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After thirty years, Europe is at war again. In the early morning of February 24, Vladimir Putin announced the invasion of Ukraine, with a “special military operation”.
Minutes after Putin spoke in national media, journalists in Kyiv and in eastern cities of Ukraine began to report explosions and shelling.
Explosions in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, home to nearly three million people. Explosions in Mariupol, in Kharkiv and Kramatorsk. Explosions begin to echo throughout the country, spreading terror and despair.
A friend in Ukraine tells us: “We are very scared. We have to pack.” He has not responded anymore. A journalist asked for prayers for them. Another says, “Oh good Lord, it’s just begun.”
The world underestimated Vladimir Putin. It was thought that he would not take this step, but he did. He decided to invade, and also warned: any foreign force that stands between him and Ukraine will face “unimaginable consequences”.
Peace in Europe lasted thirty years. The last conflict was the Yugoslav wars in 1991. Today, that peace was interrupted by a tyrant who must be stopped, because he will not stop with Ukraine. Kyiv is only the beginning. Appeasement never worked. Weakness and isolationism are an invitation for these thugs to thrive. Putin is a tyrant, not unlike the others who also started wars.
We stand with our Ukrainian friends, and so must the world. The shedding of innocent blood is intolerable and the worst of consequences must fall on Putin, that Chekist mobster who believes he has the ability to take over the world.
We are betting on a strong United States, which will prevent Russia’s advance.
This must stop. Moscow must be stopped. It is too late to avoid war, the free world must unite now to stop it, before it claims innocent lives.
The Editorial Board