Society and Politics

What Is Happening in Ukraine and Why It Matters for the World

Reflections and insights from stories of engaging and caring writers

Why do we need another war and who gains from it?

War is awful and undesirable for humanity. It adversely affects our health, well-being, business, and economy. The recent development in Ukraine has become a global issue. The world is already in trouble with many contemporary problems causing economic and health crises globally. Adding a new unnecessary war can make the situation worse for humanity. Besides, this can significantly affect the tender psyche of innocent children.

Many questions inundate social media feeds. Why do we need another war? What benefit can it do to humanity? Who is responsible for this undesirable situation for society? How can we prevent this war collaboratively? Why do politics prevail over the well-being of people?

Our editors reviewed and published many stories about the situation in Ukraine. Some of them shared their perspectives too. Our chief editor, Dr Mehmet Yildiz nudged me as the lead editor of Illumination-Curated publication on Medium to inform our discerning readers. Honoring his request and inquiries from our subscribed readers, as the ILLUMINATION-Curator, I reviewed some stories published on Illumination and compiled them in this post.

I aim to give you perspectives from our writers’ stories reflected from their insightful pens. To keep the post in a reasonable size, I provide only excerpts and links to these engaging and informative stories so that readers can select the pieces that resonate with them.

Here are the perspectives on the situation in Ukraine from writers’ pens.

Mandy McElroy makes eye-opening comments in this story Why You Need To Care About Ukraine. “Russia isn’t Iraq. Russia has nuclear weapons and a maniacal lunatic pulling all the levers of power available to him. And they are considerable, Russia being ranked the second most powerful military machine in the world, behind only the United States.”

In this personal story titled As a Child In Post WW2 England, I Begged My Mother To Tell Me There Wouldn’t Be Another War, Janice Macdonald starts her story “Born at the end of the war, I had no actual recollection of bombs and destruction, but I’d absorbed plenty of my mother’s stories — the blood-chilling sound of the air-raid warnings, the scramble to shelters for safety as German bombs rained down.”

Tara Desai PhD asks the question As the Ukrainian crisis deepens, how do Europeans feel? As she points out, The trauma of WW2 still haunts. Dr Desai points out that “Russia’s threats now shatter Post-Cold War peace by accumulating massive military with 190,000 soldiers and most advanced weapons around Ukraine. The question is, will Russia use Nuclear weapons? I think perhaps NOT, but only Putin knows.”

In a story, titled Russia has Invaded Ukraine. Here’s What you Need to Know, Australian Foodie on Running informs that “After repeated denials of any plans for Russia to invade Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a military operation in the Eastern European country, following months of Moscow massing troops near the Ukraine border. Russian forces have fired missiles at several Ukrainian cities and landed troops on the country’s south coast. Russia has confirmed it is targeting military facilities, which include anti-aircraft systems and airfields. Ukrainian military command centres in both Kyiv and Kharkiv have been hit by Russian missile strikes.”

In this opinion piece, an experienced writer Harry Hogg mentions that “Putin, in my opinion, desperately wanted Trump to win so he could take Ukraine back in one lump. He screwed up our alliances in Europe, weakened NATO, and was almost certainly paving the way for Putin to gain land and restore the USSR. It’s Putin’s greatest wish. I have no clue as to whether Putin is set on a world war. He is afraid of NATO and the nations which make up the European force. If Ukraine were to be successful in joining NATO (years away) that would, in Putin’s mind, be a threat. NATO countries are part of a peacekeeping force.” Harry also posted this story, There’s No Hope America.

In this article, a top writer Tree Langdon informs that “Europe’s top air traffic authority has urged airlines and other civilian flights to stay away from Ukrainian airspace. There are reports of explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv, a reporter for CNN reported them live. The Interior Minister of Ukraine, as an advisor to CNN, told them the explosions they heard in Kyiv are missile strikes. The explosions are coming from the direction of the international airport. Tonight Putin announced that he authorized a military operation in Donetsk, saying it is to defend people who have been suffering persecution and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years. It’s a copycat move, one that the Nazis used at the beginning of WWII. The UN called an emergency meeting to discuss the developments, and many of its members called for calm, stressing the urgency of the situation and the need for a diplomatic solution. In the meantime, Russian troops are headed to the border, and Ukraine and its allies are all on high alert.”

Dani2404 asks Will A Third World War Begin? Daniel mentions that “Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been going on for years and more and more soldiers have appeared on the border between the two states and the internet is full of the so-called war that is expected to begin. The reason you saw so many articles about a possible war that would have a great chance of starting is that Russia has advanced to the border with soldiers, weapons, tanks, and everything needed for an attack on Ukraine. It is expected that if Russia attacks Ukraine, it will have many ways for a successful attack, and this involves an attack from several fronts, both on the border between the two countries and on the border with Belarus and the Black Sea!”

A leadership expert Paul Myers MBA introduces Five Reasons Why Putin Is The Hitler Of The Modern World. Paul asks a powerful question: Are we ignoring the lessons of history? Paul’s concluding remarks are important to review “With a population of almost 45 million, the future for the people of Ukraine is uncertain. As is the future for the 180 million people in Russia. One man is trying to reinvent, to redefine the world order. The question for those in the free world is: What are you going to do? Let me remind you of this: Inaction is the apathy that masks collusion. Слава Україні! Героям слава!”

