Ukraine Will Win

It was a gorgeous sunny day in Kyiv in late May 2022 — three months following Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and his failed attempt to occupy Kyiv. I was shopping for a wedding anniversary gift for my wife, who was in Italy awaiting my return. I hoped to find something for her that was unique to the culture. I had accepted the job in Ukraine, knowing that we would be separated on our special day.

For a fleeting moment, the ongoing brutal war that was concentrated mostly in the east and south of the country at that time seemed far away, and despite occasional late evening air raid sirens warning of missile attacks on the nation’s capital.

I stepped into a small shop that traded in women’s goods not far from Independence Square in the center of the city. A dark-haired, middle-aged woman spoke to me in what I assumed was a greeting. I apologized in English. Her face brightened. A broad smile appeared on her face. She leaned forward and asked, “American?” My accent apparently gave me away. I nodded in assent. Her smile widened. She grasped my wrist and lowered her head while kissing the back of my hand. I was momentarily stunned to speechlessness, but managed a hesitant, absurd, “Thank you.” I simply had no other idea how to respond.

She led me deeper into her shop, never releasing my hand, while saying, “No, thank you, thank you … for helping Ukraine.” I have thought about this incident several times since. I met many Ukrainians who felt much as she did, massively grateful for U.S. assistance, but willing to fight their own battles against the tyrant in Moscow.

I have often found myself at odds with the foreign policy choices of our nation, in particular the unnecessary war in Iraq and our two decades of waste in Afghanistan. However, I was totally in accord with the early transfer of military weapons, intelligence data and financial support to the Ukrainian people. This nation of 40 million continues to fight for its life. Their resolve over time has been awe-inspiring.

This is wholly Vladimir Putin’s war — a man consumed with visions of a Russian Empire that never actually existed. One wonders if the former KGB officer has become a consumer of the lies spewed by his own propaganda machinery.

The Russian army’s leadership has proven to be incompetent, as well as corrupt, while also unaware of their responsibilities under the Geneva Conventions. They have committed a multitude of verifiable war crimes.

Russian soldiers have no idea why they are fighting and dying in Ukraine — perhaps a million dead or wounded to date. Their overuse of artillery, drones, rockets, and missiles — killing civilians and soldiers alike — while destroying private residences and public infrastructure, is demonstrative of weakness, not strength, and smacks of desperation.

Moreover, Putin is running out of soldiers to send to the slaughter. He has emptied prisons, engaged mercenaries, used up North Koreans in human wave attacks, and is now offering massive signing bonuses to enlistees.

Even so, caution remains essential. Russia is a nuclear power. Might Putin be tempted to use one or more tactical nuclear weapons? The Kremlin also possesses a worrisome chemical and biological warfare capability. Moscow used chemicals to terrible effect in Syria, and may have already tested them in Ukraine, per the British Government. It is not much of a stretch to believe that Putin might do the unthinkable, especially if he feels backed into a corner.