The world recently marked the 3-year anniversary of the tragic war in Ukraine. Make no mistake, Russia invaded Ukraine in a case of naked aggression of a type that has been against international law since the end of World War II. The USA has long attempted to defend countries threatened in this way, though I realize the US has also used force under dubious pretexts (Iraq, for example). In any case, Donald Trump's performance in the Oval Office yesterday lecturing Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shameful for all Americans. If the US does not want to support Ukraine anymore, OK, Americans can make that decision (via Congress, which appropriates aid and arms transfers).
But the US under no circumstances should embrace Russia's point-of-view on the war. The idea that Russia felt threatened by the expansion of NATO and the EU towards them is not going to go away even if they take Ukraine. There are plenty of other neighboring countries that have made the same choice. Incidentally, there are far fewer armed troops surrounding Russia than there were during the Cold War. Putin is afraid of the idea of western democracy more than troops and arms.
How does this tie to this blog? At the start of the war, Ukraine made it illegal for men aged 18 to 60 to leave the country because they might be needed to fight to defend the country.
There have been accounts of men who fled (or attempted to flee) Ukraine disguised as women. Last May, thie unfortunate man was caught attempting to use this ploy. A lot of the coverage is tabloid-style, as readers might imagine. You can find an image and video on social media as well:
I'm sure many readers of this blog would be better prepared to disguise themselves for this kind of emergency exit attempt.
