The Russian invasion of Ukraine: Two years and counting

Two years ago, I was watching in horror as Putin's regime began its full scale invasion of Ukraine. In the weeks leading up to the war, I began subscribing to any relevant sub-Reddit, Telegram channel, and YouTube channel that seemed helpful to understanding what was unfolding. At the time, Twitter was fairly useful, and there were plenty of good lists on Twitter that could cut through the bullshit. When the war started, the Russian hype was that Kyiv would be captured in three days, and within weeks Ukraine would cease to exist. Famous last words, indeed.

The Russian military has certainly exacted a toll on the people of Ukraine, but the full-scale invasion failed to achieve its objectives. Not only did the Russian troops have to retreat very early on in the war, but they would lose much of the territory they gained by late summer and early fall of 2022. Since then, the front lines have not changed much, although the situation should be considered dynamic. 

We've learned that the much-hyped Russian military is far less than billed. That doesn't mean that its military can't do considerable damage, and it doesn't mean a Russian victory can be safely written off. We've learned that Westerners would be wise not to underestimate the grit of the Ukrainian people and their military. We also learned that Western governments were caught with their pants down to some extent: the EU was overly reliant on Russia for its commodities like natural gas and oil, and Western governments did not have the ability to ramp up production of ammunition and weapons systems to scale in the short order needed to truly give the Ukrainians the capacity to knock out the Russian invasion early on. 

The sheer scope of Russian atrocities came into sharp relief after the initial Russian retreat in early 2022. Bucha will be remembered for years to come. The reduction of Mariupol to rubble has been well-documented. To this day, Russia still occupies what is left of that city. 

I do not know what the future holds, but I do know that the Putin regime needs to be soundly defeated. Sadly, this will be a long and expensive war - costly both in treasure and in lives. There is nothing glorious about warfare. It's carnage. And yet this is certainly one where we need to pick sides. We may not be able to escape our destined paths, as the saying goes, but we can choose which which side we walk on. From thousands of miles away, I will walk on the side of the Ukrainians who are doing all they can to hold on to their nation, their culture, and their future. 

I will leave you with an photo essay by Jędrzej Nowicki with an introduction by Anne Applebaum.

For updates, I still find this Reddit live thread to be well worthwhile.

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