For the past three weeks now I have been getting up around 1:00 am to check the news. Dawn is breaking at that time in Ukraine and I want to see if Ukraine made it through another night.
Thus far Ukranians cling tenaciously to freedom. It seems every day that the end of the rope is getting closer as Russia escalates its atrocities.
With every Russian atrocity, the resolve of the Ukrainians grows stronger. It seems; however, that with every Russian atrocity, the United States and NATO throw a few more economic sanctions and perhaps a few small arms to the Ukrainian forces. There has been no serious help for the outgunned Ukrainian army.
While the Ukrainians are appreciative of any help they can get, the fact is that, as Vice President Kamala Harris enlightened us, “Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country.”
This invasion began months ago as Russia amassed its army on the border of Ukraine. Day after day, Putin promised that these were just war exercises and he had no intention of going to war. Few took him at his word, but at the same time the same ones who did not believe him, did nothing.
After the Olympics, Putin declared that part of the Ukraine was now an independent state. He sent in troops as peacekeepers for an alleged civil war that never was.
At that point, he dropped all pretenses. Tanks, troops, convoys, fighter planes, charged across the border in what was to be a 24-48 hour blitzkrieg that would end with Russia in full control of Ukraine.
The United States and NATO followed standard procedures and offered to take Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the country to set up a government in exile. Zelenskyy resolutely refused with a line that will go down in the history books, “I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition.” He acknowledged that he was number one on Putin’s hit list and his family was number two.
The world watched as civilians took up arms. Small Molotov cocktail manufacturing groups popped up like mushrooms and spread like kudzu across the Ukraine.
The Russians encountered fierce resistance at every corner. Putin learned that this was not the cake-walk he thought it would be.
An early warning sign of the desperation of Putin came when the Russians engaged in an assault on the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Even conventional weapons could create a nuclear disaster that would impact all of Europe. The United States and NATO, not wanting to escalate, cautiously stayed on the sidelines.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy asked NATO and the United States to declare the skies over Ukraine as a no-fly zone. Both denied the request because they did not want to escalate.
Russia has been accused of using weapons that are outlawed by the Geneva Convention. NATO and the United States press for more economic sanctions and supply ground weapons. They granted no further assistance because they do not want to escalate.
Russia bombed civilian targets including a maternity hospital, killing at least three including one child. Zelenksyy, in a passionate address called on those who refused a no-fly zone to tell those families why they would not establish a no-fly zone.
Poland wanted to supply Ukraine with all of its Russian aircraft. Initially the Biden administration seemed to agree to help transfer the aircraft and backfill Poland with US aircraft.
Then the Pentagon decided it was not a good idea and nixed the deal. They did not want to escalate.
Reports are now that Russia will stage some type of terrorist attack at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. They will use the incident as a reason to escalate and perhaps even use chemical weapons on Ukraine.
Based on recent patterns, NATO and the United States will stand back and do nothing. They do not want to escalate.
At some point, one must come to grips with the question of responding to Russian escalation. Economic sanctions certainly are hurting the Russian economy but they do not seem to phase Putin.
No one wants WWIII, especially with a nuclear power, but how far do we go with the line of “we do not want to escalate”? The fact is that Russia has escalated, is escalating, and obviously will continue to escalate.
Is there a line in the sand? Is there a point where NATO and the United States must take more direct action, even if only through combat aircraft supply and support for the Ukrainians?
The fact is that Russian power against Ukraine is not a war, it is a massacre. Ukraine has done nothing to provoke a Russian invasion. There was no reason to invade other than the evil desire of Putin to conquer.
Let’s put this situation in an understandable model. Suppose there were kidnappers in a neighborhood who loaded a house with explosives and began to invade surrounding homes, taking hostages. They threaten to detonate the explosives killing the hostages and destroying homes in the area if there is any interference from law enforcement.
Obviously all these factors would play into the response by law enforcement agencies. One thing is for certain though. Law enforcement would not stand back and do nothing saying, “we do not want to escalate,” while the kidnappers took more and more hostages from surrounding neighborhoods.
The world faces this scenario. There is more than enough evidence to declare Putin a war criminal. We are in the third week of destruction and terror in Ukraine.
Are we going to stand by and watch Russia escalate the massacre of innocent civilians? Are we going to stand by and watch Russia continue to use prohibited weapons possibly including chemical warfare? Are we going to stand by and watch until eventually Russian soldiers capture and execute President Zelenskyy and his family?
I do not advocate for US soldiers entering a ground war. I do not advocate for overt US air combat operations over Ukraine. I do advocate that NATO and the US stop saying, “we do not want to escalate.”
Putin has already escalated beyond the point of reasonable and cautious tolerance. We cannot fear Putin but it appears that we do. It is well past time to seriously ask, “Is there a line in the sand?” The truth is that there is a line and Putin has crossed it.
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