On the 24th of February, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that a “military operation” would be conducted in the Ukraine, thus sparking a full invasion by the Russian Military into the sovereign state. Fourteen days into the conflict, over two million Ukrainians have been displaced and thousands killed in what has become a violent and completely unjustified military offensive. If you’re like me, the footage of bombings, destruction, and civilian casualties has been tragic to witness and has brought new founded sympathies to the country and people of Ukraine. It wouldn’t be a surprise then that in Canada and other Western States, many have not only showed their support for Ukraine and its people but have grown increasingly resentful and enraged at Russia and its leader.
Let me be clear that I’m certainly not arguing against the former: the Ukrainians have suffered greatly during these times and deserve our full respect and support in the defence of their country. Furthermore, I can certainly agree with the demonization of Putin and his violently crazed goals of annexing peaceful states. However, I have a growing worry that recent demonization of Putin has grown to encompass Russia and its people as a whole.
While these reactions may seem justified in relation to what has been witnessed in Ukraine, turning an entire nationality into a common enemy has never been a good idea. One doesn’t have to look far back into history to see how common-enemy thought has devolved into injustices committed against innocent people. During WWII, a demonization of the Japanese military and their atrocities overseas lead to the internment and racial discrimination of thousands of Japanese Americans; even today, the continued embargo against Cuba and its’ people has greatly impoverish the Cuban people while doing little to quell the Cuban regime.
Now though we are not likely to reach internment of citizens, there are many lingering and proposed that have echoed these previous common-enemy thoughts. On CNN, U.S Congressmen Eric Swalwell argued that the Federal Government should exile all current Russian students in the U.S as “punishment” for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, many others on twitter and other social media accounts have taken to cheering on both the consequences of imposed economic sanctions on the Russian people and the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers at the hands of the Ukrainians.
It’s important in this resentful fervour to recognize how our current policy and social reactions to the Ukraine invasion will have unfortunate consequences on innocent Russian citizens. The economic sanctions, whether you believe they are justified in implementation or not, will likely have little effect on Putin and his cronies. Instead, the consequences will be passed down to the millions of working and middle-class Russians who have already suffered through an authoritarian regime and stagnant economic performance. Many Russians, both in Russia and abroad, hold deep worries about the safety and security of their family members either in Russia or currently stationed in Ukraine; we should not look down upon their suffering because of the actions of their rulers.
Further speaking of soldiers, it is important that some sympathies are shown to them as well during this time. Though some have committed horrible war crimes and should be duly punished, the vast majority are simple men. Many of the currently stationed in Ukraine are conscripts and most don’t know what they are doing in Ukraine, with reports claiming that the soldiers were lied into why they were going into Ukraine and what they were facing. Combine this utter obliviousness with the poor logistics and planning of the Russian military, and so far, Russian casualties have been extraordinarily high as the Russian military continues to pointlessly and viciously slaughter the lives of their own young men. Along with the Ukrainian casualties, these frontline “enemy” combatants should also be given our sympathy during this tragic time. Indeed, the greatest tragedy of war is that it tends to dehumanize the enemy side: to morally justify their tragic deaths in the grand scheme of a bloody and miserable conflict.
As observers, we should avoid these rash judgements and recognize the overall humanity that will be tragically lost during this conflict. At heart, war is a tragedy of incomprehensible proportions, suffering unbound. It is best for us and the world that this conflict ends peacefully with as few casualties as possible then let cheer on the complete annihilation of this enemy that has beseeched Ukraine and the rest of the world.
By: Dui Davidsson
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