No justificationAccording to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, “Ukraine can win this war.” Although Ukraine winning the war is much better than the alternative, it makes one wonder what price is exacted by winning? The human toll is obviously terrible, as is the damage to the infrastructure of the country. In some instances, Ukraine is its own worst enemy by being forced to destroy bridges and highways to thwart Russian advances. Rebuilding efforts will take years, if not decades, for Ukraine to return to any semblance of normality.
The ultimate irony of the situation is that the aggressor ends up suffering minimally in comparison, except for losing a not-insignificant number of soldiers while Russian infrastructure is left untouched. Some may argue that Russia is harmed by the various sanctions being imposed on it by Western nations, but those impacts are again minimal by comparison.
In the final analysis, world judicial bodies are likely to take steps to launch criminal investigations into war crimes committed by Russia. Assuming that war crimes are evident, it remains to be seen what, if any, enforcement steps can be levied at Russia that are consistent with the damages that have been wrought. In the end, there is no justification for the ravages of this war.
— Mike Jens
Anchorage
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