Russia has invaded Ukraine. I am part Ukrainian and a member Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Assumption. As the priest in my church said in his homily, “It is David vs. Goliath”. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and his family had the option of leaving but he elected to stay with his people and fight knowing very well that he and his family will be the #1 target of the Russians.
Many Ukrainian citizens are bunkering down in the subways, basements, etc. While men of ages 18-60 are ordered to stay and fight, many women have also chosen to stay and fight. One cannot but admire the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people. They would rather die than live under dictator Vladimir Putin who wants to bring back the so-called glory of the Soviet Union.
I had the opportunity to visit what was the then Soviet Union when was in college in the summer of 1986. Back then, Mikhail Gorbachev was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev staged a last attempt to save the communist system with his Glasnost policy with more openness and transparency of government in the Soviet Union. Recently I was asked if I liked it there, and I answered, a frank, “No.” In my opinion, the people were empty and cared about little more than what they didn’t have. Many on the trip sold their American blue jeans and sneakers to the local youth who I’m sure they resold for a pretty penny. One thing I do remember quite clearly is that the entire group of people I went with, many whom were students on the trip were singing “God Bless America” on the bus headed for the plane out of there. The first thing we did when we got to Finland (our stop before flying back to the USA) was go to McDonalds and have a taste of home.
A certain faction of congress (progressives) seems to think that communism is wonderful. They should take a good look at their TV set. Many Ukrainians came over to America in the early 1900’s in a search for a better life. From 1932-1933, the then ruler of Soviet Russia (General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) Joseph Stalin initiated the Holodomor, a man-made famine to enforce his rule. Stalin wanted to replace Ukraine’s locally owned farms with state owned collective farms, so he ordered all the Ukrainian people’s land, personal property, and housing taken from them. 3.9 million Ukrainians died. The Soviet Union ruled Ukraine from 1939-1991. Many Ukrainian immigrants who were able to come to the United States after WWII, did so, escaping communism.
After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Boris Yeltsin was president of Russia from 1991-1999, Vladimir Putin was president from 2000-2008, then Dmitry Medvedev from 2008-2012, then Vladimir Putin again from 2012 to (his term expires in 2024 (or life?)). The Ukrainian people do not want to live under a dictator.
As the United States impose more sanctions on Russia, China looks at Taiwan. People all over the world (including the people of Russia) are protesting the Russian invasion. Pray for Ukraine. Maybe it is David vs. Goliath but remember one thing – David won.
Katherine Massopust
