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War is hell. A criminal war of aggression is worse. It's been 10 years since Russia invaded Ukraine to strip away its sovereignty, subjugate its people, and erase its culture. It's been 1,000 days since Moscow abandoned all pretense on Feb. 24, 2022, turning its imperial ambitions into an open assault on a free nation.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Ukraine's survival is on the line, but so are the principles that underpin the free world—sovereignty, freedom, and the belief that aggression must not go unpunished.
And yet, we still haven't summoned the courage to tell it like it is. We've viewed this war through the prism of risk management of cutting losses—how to avoid escalation, how to manage the fallout. But this framing is deeply flawed. Ukraine's fight isn't about what the free world might lose—it's about what we must defend to make freedom reign again.
It's about winning a righteous fight, not caving to blackmail, not ceding ground to a depraved adversary who kidnaps children, deliberately bombs cancer hospitals, targets peaceful cities with rockets, and subverts free speech. A decisive Ukrainian victory isn't just possible; it's essential. It's a chance to reaffirm that liberty, courage, and moral clarity are not relics of the past but urgent and necessary ideals for our time.
Dispelling False Comparisons
Some have conflated Russia's invasion of Ukraine with America's wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. These comparisons are dangerously misleading. The Iraq War was a discretionary intervention; Ukraine's struggle is a fight for survival in the face of naked aggression and heinous war crimes. Attempts to liken these conflicts not only obscure the stark moral clarity of Ukraine's cause but also serve as excuses for inaction and justification for apathy.
This is no "proxy war" orchestrated by the West, as Moscow's propaganda machine would have us believe. Ukraine's objectives—to protect its kids from senseless slaughter, restore sovereignty, ensure survival of a nation—are set in Kyiv, not Washington. To fall for the Kremlin's propaganda is to deny Ukraine's agency and to sacrifice the obvious truth—Ukrainians fight because surrender is not a viable option—giving up would erase their identity and future.
Our Fear of Victory
Another obstacle to decisive action lies in the free world's postmodern discomfort with moral judgment. Today, ethical clarity is often dismissed as naïveté, if not ignorance. This has fostered a dangerous lack of will to confront reality—a reluctance to accept that good can and should triumph over evil. As historian Timothy Snyder aptly observed, "In a world of relativism and cowardice, freedom is the absolute among absolutes, the value of values." Yet fear of victory itself has left us paralyzed, unwilling to stand tall and clear-eyed in defense of our most cherished beliefs.
Misreading Russia's True Intentions
To know how to react, we must first understand what drives Russia's aggression. This is not a conflict born of legitimate or perceived national interests but of imperial desperation. As I argued in a previous essay for Newsweek, the Russian state is a Frankenstein's monster of colonial expansion, held together by oppression and fear.
Moscow's aggression stems from a deeply rooted imperial mindset—one that sees the subjugation of others as essential to its own survival. Until we recognize this, we will continue to misunderstand both the nature of Russia's aggression and the stakes of Ukraine's resistance.
A Moment of Moral Clarity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's victory plan offers practical benefits for Ukraine's allies— critical minerals for energy independence, a military capable of safeguarding European security, and a deterrent to future aggression. While these strategic benefits are significant, they are secondary to the symbolic power of Ukraine's fight—a powerful reminder of how our own nations were forged in struggles for freedom over tyranny.
Success and victory are not dirty words. In fact, they defined America's golden age after World War II. The free world faced down fascism, confronted the imperial ambitions of revanchist belligerents, and defeated a mortal threat to liberty. The result wasn't just peace—it was prosperity, progress, and purpose.
Ukraine's fight is a rejection of cynicism and the notion that free societies stand for nothing. Let us recall what we once knew—freedom is fragile and must be defended. The bravery of the Ukrainian people is a gift, yet some see it as an affront. It challenges Americans, Europeans, and allies worldwide to ask what we are willing to risk—and whether freedom is still a force worth sacrifice.
The choice before us is stark—hesitate and falter, or help Ukraine win. To defend liberty. To drive the invaders out. To prove that the ideals of the free world still matter.
Andrew Chakhoyan is an academic director at the University of Amsterdam, who previously served in the U.S. government. He studied at Harvard Kennedy School and Donetsk State Tech University.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
About the writer
Andrew Chakhoyan is an academic director at the University of Amsterdam. He previously served in the U.S. ... Read more