Cedric Boogaerts looks at the situation from an economic angle, asking What Happens If Russia Invades Ukraine? He points out that “It is likely that Russia will invade Ukraine in the future. Putin sees Ukraine as the missing part of the Soviet Union and that without it, they cannot go back to their glorious days. Ukraine is also a buffer state between NATO and Russia. Putin fears the spread of democracy in Russia. He fears democracy so much that he has poisoned adversary Navalny. Whilst Russia is saying they are withdrawing troops, estimates show that they are adding them. This week there are estimated to be 190 000 soldiers at the border, up from 130 000 last week.”

In this opinion piece, Scott-Ryan Abt asks powerful questions “Who gains from this? Who benefits from a public that is by now so overloaded with information and awareness of their own ineffectiveness in dealing with it, much less being able to harness it to play a role in creating a better world? Everything is in constant flux, the stability that our society relied on is gone. The sand continuously shifts under our feet.” He mentions that “Putin is evil, Biden is doing his overmatched best. The EU doesn’t have unity on this one. China is looking on, interestedly. The Taiwanese, too, one imagines. Our consent, not that it’s needed, is being manufactured. We don’t know where to focus our attention anymore and for us now, this Ukraine business just seems like another thing to keep us on edge.”

In this article titled War has started, Putin is testing limits, Paulo Laureano points out that “Just like Nazi Germany when they invaded Polony in September 1939, the actions and inactions of the rest of the world will dictate the next steps in Putin’s ambitions. In Russia’s declaration of war, Putin’s stark warning to those tempted to intervene: “consequences will be unlike anything you experienced”. Paulo believes that “There is no way Ukraine forces can fight the invaders. The Russians will crush them. If Putin gets a grip on Ukraine, it’s a matter of time before he rolls his eyes to other Baltic states. But unfortunately, the world is underestimating his ambitions. Make no mistake; we are living dangerous times.”

In this sad story, Francesco Carrubba mentions that “The videos disseminated on social media portray families with small children, people with trolleys and suitcases. Some have found a place on some benches, and others have sat on the ground. Someone has mattresses and sleeping bags to face the night. You have to cover yourself well from the cold with heavy jackets, caps, and scarves. Many have the phone in hand to communicate with loved ones and look for information or updates on the situation.”

In this personal story titled The Moving Train(Wreck) That Is Vladimir Putin , KL Simmons points out that “Aside from the reality of Germany’s past and horrible involvement with the Nazi party that created World War II making me hyper-aware of potential dangers, I feel the reality and threat of this current war more because Ukraine is just a 12-hour drive from where I live in northwestern Germany. My partner and I have already spoken about where we could potentially go if war did break out in Germany or if Putin uses nuclear weapons and we were exposed to nuclear fallout.”

The Sinfeld Times provides seven facts about Ukraine. He points out interesting facts such as “Ukraine is not a weak and small Scandinavian country. Ukraine is the Largest Country in Europe. Ukraine is not a militarily weak country. Ukraine gave all its nuclear power to Russia. Today they regret that they made this decision. Russians have always been cruel to Ukrainians. 8 million Ukrainians were massacred.”

Heal with Sumit introduces “5 traits of psychopathy that Putin displayed” in this article titled Ukraine Russia War — A Psychopath Unleashed. He mentions that “Psychopathy is antisocial behavior, and it is important for us to understand it because we are surrounded by psychopaths today. Not in numbers but by the amount of influence they have on our lives. A very recent example of psychopathy and its influence can be the Russian invasion in Ukraine by a psychopath president.”

In a well-researched historical article, Arlo Hennings, Ph.D. asks the question, Who is President Putin’s Family. Dr Hennings mentions that “His daughter’s names are Maria, 36 and Katerina 35. Maria was born in Leningrad in 1985, and Katerina was born in Germany in 1986 when the family lived there during her father’s time in the KGB. Their mother is ex-wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva. Russian President Vladimir Putin has possibly a third daughter he rarely talks about.”

In this poetic piece, Dr Diane Gillespie proposes What if, instead of guns and sanctions …A plea for peace in Ukraine. Here are some beautiful lines in this masterpiece What if, instead of soldiers and missiles …All the painters in the world throw paint on canvases, Making images of beauty until everyone stops to look? What if, instead of destroying homes and buildings …Architects design restorative sanctuaries, So that all who enter are reminded of our capacity to care?

In another poetic story, Brooklyn Muse highlights Ukraine — Man Against Man: Prayers for Ukraine — No Photos Here — Only Open hearts. Here are breathtaking lines: United Prayers Needed for the People of Ukraine and the Pain of its People. Life, Liberty, and Property are all in peril.

In this remarkable post titled What Can We Do To Help The People Of Ukraine, top writer J.R. Heimbigner provided several resources to spread the word and help the Ukraine situation. Here are the links in his story: United Help Ukraine, Nova Ukraine, Razom for Ukraine, Save the Children, Come Back Alive, Red Cross, Voices of Children, USA for UNHCR, People in Need, UNICEF, Sunflower of Peace, CARE International.

I want to conclude my post from our spirituality writer Blair Abee who developed Higher Consciousness Meditation after many years of meditation and yoga. In this story titled Healing Meditation On Ukraine, Blaire believes that “Healing meditation is needed. The drumbeat of war in Ukraine is heating up, and Russia just announced recognition of occupied areas of Ukraine. Early this morning I awoke to feel a strong need to do a healing meditation on the situation, not knowing what to do exactly.”

Thank you for reading these stories. There are many more stories which are not possible to include in this review. We’d love to obtain reader feedback on this important development. If you have written stories about the situation in Ukraine, please comment and leave a link to your story in the comment section of this post so that our readers can read and explore your perspectives.

You may also enjoy this insightful article posted by honorary Barack Obama.

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