First Ch!na took Hong Kong.
Then the Taliban took Afghanistan.
Now Russia — current chair of the UN Security Council — will take Ukraine.
(Taiwan is next.)
The end of a democracy
Our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are under attack from a vastly superior fighting force.
It’s the biggest state-to-state invasion since World War II.
43.3 million Ukrainians, living peacefully in a democratic nation, woke up this morning to tanks and mortars and missiles. Russia is already fifteen miles from the capital.
America and the West have no plans to put boots on the ground.
They’re going with sanctions. Except for maybe railways. And luxury goods. And the energy sector. And diamonds. They likely won’t even cut Russia off from the SWIFT banking network, because the world is so absurdly reliant on Russian energy exports.
Ukraine is so desperate that it plans to hand out guns to citizens in the streets.
France, Austria, Turkey, and the EU are thinking about providing some military support, but without America or NATO, Ukraine will fall.
Most likely, the Russian goal is to surround Kyiv and force the collapse of Zelenskyy’s government. Russia probably won’t start calling Ukraine “Russia” by summer, but once he’s in total control, he’ll re-install a proxy power.
In the words of Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator at the Financial Times:
“Western security services believe that Putin intends to overthrow the government and install a puppet regime. This “decapitation” strategy will also take in local governments. Lists have been drawn up of Ukrainian officials to be arrested or killed.”
Why is Russia attacking Ukraine?
Like a snowflake college student, thug Putin says he “feels unsafe.”
Why?
Because Ukraine is full of “Nazi ideas.”
Ever since the nation ousted its pro-Putin leader and put a hugely-popular Jewish comedian in charge, Putin says he feels like Ukraine is a threat to his gigantic nation.
Poor boy.
He’s worried that if Ukraine joins NATO, he’ll have a full-scale enemy on his doorstep.
The stated goal of his “special operation” is to demilitarize and de-Nazify the Jewish-led nation.
In other words: He wants Ukraine to remain undefended by NATO so he can keep Crimea and the other two regions he’s already stolen.
(Never forget that warlords have been fighting for control of the highly-strategic Crimea for more than 2,000 years.)
Ultimately, Putin wants to own the entirety of Ukraine.
Why?
Because he wants full access to the Black Sea.
Ports mean money and power.
At the end of the day, this is all about greed and control.
And Putin is willing to murder thousands of Ukrainian families to get it.
Art imitates life
This whole saga started when a Jewish TV comedian played a teacher who gets elected President after going on a rant about corruption.
The hit sitcom was called Servant of the People, and now it’s the leading centrist political party.
That’s right — President Zelenskyy won the hearts and minds of Ukrainian citizens because he cast a vision of a fairer world.
And if there’s one thing that dictators, corporatists, monopolists, and warlords hate, it’s a fair fight.
Now, Zelenskyy and his people will pay for it with their lives, so that one of the most corrupt leaders in history can amass even more power.
The poor always lose
Meanwhile, the West will respond with economic sanctions meant to cripple the Russian economy.
Ch!na will likely step in to help Russia — or, at least, help the wealthiest in Russia.
A hard crash or long-term depression will cause untold suffering for our Russian brothers and sisters, specifically the poor and working-class.
Meanwhile, Russian oligarchs will continue to sip champagne and eat caviar.
And if Russia cuts off oil, gas, and fertilizer to the West, fuel and food prices could soar even higher than they already are, causing more inflation, and potentially a recession. All this creates even more suffering and hardship for the poor and working-class in the West.
Why? So a billionaire sociopath can get his pound of dirt.
What we can do about the situation in Ukraine
Pray for the hundreds if not thousands of families who will endure the murder of a loved one this week.
Pray about what actions we are to personally take with our families. If truckers can get riled up about vaccines, Christians should dive into action at the first invasion in Europe since WWII. This is where our faith shines brightest.
Stop buying Russian products (vodka obviously, but more importantly, pay the extra to switch from oil/gas to hydro/solar/geothermal/wood/etc.)
Stop wasting money on stupid and selfish stuff and give it to aid organizations in Ukraine.
If you’re the protesting type, grab some friends, call up the media, and go shake signs in front of your local Russian embassy.
Get ready to warmly welcome refugees. As Rosaria Butterfield says, "the gospel comes with a house key."
And never forget: Our fight is never against flesh and blood. Jesus died for every single person in Russia, including Vladimir Putin. We struggle against principalities, ideas, and beliefs in the spiritual realm.
More war won’t fix this planet or change corrupt hearts, my friends.
Only love can do the trick.