The
war in Ukraine is still ongoing and it’s impossible to look away. I thought I could keep the events surrounding
the war separate from my teaching job, but they have seeped into my Social
Studies lessons as examples on certain topics.
I’ve gotten better at not letting my emotions take over because that
would be unprofessional. A lot has
happened since late February, too much to include in one post, so I will focus
on the most important developments and tragedies.
Russian
forces fully withdrew from Kyiv on March 29.
The Ukrainian capital is saved!
The brave Ukrainian warriors fought with everything they had and
prevailed. They stalled, halted,
harassed, scattered, damaged, and fractured the very long convoy of Russian
armour, trucks, and soldiers that were sent to take the city. The withdrawal also forced the invaders to
retreat from the entire northern front, including places like Chernobyl (March
31). The occupiers had to abandon the
decommissioned nuclear plant because they were complaining of radiation poisoning/sickness. The Russian high command forgot and/or didn’t
bother to supply its soldiers with hazmat suits. I’m glad they didn’t watch the Chernobyl
tv mini-series. Unfortunately, the
invaders looted everything they could during their rout and left behind immense
devastation and booby traps.
But
that’s not all they left behind. Mass
graves of civilians have been uncovered in Bucha and other towns - war crimes
& genocide. Investigators have been
collecting evidence and witness testimonies of what happened during the
occupation. Russia can deny all they
want, but the truth always wins. They
thought they could bury everything and forget about it, but that’s not
happening. Unfortunately, it will be
very difficult to bring the war criminals to justice, especially when they
possess nuclear weapons.
Russia’s
flagship of the Black Sea, the cruiser Moskva, was sunk on April
14. Awesome! News outlets reported that Ukrainian forces
struck the ship with anti-ship missiles and the resulting fire caused munitions
to explode. The Russian navy was towing
their damaged vessel, but thankfully, couldn’t rescue it in time. Unfortunately, there’re plenty of ships left
in Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Hopefully
more of them will be sunk.
The
Siege of Mariupol is still ongoing and it looks like Ukraine will lose. The city is completely surrounded and
destroyed. Remaining Ukrainian forces
are holding out at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works industrial complex. I don’t know how long they can hold out, but
as long as they can continue draining Russian personnel and equipment, the
better. Their heroic actions &
sacrifices are buying more precious time for Ukraine. Pootin – I’m not spelling the dictator’s name
correctly – declared victory on April 21, but Ukrainian forces are still
holding out.
Airstrikes,
missile strikes, and tough talking rhetoric are still occurring on all sides. The word “liberate” is being used, um,
liberally. Russia claims to be “liberating”
Ukrainians from a Nazi government – a complete lie – while Ukraine is fighting
to liberate its people from tyranny, oppression, and subjugation. I hope for a speedy Ukrainian victory.
A
message to all NATO countries: keep supplying Ukraine with the best weapons,
equipment, and training you have.
Ukraine is fighting for everyone’s freedom! And that includes the world. If Ukraine falls, more countries will be on
Russia’s hitlist. And a Russian victory
will encourage China to invade Taiwan.
Ukraine
has proved everyone wrong. The world thought
they would surrender in 3 days, but we fought back with everything we had, and
then some, and now we’re beating the Russian bear all the way back to his cage.
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