Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most recent tirade claimed the cultural bond between Russia and Ukraine as a pretext for a justification to invade. Putin, however, leaves out an inconvenient truth in his version of history: what the Russian dictator Josef Stalin did to the Ukrainian people through his forced collectivization of Soviet agriculture. The result of Stalin’s policies was the Great Famine of 1932-1933, referred as the Holodomor. By some estimates, 3.9 million Ukrainians perished during this “experiment” in collectivization.

Ukrainians understand all too well the dangers of being taken over by Putin’s Russia. This is not a time for the rest of the democratic world to act timorously. Fortunately, the European Union is united with our country in their support against the Russian invasion.

President Biden and our European allies must follow through on their promise of enacting the most severe sanctions in response to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. No half actions or measured responses. Putin, unfortunately, understands only one language: action. He has to be shown that his actions will lead to severe consequences.

The people of Europe, and our country, also need to be prepared for the short-term consequences. The defense of democracy in Ukraine will come with a price, energy prices will spike and additional supply chain problems may occur, resulting in higher costs for consumers. The price of not doing anything, however, will be much higher. As political scientist Stephen R. Rock has said about the Munich Agreement, “Appeasement only made conflict more likely by emboldening the aggressor.”

Samuel Rosenthal
Portland