For those of us who are children of the WWII generation, it is particularly jarring to witness a vicious invasion of a sovereign democracy in Europe. We grew up with the lessons of “the great war” ingrained in our souls and experienced the Cold War seemingly come to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall. We’ve lived through terrorist attacks and other geo-political disruptions, but had nonetheless come to believe that the post-Cold War order and the steady, if uneven, march of democracy was almost an inevitability.
All of that was shattered when Vladimir Putin, leading a country that spans eleven time zones but with an economy smaller than Italy’s, an ex-KGB officer increasingly isolated from reality, armed with nuclear weapons, enriched by oligarchs, and with delusions of grandeur, sent troops to invade Ukraine and blow apart the new world order.
To quote the writer and Eastern European expert Anne Applebaum, “Vladimir Putin’s paranoid ranting…has frightened even people who were lauding his ‘savvy’ just a few days ago. He is not, in fact, someone you can do business with, as so many in Berlin, Paris, London, and Washington falsely believed; he is a cold-blooded dictator happy to murder hundreds of thousands of neighbors and impoverish his nation if that’s what it takes to remain in power. However the war ends—and many scenarios are still imaginable—we already live in a world with fewer illusions.”
YMCA World Service has launched an emergency appeal to support the growing needs and response by YMCA Europe, YMCA Ukraine and the Ys in the region (in Moldova, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania) that are helping the massive wave of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. Their work includes emergency support, including food, clothing, housing, transportation and psychosocial counseling for Ukrainian refugees (including Y employees and volunteers) in Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. If you are so inclined, follow this link to learn about and support the incredible work they’re doing.
These are perilous times for the Ukrainian people, for the former Soviet states that are now independent countries but who may be Putin’s future targets, and for all democratic institutions. It can feel as though everything is collapsing, but it’s clear that the bravery shown by Ukraine’s leaders, military and everyday citizens is a direct result of the fundamental value they place on living in a democracy, and they believe in their bones that their country and their liberty must be defended at all costs.
It’s a jarring but necessary lesson for us all.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland