Shards from Putin's war on both Ukraine and hope

The horror of this moment has literally rendered me a little dumbstruck. As a friend remarked on Thursday, my heart is heavy. In more time, I'll share my own thoughts. Today, thoughts of others, with a little commentary in italics.

Max Seddon is the Financial Times bureau chief in Moscow. He tweeted:"It’s remarkable how [Ukrainian President] Zelensky has finally grown into the role. When the US warned if Russia’s plans to invade, he was slammed by Ukrainians for not taking it seriously. But when the war became inevitable, Zelensky started playing the president on TV again – he’s a natural."

This short BBC clip conveys Zelensky's performance of heroism in his beleaguered role. 

Russian journalist Yana Pashaeva: "The main feelings of liberal Russians are concerns for Ukrainians—many of whom are our relatives and friends—shame for Putin, and helplessness." The shame and helplessness -- this is something citizens of the United States know when we have watched and protested our country big footing small countries.

Amie Ferris-Rotman, who reported from Russia for a decade tweets "Over 170 Russian journalists, including from Kremlin-run RT and TASS, have signed an open letter calling for an end to war with Ukraine." That's risk taking, as are peace demonstrations resulting in over 1000 arrests in Moscow.

Marc Santora, reporting for the New York Times from Lviv, Ukraine: "The civilian resistance in Ukraine received instructions on Saturday night from the military on how to help stop the Russian advance. They were told to destroy a road if they saw tanks passing along it, because fuel trucks were sure to follow; to burn a forest if they spotted Russian vehicles there; and to shoot out tires on military vehicles if they had rifles and could shoot from a distance. Above all, the defense ministry advised people to keep themselves safe but make life for Russian soldiers as difficult as possible." You have to assume Russia's army can crush these Ukrainians -- and that even amidst the adrenaline rush of war and patriotic feeling, they know it.

That cosmopolitan student of democracy, Yascha Mounk, concludes: "... the world’s dictators are taking off their masks. Autocratic leaders from Myanmar to Nicaragua no longer feel constrained by the need to maintain some semblance of democratic legitimacy or appease the State Department. And those dictators, like Vladimir Putin, who also have significant military might at their disposal are now trying to remake the world order in their image." The struggle for the possibility of humane civilization is indeed on the line. Of course it always was, but we are forced to notice.

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"A solid plurality of U.S. voters say they’re willing to face higher prices at home in order to sanction Moscow for invading Ukraine — and fewer than 1 in 10 oppose any sanctions"  according to pollsters Morning Consult. Let's hope we can unite enough to persist. That is our struggle.

Climate activist Bill McKibben knows how we ought to respond to Putin's war: "If you care about freedom, shut up about high gas prices. And put a solar panel on your roof." He's right! Putin's base state is a gas station with nukes -- if we, and especially Europe can replace fossil fuels, this is over. You can't eat nukes.

For many years, Joe Cirincione worked for international nuclear disarmament through the Ploughshares Fund. He speaks our appropriate fear in this moment.

Foreign policy maven David Rothkopf has worked for the last word here: "But usually big global conflicts have grey areas in which the irresolute or weak can hide, sometimes grey areas that make knowing who if anyone to support difficult. That's not the case here. Either you are for or against Putin's evil, for or against freedom & democracy." Yes.