(Save Mariupol by Oksana Drachkovska; found here)
The Russian reinvasion of Ukraine is a month old today.
It's been a month of our resistance. The heroic opposition of the ??Ukrainian nation, the Ukrainian people, to the merciless invasion of Russia. It's been a month of our defense against attempts to destroy us.#stoprussiahttps://t.co/yYRCxhItPg pic.twitter.com/jFZzlL9l5u
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) March 24, 2022
Before we dive in, let’s do a little cleaning up. Ukraine is not accusing Russia of having taken 402,000 Ukrainians including 84,000 children to Russia. Rather, Ukraine’s parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova announced that the Russians have made that claim, but that at this time her office is unable to verify the Russian assertion. There has been repeated reporting that Russia is trying to and is actually funneling internally displaced Ukrainians into either Russian controlled portions of Ukraine or into Ukraine proper as the Ukrainians attempt to flee to safety. There has also been reporting regarding the Russian use of isolation facilities, think something along the lines of a cross between a torture dungeon and a black site, established in Russian controlled parts of Ukraine. I referenced some of that about two weeks ago, specifically Christopher Miller’s reporting on the subject. Right now all we know is the Russians are relocating Ukrainians to Russian controlled areas or Russia proper, what we don’t know yet are the actual numbers. I’ve looked at a dozen different pieces of reporting on this today and all of them, other than The Kyiv Independent‘s that I linked to above, botched the story in how they framed it.
Earlier today NATO held a senior leader’s meeting. Here is the video of President Zelenskyy’s remarks to them:
On the one month anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Zelensky addressed NATO: “Never, please, never tell us again that our army does not meet NATO standards. We have shown what our standards are capable of. And how much we can give to the common security in Europe and the world.” pic.twitter.com/hJ4FooIkVb
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 24, 2022
This morning The NY Times published an op-ed by Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minster of Estonia.
TALLINN, Estonia — To anyone who lived under Soviet occupation, reports from Ukraine replay scenes we thought we would never see again. The bombing of civilians and the wanton destruction of buildings recall the carnage unleashed on the European continent by Hitler and Stalin. In Mariupol, a port city subjected to a brutal, horrifying siege, residents are reportedly being deported to faraway places in Russia where an uncertain fate awaits them.
My family knows what that’s like. My mother was only a 6-month-old baby when, in 1949, the Soviets deported her, together with her mother and grandmother, to Siberia. My grandfather was sent to a Siberian prison camp. They were lucky to survive and return to Estonia, but many didn’t. Today the Kremlin is reviving techniques of sheer barbarity. Those who have escaped Mariupol describe it as hell on earth.
To put an end to these horrors, the most optimistic observers have put their hope in a peace deal. But peace is not going to break out tomorrow. We must face up to the fact that the Kremlin’s idea of European and global security is completely at odds with that of the free world. And Vladimir Putin is willing to kill and repress en masse for the sake of it.
At NATO, our focus should be simple: Mr. Putin cannot win this war. He cannot even think he has won, or his appetite will grow. We need to demonstrate the will and commit resources to defend NATO territory. To check Russia’s aggression, we need to put in place a long-term policy of smart containment.
First, we must help Ukraine in every possible way. The people of Ukraine have not tired, and neither can we. True, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has galvanized us into action. Allies and partners have made decisions with remarkable determination and unity. But now is the time to go the extra mile.
Ukrainian soldiers are able fighters, but they need weapons and matériel, including longer-range air defense assets and anti-tank missiles to better protect their skies. Defensive military aid must be our top priority, and we must commit ourselves to it for the long haul.
In Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people, we have provided Ukraine with close to $250 million worth of assistance so far. Much of that is military, but it extends to ambulances, blankets and baby food. The free world should redouble its efforts to support the people of Ukraine however possible — through the delivery of arms, food and daily essentials.
Much, much more at the link.
More after the jump!
War for Ukraine Update 30: The War Is a Month Old TodayPost + Comments (92)