As Ukrainian war-fatigue settles in, we must not forget about their fight for democracy.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, I knew instinctively the war had to end in a Ukrainian victory. A year and half later, this assumption is clearer to me than ever before.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has one goal in this war—the death and destruction of the Ukrainian people. Putin echoes the sentiments of Stalin during World War II, who similarly sought to create a “new world order” by enveloping Ukrainian territory and starving the population out of existence.
Putin’s attempts at eradicating Ukrainian culture are evident through his indoctrination of Ukrainian school children in Russia and Russian-occupied territories.
In their propaganda messages, the Russian government attempts to exonerate their war crimes. Russia told children if Ukraine wins the war and s the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it will result in “the end of civilization.”
A United Nations report detailing the rape, torture, unlawful confinement, and indiscriminate targeting of Ukrainian children by Russian occupiers, says otherwise.
The brutal nature of this war is why my heart jumps to my throat when I read foreboding opinion articles speculating on the future of Ukraine.
I anxiously await the $61 billion aid package currently pending approval from US Congress, where Republican for the war effort has severely waned. Not to mention Ottawa, where Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre voted against updating Canada’s free trade agreement with Ukraine, citing carbon tax concerns.
While Poilievre maintains his party still s Ukraine, his refusal to agree with the bill demonstrates how the “anything it takes to win the war against Russia” mentality adopted by Western leaders at the beginning of the conflict is fading in the face of war-fatigue.
The news has moved on as well, albeit to conflicts that are equally deserving of extensive coverage. Nonetheless, I find myself digging through CNN and The Globe and Mail to find relevant stories on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
I understand this is the natural progression of the news cycle, but it doesn’t make the diminished attention to the Ukraine-Russia conflict any less unsettling, especially considering what’s at stake.
As explained by historian Timothy Snyder, Ukraine is fighting for democracy. If Russia wins this war, that sends a message to aggressors all around the world that democracy is tenuous, and despotism isn’t implausible.
In the words of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the fate of human morality is at stake in this conflict.
Ukraine must win—this notion can’t be lost on media outlets and politicians as we move further from the spark of the conflict. They must stand with Ukraine until it wins the war.
I’m proud of my Ukrainian heritage. The sight of the Tryzub, the Ukrainian trident, on coats and cars serves as a poignant reminder of the diaspora’s strength and resilience. A reminder Ukrainians haven’t forgotten about their fight for democracy.
Sofia is a third-year history student and one of The Journal’s Assistant News Editors.
Corrections
A previous version of this article incorrectly said the invasion of Ukraine occurred in February 2021, when in fact it occurred in February 2022. Incorrect information appeared in the Dec. 1 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
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