A Defense of Ukraine
Recently, I’ve interacted with folks both on the right and the left who seem to find themselves sympathetic to Russia in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict. I find this concerning, as it seems people are not looking at this from a rational lens. Often times, people engage in whataboutism, and try to point at all of the injustices they perceive America to have done. Other times, they use Russian propaganda talking points to say that Russia deserves the right to invade another country. I’d like to outline a few reasons why I support Ukraine in the ongoing conflict, and some rebuttals to common anti-Ukraine arguments.
“Russia Is Defending Itself from being Aggressed Upon by NATO”
How was NATO aggressing on Russia? Because Ukraine wanted to join NATO?
Firstly, it is none of Russia’s business whether Ukraine joins NATO or not. Ukraine is it’s own independent country, and they have the right to make decisions on the agreements they join with other countries, without Russia’s involvement or consent.
Secondly, Ukraine wanted to join NATO, but that membership was not anywhere close to being a reality. Ukraine didn’t meet 2 basic requirements to be eligible for NATO membership:
- Ukraine is involved in a border dispute with Russia (Since 2014, Russia and Ukraine have been in conflict over Crimea)
- NATO requires member countries to have a low-level of government corruption, and Ukraine did not meet that requirement.
Finally, even if Ukraine joined NATO, it is not an act of aggression towards Russia. The only time NATO is allowed to intervene militarily is when a member country is attacked. Otherwise, NATO does not make offensive strikes. If Ukraine was a member, and Russia did not attack Ukraine, NATO would have no reason to strike Russia.
“Ukraine Is Full of Neo-Nazis”
Russia has a rich disinformation and propaganda system that spreads many misconceptions, such as the idea that the Ukrainian government is filled with Nazis, that are holding the Ukrainian people hostage. This is not true. Zelensky, the country's current president, was democratically elected - he won 73% of the vote in 2019. He is also Jewish.
It makes no sense to accuse him, or the government, of being neo-Nazis holding the country hostage.
There is, however, the Azov Regiment - it has been called a far-right militia with neo-Nazi ties. It has been reported that the Azov Regiment itself does not hold neo-Nazi beliefs, but that 10-20% of its members are Nazis.
Regardless of this 10-20% of their members, it does not justify calling the entirety of the government or people of Ukraine neo-Nazis. There are more Nazis in Russia than there are in Ukraine.
“Ukraine is committing genocide against Russian-speakers in the country”
Putin has alleged on several occasions that Ukrainians are committing genocide against Russian-speakers in their country. This is not the case. According to several sources, Russian is widely spoken within Ukraine, and is largely spoken in Kyiv. Russian is Vladimir Zelensky’s mother tongue. Ukraine's Parliament has made Ukrainian the country's official language. However, most people in the country speak fluent Russian, and by law it is not at all prohibited to do so.
A Sovereign Country has the Right to Determine It’s Own Fate
Ukraine, with its own rich history and culture, has the right to determine its fate. And they have decided that they do not want to join Russia. They want to continue being independent. Ukrainians are fighting very hard to preserve their sovereignty. Russia’s reasons for invading are unacceptable. No country has the right to impose restrictions on another, and Ukraine was not going to be able to join NATO any time soon.
Democracies around the world should be supportive of Ukraine's fight to preserve their country, and to exercise their own agency.
See Also
Robert Farley
Jonathan Masters
