As Russian tanks roll into the country of Ukraine, the inspiring bravery and resolve of the Ukrainian people has been on full display.

It is heartbreaking to see this sickening act of aggression engineered by Vladimir Putin—to watch children’s hospitals moved to basements; to see young men and women taking up arms to defend their homeland; to see the desperate exodus of families to neighboring countries that—for now—remain free from Putin’s attacks.

Even as the Western World unites to impose sanctions on Russia and Russian oligarchs and provide weapons, supplies, and food to the Ukrainians, we have stopped short of sending in actual troops which would announce a war with Russia.

Many longtime observers and scholars have noted that Putin has kept himself extremely isolated during the two years of the pandemic, and recent photos show him sitting at one end of ridiculously long tables while his advisors sit at the other end. Head-scratching, to say the least. More than one person has questioned his sanity.

But others feel that Putin’s goals have been on display for some time. In July of 2020, Putin proposed a change in the Russian constitution that made him president for life.  

An opinion article by Dov S. Zakheim from The Hill on 7/5/20, included this observation: “Putin’s publicly stated goal is to restore Russian greatness to at least that of the Soviet era. While he does not have the ideological impulses that spurred Lenin, Stalin, and their successors, Putin shares the same geopolitical concerns that motivated all of his Communist and Czarist predecessors. He also has lifted the tactics that were central to the Soviet playbook.”

Thus, the invasion of Ukraine could be considered the first step to the reestablishment of the USSR, or more accurately, the Russian Empire. If Russia succeeds here, one can expect that other countries will be attacked. Fortunately the West has not chosen appeasement thus far.

I would like to believe that democracy will prevail and that the darkness of one man’s megalomania will be pushed back. In the meantime, all Americans who love freedom and democracy are praying that the Ukrainians will be successful in stopping the Russian incursion.

For once, the entire world seems focused on the plight of innocent people who are finding themselves under attack without provocation.

If you would like to do something to support the Ukrainian people, there are many ways to help. My granddaughter Adeline is selling yellow and blue bracelets and sending the money to the United Nations Refugees Fund at https://www.unrefugees.org/; donations can also be made to the International Committee of the Red Cross at https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/ukraine-b; or Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen which is on the ground in Poland feeding the thousands coming in over the border at https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine.

In the meantime, let’s pray that David is able to vanquish Goliath.