conflict/war has gone on, and there is no end in sight.
It’s time to grow a pair of balls — or cut them off — and end this war before the returning kids become the next wave of soldiers.