EDITORIAL

Casting light on war in Ukraine

Posted 3/29/22

Never did I imagine I would burst out laughing at a candlelight vigil for Ukraine.

Nothing is funny about what is happening there or to the estimated 3.8 million refuges forced to leave their …

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EDITORIAL

Casting light on war in Ukraine

Posted

Never did I imagine I would burst out laughing at a candlelight vigil for Ukraine.

Nothing is funny about what is happening there or to the estimated 3.8 million refuges forced to leave their homes and in many cases their loved ones to find safety, food and shelter.  I don’t know what we should and can do to bring this conflict to an end. The supply of arms, humanitarian aid, sanctions and opening our arms to refugees – well, at least 100,000 of them – is a lot although it hardly seems enough given what we read and see on TV.

Demonstrations of support for Ukrainians are visible from the flying of the Ukrainian flags from staffs at city halls to tiny hand-held flags found on countertops, lawns and standing along with pens and pencils from desktop jars. Vigils go a step further in that they are an assembly of people prepared to express their unification for an end to this invasion.

Can it make a difference?  I like to think so, although recent demonstrations have failed to bring change.

Millions filled the streets of Hong Kong in opposition to Beijing stripping freedoms Hong Kong enjoyed as a British protectorate on the eve of the pandemic. China cracked down and -- with the pandemic -- Beijing had additional ammunition to prohibit gatherings. More recently, demonstrators in Moscow failed to change the course set by Putin.

Fortunately, we don’t face such government controls. We have the freedoms of assembly and speech. And yet, I found myself questioning what a vigil in Pawtuxet Village with perhaps one hundred in attendance might influence in Ukraine or for that matter in Washington. A vigil by its very nature suggests a prayerful, reflective gathering whereas a demonstration, such as those in Beijing, conjure images of a demanding group, vocal and prepared to faceoff against police in riot gear, hoses and tear gas. While it can express unification behind a group or a cause, a vigil is passive and reflective.

Sunday’s vigil was all of that. Those attending held small Ukrainian flags, listened to the appeals for peace and for an end to Russian intervention, listened to music and joined in silent thought, if not prayer.

I stood beside a couple near the gazebo, listening to the remarks of Senator Jack Reed and Rabbi Jossi Laufer. As the music played, a voice asked, “Is that a yacht club?”

I was wearing a yellow cap bearing the square knot logo and the initials NTYC for the Narragansett Terrace Yacht Club based across the bay in Riverside. We talked sailboats and sailing with him telling me in a Slavic accent that he had crossed to the “dark side,” buying a powerboat because of the shallow conditions he faced getting in and out of the cove. I sympathized, but even a powerboat is better than no boat. 

Konstantin Klinovskiy (he made it easy to remember – clean your ski) is from Belarus. His wife, Yara, is from Ukraine. I asked her how she came to this country. She smiled and pointed to her husband. More questions followed. Remarkably, they didn’t find it difficult communicating with friends and relatives in Ukraine. As the buildup of Russian military forces forebode an invasion, Yara’s parents didn’t entertain leaving. Then came the invasion and they were urged to get out. Yara’s father was determined to stay until a nearby explosion rattled the house. They boarded a train. They squeezed to get in. All the seats were filled and so were the aisles. They found a place to sit between cars. It was a 12-hour trip to Lviv and then another trip to nearby Poland. Yara doesn’t know where they will go now. She is hopeful they come here, that they will be among the 100,000 President Biden said the country would welcome.

I tuned to Konstantin.

“How will it end?”

I expected a list of possible scenarios, but instead he replied, “the Russians are stubborn... the Ukrainians are stubborn.”

Impulsively, I laughed at the simplicity of his observation. I got cold stares from some of those solemnly holding candles.

Is that what this comes down to – egos; a failure to listen; outdoing the other guy; gaining stature on the world stage; more power? We understand it and can deal with it between family and friends, although that can get contentious, abusive and out of hand.

Diplomacy has worked and has failed. It didn't stop Hitler from invading Poland and yet during the tenuous decades of the Cold War leading to the de-escalation of the nuclear arms race, we averted a holocaust. While he didn't outline a course, Konstantin pointed to basic human frailties and implied the importance of communication.+To reiterate, this is not a laughing matter.

Side Up, Ukraine

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