David Ignatius writes in The Washington Post, “Ukrainians, from senior leaders to ordinary citizens, appear convinced that Putin’s Russia must be vanquished, not just Putin himself. Olga Datsiuk, a 33-year-old television producer, relaxing over lunch in a cafe, was smiling but emphatic in an interview Saturday. ‘We feel that Russia and Russians are responsible for all of it,’ she said. The same view was expressed by Sergiy Gerasymchuk, who runs a foreign policy think tank called Prism: ‘It’s not Putin; it’s Russia,’ he told us. ‘There is a chance for reconciliation, but not in my lifetime.’”
Ukraine and Ukrainians are absolutely correct! Russia and Russians need to be vanquished. They are right when they say most Russians support the war, and Russians allowed the war to happen. Full stop! I don’t care if Russians live under a dictatorship and people feel sorry for them. I’m getting really tired of citizens getting a pass for living under (and supporting) the government they deserve and desire. How many f*** times do I have to say it? Every person either actively and directly or indirectly and passively supports their government, from democracies to authoritarian regimes. People are sheep, and those lucky enough to live in a democracy can reasonably live on autopilot, confident their government will probably not be a menace to the world. Those unlucky to live in a dictatorship must live with the near-certain misfortune that their government will be a terrorist actor on the world stage. Sorry, but citizens must still be held accountable if they acquiesce to their terrorist government. We conquered Nazi Germany, where most citizens went along with Hitler. We must do the same to Russia and the Russians! Ukrainians understand that they have to win, and Russia needs to lose. There is no other outcome, lest we repeat history like a broken record of more rogue actions of a Russian terrorist state in the future.