UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR: A THREAT TO WORLD PEACE

February 24 completes one year of the Ukraine-Russia war.

Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed and seriously hurt, and even handicapped. Over eight million Ukrainians have sought refuge in other countries. The mass destruction of buildings and infrastructures has left Ukraine in ruins. The horror and trauma of war, especially among children, will have its impact and will stay on people’s psyches.

Birds have fallen to the ground dead with thundering detonation and tumult in the air.

World leaders have failed to stop the war. Destruction and killings are easy to do and saner than attempting to seek peace.

The war escalated with more tanks and hardware from the West to Ukraine and more reinforcement on the Russian side.

There is no logical reason why Russia initiated the war.

Does it want to add more to its vast landmass from eastern Europe to Mongolia, China, South Korea, and Japan? Or does it want to re-establish the status of the Soviet Union, once a mighty power?

The argument that Russia feels threatened by NATO forces using Ukraine as a launching pad to invade Putindom does not make sense. Or, does it seeks a buffer zone of pro-Russia nations around its vast periphery in the eastern part of Europe, then where is the end? Overall, it is a puzzle that creates more tension and revival of the Cold War era. Only Russia knows.

Who is winning? Is it Russia, Ukraine, or neither of the two?

But both sides claim eventual success. For Russia, the win means the defeat of Ukraine, and for the latter, liberating its entire territory, including Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

But the fact is, modern battles seldom end soon. There is a workforce to fight on and an uninterrupted and unending stock of military hardware and firepower. At the same time, the arms industry is the real winner, thriving with steady supplies and earning record profits.

The bloody fight will continue since Russia has the human force and firepower, while Ukraine draws its strength from the committed military support from the West.

Do the sanctions against Russia work to influence the end of the fighting?

So far, it has not produced a slight dent in Putin’s resolve to continue the bloodshed. Instead, the sanctions have significantly contributed to high food prices and inflation worldwide.

Ukraine leader Zelenskyy is a western world hero. The man in the olive shirt shows his combative mood under defence, patriotism, and saving democracy. In comparison, Putin is wild and idiotic about the fear of Ukraine’s possible NATO alliance.

Demonizing Putin and glorifying Zelenskyy do not help end the horrors of war.

The battlegrounds do get razed thru talks with an earnest desire for peace. If not, the war continues, maybe with a nuclear arsenal, which poses a real threat to our shared planet earth.

by Promod Puri