Russia, bombs will not win Ukraine. They might bring a short-term victory. But Ukraine will resist – with growing and longterm support from everyday people around the globe. Once these people would not have mattered. But the world is now more connected, so individuals everywhere can energise a cause.
People like Australian composer Vladimir Fanshil who was born in Odessa, Ukraine. In his conversation with me, he explains why grief over the invasion “works at two levels”.
On Friday, June 17, “Answering the call to help Ukraine”, was published on Daily Telegraph editor Ben English’s list of readings for the day. (It was published as “Power in Passion” in other News Corp papers.) When invited to write the article I seized the opportunity, talking to Australians with Ukrainian family and heritage. When they turned their minds to it, they all found they had talents to utilise for Ukraine.
The Good Grief! team is appalled by Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. And this is not because we’re anti-Russian. Russians were a wonderful part of my teenage years, since my father was a passionate Russophile, who learnt the language. I still have his Cyrillic copy of Winnie-the-Pooh.
But Good Grief! is anti-war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is wrong at many levels. We know bombs will not win Ukraine. We need tools of negotiation in 2022 – not guns, not an autocrat’s bloodshed for the sake of a romantic notion of old Russia. The invasion is lamented by many Russians too.
As former chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel said earlier this year: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a blatant breach of international law.”
To read more, follow the link below and flick through to Page 7.
To read more about my articles in print why not start with this one: She wasn’t a cheeseburger .
There are many more Good Grief! articles for you to dive into in our Resource Hub at Good Grief!