Robin E. Horsfall

Oct 1, 2023

Where is our moral outrage?

Russia invaded an independent sovereign state without provocation. Bombed its cities, murdered its civilians and committed atrocious war crimes. I cannot post pictures of the Bucha atrocities here, because LinkedIn is so sensitive to offending tyrants. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has probably killed, according to verifiable MOD statistics, as many as a million people already, both Russian and Ukrainian. If killing a million people isn’t enough to be called out in the UN for acts of genocide then what is? Not just Putin, but Lavrov, Medvedev and all the other criminal, sycophants in the Russian autocracy.

For nearly two years the western world has sat back and dribbled enough support into Ukraine to prevent the nation from falling, but not enough to enable them to win the war. This appalling act of hypocrisy and dishonesty is extending rather than shortening the conflict. Ukraine is fighting its war of independence alone because our national leaders are too cheap or frightened to say ‘Ukraine must win!’

Diplomacy is a wonderful thing, it is effective in reducing the need for violence but once the violence has begun the choice has been made. ‘Jaw, jaw is better than war, war’, but the war is on and Russia is murdering people.

Western leaders are using Ukrainian soldiers as a convenient and expendable population that will reduce Russia to a third world state at very little personal cost. We should all be outraged!

We should be outraged that our ‘Oh so honourable’ leaders are not standing up in the EU, UK Parliament, Congress and all other government houses and demanding that Ukraine is given enough support to win! They must demand that any business in the west, supplying technology to Russia be considered treasonous. They must uphold the Budapest Agreement and guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea and Donbas.

I’m outraged, why aren’t they? Not some of them, all of them?

Dylan Thomas wrote about the individual confronting death. His words also apply to a nation facing the same.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

D Thomas
**

Slava Ukraini!

Who Dares Shares

Robin Horsfall

Picture. Bucha after the Russian withdrawal. (Sky News)