Howdy all. I have wanted to write about the situation in the Ukraine since it started, but wasn’t sure how to approach it. But you know, I figured that the blog was the best place for me to express myself, right? And so I have managed to gather a few thoughts together for you all, because, well, it’s been the thing most present in my mind since that day a week and a half ago Russia crossed the border and invaded the sovereign nation that is Ukraine.

As you may have noticed I’ve shared a few videos over the situation with you over the last two Saturdays, and I am sure I will share some more. This conflict has really affected me, but I think it’s shocked a lot of people across the world. Ukraine is a country I have wanted to visit for over a decade now. Russia is a country I have visited three times, and I have adored for so many years.

And what is happening right now seems to defy logic, sense and appears utterly mad. From what I can understand, Putin thought it would be done in 2 days, that basically Ukrainians would be happy to be invaded, possibly because they hated their government. That has not been the case, Ukraine holds out and so Putin has gone all-in to the point where nuclear options are on the table and the world stares down the precipice of a potential world war.

At least with the pandemic there was some idea where this was going. Let’s be honest, it’s not done yet and no-one thought we would still be living through it two years on, but at least we occasionally saw light at the end of the tunnel. What is happening in the Ukraine is so bleak and unthinkable that there’s no clear way out that is good. Well, perhaps an uprising in Russia that ousts Putin and his Oligarch friends and sets Russia on a clear path to some equality, and of course they cease the invasion immediately would be great, but that is not a realistic possibility and I think Putin would not hesitate to turn the tanks and guns on his own people.

There are two things that worry me, and I think everyone. The first is foremost for the brave, the incredibly brave inspirational people of the Ukraine who are fighting an opponent so many times larger and more powerful than they are that it doesn’t bear thinking about. Russia has the world’s most nuclear weapons and one of the three biggest armies in the world. Yet the fight taken to them will surely make it into movies as will Zelensky, who’s basically a rock-star AND a president AND Rambo all rolled into one. Whilst Putin sits at the world’s biggest table not daring to get within metres of anyone he meets with for fear of catching Covid, Zelensky has impressed the world with how he speaks and how he leads.

The other thing that worries me is the repercussions on the rest of the world. With NATO troops poised to defend Poland and the Baltics, with Russia and Belarus already looking to move into Moldova as well as Ukraine, the situation could well go pear-shaped very quickly. That’s something that no-one, I would hope, wants. And some are worried about China chiming in too, although right now it doesn’t feel like a pressing concern. In fact China seem worried about the moves that Putin has put on so far in the Ukraine.

So, I don’t want to be completely anti-Russian here because honestly I have a massive love for this country, it’s people and their own resilience. I don’t want to say ‘they didn’t choose this’ – although I don’t believe for a second they did – because I don’t speak for them. I heard that the Oligarch’s of Russia, some 600 or so, amount for something like 99% of the country’s wealth. I don’t know if it’s true or accurate, but I believe the wealth and therefore power imbalance in Russia is as wide as anywhere in the entire world. But it is the citizens of Russia, going about there every day lives, who will now suffer the full effect of sanctions. I can foresee the dark times of the mid-1990s when people lined up for bread in the street returning to Russia. I hope I am wrong, but I don’t imagine Putin is going to care.

Is he a man who has completely lost the plot? I hope not because if that’s the case NOTHING is off the table.

And before I sign off today, can I say that Russia is not the first and only country to enter into illegal wars. And one can understand why someone in Putin’s position might feel aggrieved so much that the world has turned on him (not that they were ever with him). Where was the condemnation when America invaded Iraq? Because of Weapons of Mass Destruction – that were never found? Doesn’t that make it an illegal war? That’s America and its allies such as Australia, I must not forget to add.

Just a thought. At the end of the day though, well, there is perhaps one positive to come from it. From the inspiration of the fight the people of Ukraine are displaying, we have seen a lot of unity from other countries. Countries saying ‘no’ to tyranny. The only thing is this has not and most likely will not see them actually fight Russia. And well, that’s what’s so bad about the situation. They dare not – not because they directly fear Russia, but they dare not risk starting the Third World War, a war that could see nukes as the principle weapon of choice, a war that could wipe out half the planet.

I would like to leave you on a more positive note, honestly I would.

Thanks for reading. Take care.