https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/23/russia-ukraine-invasion-crisis-update/6906567001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/24/russia-ukraine-invasion/6920609001/

Let's hope this doesn't escalate to nuclear war. :x

I am deeply saddened and concerned regarding this whole situation. As someone who spent an amazing summer living in Russia as an exchange student, making friends and trying to do my small part to improve relations and understanding between our countries, I have a lot of complicated feelings about this. But one thing I know for sure is that I don't want there to be a damn war. That's the last thing the world needs. Damn it Putin, why did you have to go and do this...

Some facts on this full-scale war. Definitely worth reading: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZM-1quOlWe/

The world is a hostile place... full of selfishness and evil.

The last thing I heard is that Russian troops captured Chernobyl and are holding staff hostage. That’s horrifying, I doubt they’re stupid enough to damage the protective dome or anything on purpose because the radiation WOULD leak into Russia, Germany, etc. not just Ukraine, but considering there was a whole gunfight there, an accident could easily happen. I live all the way in the west of Germany near the Netherlands, but I’m truly scared for Ukraine and what might happen if they’re not careful in Chernobyl. It’s EXTREMELY unlikely that Putin will attack any other country than Ukraine, he just wants to take it and install a puppet government there, but if other countries do decide to get involved militarily, he will go after them. So it’s like no matter what we do, either Ukraine falls to Putin's control or another World War may start. Every year since COVID started things just get worse and worse, the world is really getting scary.

US and other countries are talking about “biggest sanctions since WWII” but these sanctions are jokes to Putin. The only thing we really have non-military leverage with is some countries wanting to kick Russia out of SWIFT. THAT would be a real sanction that Putin would have to worry about, but right now Germany and Italy are blocking it so we have nothing to help Ukraine with except taking in refugees. It’s all just horrible.

But generally I think that West has a lot of blood on its hands, we could have supported anti-Lukashenko Belarusians not so long ago and we also failed at that, and now tanks that attach Ukraine also come from Belarus... I live in Poland, in Wroclaw, and a lot of people from Ukraine live there, so almost everyone knows some Ukrainians. And it's heartbreaking to see your friends worrying about their relatives who are still in Ukraine, often would like to leave, but it's very difficult... many organizations here try to help, people donate enormous amounts of money, food, warm clothes and so on, but it just cannot be enough. Not when a country as powerful as Russia attacks a smaller nation, because it's not even a war, it's slaughter. I'm also disgusted by reactions of politicians from China, Syria, Venezuela and Nicaragua, who say that Putin is right. And it all is even more painful when you remember that Ukraine gave away its nuclear weapons in 1994 in exchange for a promise of safety from UK, USA and Russia. :/

Exactly, the west could have done more when it counted but we didn’t, and now we have zero leverage except SWIFT and some countries are blocking it. I’m from the USA but moved to Germany last year, this is the first time I’ve been on the same continent as something like this and have been able to meet people from both countries involved. My friend's boyfriend's family is from Russia, and they’ve been getting a lot of abuse from people here but they literally left Russia because they were sick of Putin, and my neighbors in the apartment are Ukrainian, they still have family there and when the news was first reporting and showing videos of the explosions, I heard the mother screaming. I went over there and offered to spend a few hours with the kids to distract them, let them play my switch for a while, then talked to the parents and just stayed with them for a few hours. It was heartbreaking.

German TV has banned the Russia Today channel and honestly while some are crying about censorship I really don’t care. It’s absolutely disgusting that these people are painting Putin as a great leader trying to “save” Ukraine. I’m not even Ukrainian and it’s beyond offensive and nasty, I didn’t know what it was until my husband put on the YouTube stream to show me and I was honestly so p*ssed off. Instead of saying “Russian troops invade Ukraine” they say “Zelenskiy claims Russian troops invading Ukraine” and it’s just so ughhh I hate it. I know both sides always have propaganda in any war, but sometimes one's side is just clearly more horrifically screwed up.

I find it incredibly ironic that countries like the US were practically screaming for days on end that war was "imminent" and yet when it happened the world responded so SLOWLY with sanctions and restrictions. Incredibly ironic. But at least we're here now. Though who knows what will work or not when we have dirty oligarch practices in the UK and other countries that have been permitted for decades and Russia's banks have somehow been allowed to amass so many billions of dollars in reserves? At the end of the day, the average Ukrainian citizen on the ground is the one that is going to pay the price.

Aso, in my opinion, Putin is entirely capable of using the nuclear option as he's threatened to do because he's losing.

This invasion is not supported by the Russian people. And Putin's government does not take kindly to dissent. So this war isn't just Russia against Ukraine; it's the Russian oligarchs against the rest of the Russian populace, as well. And the last time Russian higher-ups got the common man into a war they didn't want, it led to government overthrow and the eventual formation of the Soviet Union and all the fun times that came after that, aka none.

I gotta say, though, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian nation as a whole are not taking this lying down. The folks staying to fight are legit badasses. Dropping Molotov's from drones on your enemies? Flooding the engine room of a Russian arms dealer's superyacht that you are employed to maintain? Much respect from me. It does help that the Russian Army isn't as well-equipped as you'd think. And that they don't have any allies that aren't already their puppet states or Belarus.

It's awful, just awful, and super scary. In January I wrote to my childhood friend (who's from Ukraine) asking what's up with Russia and it's military advances towards Ukraine. She said she didn't have any inside information because she didn't have any relatives close to the areas where the Russian army is. A month later Russia invades! I was afraid that it was going to happen but I kinda thought it would be a much slower process? So it would be kinda difficult for the rest of the world to react, it would just be kinda like they're already there and nobody noticed.

There's so much brutality in this war. Bombing grocery stores and hospitals. Attacking nuclear power plants (they're "safe" right now, check iaea.org for updates) . It's heart breaking, it's scary. I cry for those who've lost their families, who've lost safety, who are fleeing and those who are staying. Like the mother who was working abroad when the war started and she had to travel into Ukraine towards the war because her children are there. And those who've fled but realized everyone they love are still there so they went back. Those who cannot flee, those who died, those who stay and support the country from the inside. It's so scary because I don't know what limits Putin have. What does he himself think is something he cannot do, what actions does he consider wrong?

Two weeks ago, Russia had some military planes over my country (Sweden) and I think that means "we can attack you too - do not provoke us!", but I do not have any experience in military communication or foreign affairs.

I am horrified from what I've already seen and heard and yet still scared of what it can become from this whole conflict.

Right now the victim is the Ukrainians and all my heart goes to them. We got to support them in every way that we can.

Also please do not boycott Russian individuals, Putin is not every Russian and making everyday life difficult for the average Russian does not make the situation better. There are a lot of brave people in Russia trying their best to spread the word. There are a lot of people not brave yet but trying to find courage to do their part soon. There are also people in Russia that doesn't know about the war, because the controlled media in Russia (and also sometimes apps and sites decides to lock people in Russia out? so they get even less information?) . Not knowing about the invasion does not mean they support it. There are a lot of Russians living in other parts of the world, worried about this war, probably with loved ones in Ukraine or in other countries that they worry might be next.

Fight Putin, not Russians.

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.