Voice of Ukraine

From: Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (686th day): I posted yesterday a link to a video that shows the devastation of Avdiivka, a city that ruzzians have been trying hard to take over since Oct. One of FB friends reposted it with the comment that this war is not shown by the news anymore. Under that friend’s post I read this comment from her friend:

Sad truth that it appears as a losing battle and people are losing interest in funding more losing battles.

I couldn’t shake this comment from my mind for the rest of the day. Losing battle?! Really?! Ukraine has been fighting hard for almost 2 years and gradually liberating our land. Yes, the progress is slow, not for lack of our efforts or lack of courage of our defenders. Ukraine has powerful allies – EU and USA, but our allies have been cautious and slow in making promises of help and even slower in delivering on those promises. At first, it was because nobody believed Ukraine could stand against ruzzia. Then later, it was because leaders in the West feared aggravating putin. By the time some needed military equipment was given to Ukraine ruzzians had already dug in their defense lines and our counter-offensive this summer didn’t bring expected results. But it’s not a losing battle. Despite all the challenges, we will win this war. We know we don’t have a choice. Losing would mean the extinction of Ukraine.

When EU and USA are helping Ukraine, it’s not out of kindness or a sense of justice. Ruzzia is an enemy #1 to the whole democratic world. Putin keeps saying it – he fights in Ukraine against the West and its values; putin wants a new world order. Those who are tired of “funding losing battles” in Ukraine should think about their own future battles if Ukraine loses. This monster is not going to be satisfied with taking over Ukraine. He will be encouraged to go further. Generals in the West are warning their own governments – if ruzzia wins military budgets everywhere will grow exponentially.

Back to that comment about “losing interest in funding more losing battles”. Interest is lost because of short attention spans, because of the illusion that the war is far and irrelevant because populist politicians in their election campaigns successfully divert attention from a very real enemy of democracy. Meanwhile, Ukrainians continue to fight for our freedom and future – and for yours as well.

You might want to check out a new book Our Enemies Will Vanish where a journalist Yaroslav Trofimov from Wall Street Journal gives a first-hand account of Ukrainian refusal to surrender. He talks about a very real chance that Ukraine had to end this war in early months and why it didn’t happen. On Jan 9th Washington Post published an article based on that book.