There’s only one situation that can justify the use of tanks and military aircraft: self-defense. That’s exactly what Putin referred to when he announced this “special military operation.” The problem is that we don’t have a single piece of convincing evidence that anybody was planning to attack Russia. And the responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Donbas lies to a great extent with the Russian authorities themselves.
The tragic experience of the twentieth century should have been enough to convince Putin that Moscow’s intrusion into its neighbors’ lives wouldn’t bring them closer to Russia, but drive them further away. That’s what happened after the Soviet annexation of the Baltic states in 1940, after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956, and, of course, during the Prague Spring of 1968. Evidently, President Putin would rather lecture people about history than learn from it.
We understand that we’ve found ourselves in a situation where we hold little sway. But we have a duty to state loudly and clearly that this is not our war and we do not support it. The invasion of Ukraine was started on behalf of Russian citizens but against our will. The shame that comes with it will be with us forever.
The fighting must be stopped immediately and the Russian army must return to Russian territory. Let’s stop this. It’s never too late to end a war.
Source: No to War An editorial from Meduza — Meduza
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