Those of us who remember the Orange Revolution understand the incredible political attack that Ukraine has been under for decades. Russia has expended unprecedented expenditure understanding democracy in order to develop mechanisms to undermine it.
It’s extremely unfortunate the reality in which former Soviet states exist. While it’s distasteful, it’s certainly necessary given a reality that westerners barely understand… Which is kind of shocking to me given the outcome of Jan 6.
I think when the war is over, it would be appropriate for him to not even run. Hard men make hard decisions when under existential threat. I’m glad Ukraine had a Churchill when Ukraine needed a Churchill… But when that time comes for a peacetime leader, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t the right man in the right place at the right time.
It is from a position of privilege and ignorance that we criticize the necessary actions of wartime leaders.