Invasion

Last night the Russian military began an invasion of Ukraine on the orders of Vladimir Putin. This is an unnecessary war of one man's choosing. Putin has ginned up excuses in order to live in the fantasy world of Russian greatness of years gone by. There is no greatness in this action. There is only selfishness.

I stand by the people of Ukraine in their time of darkness.

I leave you with this story. No one could have said it better. These men died heroes.

Audio emerges appearing to be of Ukrainian fighters defending island from Russian warship

From CNN's From Tim Lister in Kyiv and Josh Pennington

An audio clip has emerged of what appears to be an exchange between Ukrainian soldiers on an island in the Black Sea and an officer of the Russian Navy.

All the soldiers — who were defending Snake Island — are reported to have been killed, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"All border guards died heroically but did not give up. They will be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously," Zelensky said.  

At some point on Thursday, a Russian warship approached the island. 

According to the purported audio exchange, the Russian officer says: "This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed."

The alleged response from a Ukrainian soldier: "Russian warship, go f*** yourself."

A Tale of Two Countries

This comparison isn't about differences but about similarities.

The first country in this comparison is North Korea, otherwise known as the Hermit Kingdom. It is a country ruled by an insecure, fearful man who controls everything within his country. He has a penchant for lobbing missiles to prove his and his country's relevancy and strength. He wants to be noticed, to be feared, to be thought great.

The second country is Russia. Recently, if you have been watching the news, you will be aware that Russia has amassed a large amount of troops around the borders of Ukraine, its small neighbor. No one would make the mistake of thinking that Ukraine was any sort of threat to Russia. And yet, there they are, sitting like vultures, seemingly waiting to attack. Why? Some people speculate that Russia's president is trying to prevent Ukraine becoming part of NATO. Or that he is trying to prove that Russia is a great power. I am not quite sure how bullying your neighbor proves greatness, but there it is.

There is no comparison between the capabilities of the two country's military power. Russia could run rings around North Korea. Russia is a participant in the international community to an extent that North Korea would never choose to be.  Yet their behavior is eerily similar. Both want to be noticed, both want to show they are relevant and both want to be thought great.

I can only speculate that the similarity lies in the character of the leadership.  But what neither man sees is that acting out of insecurity and fear do not equate with greatness.