One year ago, Vladimir Putin’s euphemistic “special military operation” was launched in Ukraine, forever altering the lives of millions.
Perhaps most notable is the pointlessness of the suffering. Putin’s tanks didn’t roll into Ukrainian territory to defeat a sinister regime full of neo-Nazis, despite the Russian despot’s absurd and insistent claims to the contrary. There was no human rights violation to be stopped, no legitimate claim to self-defense. Even in such extreme situations, war should be the last resort, the only remaining option once all others have been exhausted, a decision made with the utmost care and solemnity.
To bring that hell to Earth in the absence of those forceful reasons is beyond absurd. To do so lightly, out of an apparent overconfidence and as a gimmick to distract from political turmoil at home and project some sort of strongman image abroad, as Putin has done, is beyond sadistic. Nothing will justify his actions, either against the people of Ukraine or the people of Russia. After all, the fool’s grand designs have done irreparable harm not only to his neighbor but his own country.
