
Dispatch from the Frontlines
Moldova, Romania, and Hungary are welcoming Ukrainian refugees but, if the situation continues for long, tensions could come to the fore.

Moldova, Romania, and Hungary are welcoming Ukrainian refugees but, if the situation continues for long, tensions could come to the fore.

The ages-old concept of the balance of power is supposedly understood by every international relations student. However, preoccupied with the ideas of globalism, American and European leaders often forget to take it into account when forming their policies.

Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal missile has apparently destroyed an arms depot in western Ukraine—the use of hypersonic missiles and Russian missile advancement will likely shape the European rush to increase military budgets and purchase weaponry.

Ukrainian President Zelensky asked the German Bundestag for more sanctions against Russia and spoke about the “historical responsibility” of Germany to help Ukraine. Opposition leaders were outraged about the lack of debate in the Bundestag following the speech.

Germany has started to beat the drums of war, fueled by a desire to redeem its ancestral sins, and embracing the Russian scapegoat as a distraction from its failed energy politics.

Tradition tells us that giants are born from fallen angels joining themselves to willing humans, and that even after these are slain, their specters may yet demand sacrifice. We are still facing giants today, as well as the ghosts they leave behind, and may learn something from those ancient tales.

Animated by faith and patriotism and buoyed by an unkillable sense of humor, Ukrainians are thus far shocking the world by their steadfastness in the face of Russian aggression.

As I am writing these words, I can hear a battle raging on the other side of the Kyiv Sea. The worst thing about living close to the front line is not knowing where the next missile will land, but we are determined to carry on with our lives for as long as possible.

The incident, precipitated by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, comes as Europe grapples with a worrying uptick in ethnic hatred directed at ordinary Russians.

The WHO said it had advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in the country’s public health laboratories to prevent “any potential spills” and worried that continued fighting raised the risk of damage to those facilities. It would not say when it had made the recommendation, nor did it specify what kinds of pathogens or toxins were housed there.