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Collateral Damage
Currently, expressing compassion for Russian soldiers can be unpopular, but for anyone steeped in Russian history and culture, the issue is not clear-cut. Sometimes victimhood crosses the bridge to the other side and shakes hands.
With respect to Russian culture, it is fair to say that problems other than military contingencies impede the Russian army from achieving its purpose. Do not doubt that I am hoping Ukraine comes out of this debacle and survives. To see a country being obliterated like this, day after day, is unspeakable and reminds us daily of how powerless we are to stop what is a serious human rights issue.
But we are bystanders, aren’t we? Our governments make noises, still rattle sabres and grow misty-eyed because direct entry into the war to make a difference to Ukraine’s plight will lead to something more devastating. For us. As in 1914, we have alliances. They helped and hindered then, just as they do today.
Watching this war harms our mental health. Reading about the casualties, seeing the destruction to people’s homes, fearing for the abandoned animals — that’s the reality of it. Not a photo of Putin seated at an extraordinarily long table or of an oligarch’s yacht impounded in a harbor somewhere.
The big players probably get something out of this travesty but for the ordinary people suffering, and equally ordinary…
