In the early morning of February 24, 2022, no one realized how quickly the course of history was to take a bloody and chaotic turn. That morning the world was shaken by shockwaves from artillery shelling and explosions of missiles in cities, airports, and fields across Ukraine, as Russian Forces invaded from Belarus, Donetsk, and Crimea. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came after Putin’s speech announced the commencement of military operations under the casus belli of defending ethnic Russians in the Donbas region which he claims “have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime.” After Russia’s invasion commenced, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine and currently leading the fighting of Ukraine, immediately declared martial law and ordered a general mobilization of the Ukrainian population to enlist in the armed forces. The war has forced more than 842,513 Ukrainians to flee to Western Europe, as thousands of Ukrainians have rushed to enlist and fight for their country’s freedom and sovereignty. Heavy fighting continues to persist throughout the country with extensive urban warfare by Ukrainians in places like Kyiv, Kherson, and many others, which has shocked the world and Putin.
Russia’s invasion has garnered massive international support for Ukraine and has led to various ways of punishing Putin and Russia. The General Assembly United Nations vote of Resolution ES‑11/1, which condemns Russia’s invasion and calls for an immediate withdrawal, saw overwhelming support for Ukraine with 141 yeas and only 5 nays and 35 abstentions. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (N.A.T.O) and The European Union (EU) continue to send military armaments to Ukrainian forces. The conflict has also seen unprecedented moves by Germany with its historic shift in sending military aid in a conflict zone, along with Sweden and Switzerland breaking their historic neutrality to send aid to Ukraine. While the U.S and allies have placed sanctions on Russia, Companies across the world have shown solidarity with Ukraine by censoring content, suspending services in Russia, and freezing the sale of Russian products. Ukraine has started to receive foreign volunteers, which has been greeted by many Ukrainians, especially Zelensky.
As most of the focus has been on the conflict and the international support for Ukraine, Putin continues to justify his actions. Analysts have noted that much of Putin’s argument for Russia’s actions is rooted in the long history of the region going as far back as Ivan the Third and Rus. Scholars have noted that “Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia all trace their national identities to the medieval state of Rus.” Niall Ferguson, the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, notes Putin’s use of Post-Soviet history in saying “Ukrainian independence was an unsustainable historical anomaly,” and states that Putin sees himself as the next Peter the Great. Putin’s view is very problematic as he usurps historical reality with potential reality, Russia’s potential of restoring former soviet territories. Putin’s grand scheme to elevate himself to the likes of Peter the Great demonstrates his uncompromising nature with regards to his ambition of restoring former soviet lands, thus guaranteeing further Russian aggression. Putin also neglects the truth that Ukraine has its own unique ethnic history that is separable from Russia, as illustrated by the subjugation of Ukraine in 1793 during the Second Partition of Poland. Russia’s attempt to subjugate Ukraine thus proves Russia’s illegal incursion is based upon the manipulation of history and the aspirations of Putin’s view for Russia’s future.
If the U.S and its allies are serious about dealing with Russia’s aggressive behavior, they must engage in what some call “the Dog Policy.” The Dog Policy is a three-part initiative that uses the same logic of how to deal with an aggressive dog and apply that to dealing with nations like Russia. The first part is using diplomacy: just like dealing with a dog, you want to show the back of your hand which tells the dog that you are not a threat and that you wish to be friends, thus dealing with the situation without violence. If diplomacy doesn’t work, then the next part of the Dog Policy is to attempt to cage the dog so that it doesn’t cause harm to anyone. For nations, this means cutting off aggressive countries with sanctions or embargoes. If the dog is incapable of being rehabilitated or caged, and remains an immediate threat to everyone around it, then the dog must be destroyed. As said by the Athenians during the Melian Dialogue “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” Putin is a dog who covers his weakness with bellicosity, and the Free World has the power to put Putin back in his place and restore peace, prosperity, and freedom to the region.
