After Its Dubious Victory, How Will Russia’s Decision to Invade Ukraine End?

At some point, the Russian invasion of a sovereign country will end. The question for Vladamir Putin and his invading force is: What will happen when the shooting stops? Putin will be forced to treat Ukraine as an “occupied nation,” requiring tens of thousands of his military to remain in a country occupied by independent men and women who will never cease their defiance against a world power. If they disliked Putin prior to the invasion, their feelings have developed into a hatred for the “Great Bear.”

Ukraine is the largest nation in Eastern Europe, with a population of approximately 44 million people. They are a proud and defiant people who will never accept occupation by another country. In the long run, Putin will be the loser, unless he decides that the end of the world is worth the satisfaction of his own inflated ego. Nuclear war would virtually end life on this planet.

Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine was ignorant, and that is an undeniable fact. However, the events created by one man’s desperate decision to demonstrate his power will have an effect on the future of, not only this region in the world but the decisions and actions by nations around the rest of the planet.

Will it become the norm and an admissible action by one nation to destroy another sovereign nation based on nothing more than a personal decision? How would this affect the people of all nations?

One hundred years ago, tyrants such as Vladimir Ilʹich Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Chairman Mao Zedong ruled their nations with an iron fist. Dissension was punished by torture and death. In the 1930s Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini followed their example. In 2022, Putin decided to join in their efforts to achieve world domination. However, Putin has overestimated both his power and his vulnerability.

Over the last two decades, people from every nation demonstrated their belief that life without freedom is not worth living. Human rights have become more important than simple existence. No longer will the majority surrender to the domination of tyrants and their desire to become omnipotent autocrats.

When the people of Russia learn the truth about Putin’s unfounded attack on their brothers and sisters living in Ukraine, and his attempt to slaughter his own people in an obvious effort focused on genocide, they will revolt.

The American Civil War began less than 100 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Russian Revolution began in 1917, and history proves change is inevitable. Dictators like Putin cannot survive in the 21st century.

In the United States, one entire party survived by using fear tactics for the last 40+ years. Most Americans no longer accept this effort by

today’s Republicans in name only. Most Americans agree. This author would rather die fighting for the rights guaranteed by the Constitution than surrender to the fascists on the right.

This author relates to the people of Ukraine. Once democracy has been experienced, nothing else matters. Modern tyrants like Putin, Erdogan, Mohammad bin Salman, Duterte, and others will be defeated by the people they currently dominate.

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

If there is a God, he, or she, would never have believed that one man or one woman should dominate an entire society. If the Bible is accurate, and God created people in his “own likeness,” subservience is unacceptable.

Today, the people of Ukraine and Yemen are demonstrating what it means to be free and without this single human right, life is worth nothing.

In the U.S., right-wing politicians, led by their Putin, Donald Trump, plan to rule over this nation’s people. They were elected to serve the majority. However, in the 21st century, their intentions are to ignore Americans’ needs and serve their own ambitions.

Fascism has arrived in America, and it’s wearing a cross and waving a flag.

“The Truth Lives Here”

Op-ed by James Turnage
Edited by Jeanette Vietti

Sources:

CNN: March 13, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news; by Helen Regan, Steve George, Maureen Chowdhury, Mike Hayes and Amir Vera
The Guardian: Ukraine peace talks resume as Russian ex-foreign minister calls for ceasefire – latest news

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Fibonacci Blue’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Tom Gill’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License