COMMENT | Ukraine, a year on - is it hard to say 'No' to war?

COMMENT | Things look grim in Ukraine. As the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is upon us, the much-battered nation is bracing itself in anticipation of a sweep of attacks timed to the anniversary.

Anyone following the geopolitics of the region would know that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist ambitions for his state began long ago, beginning with the illegal annexation of Crimea, and this aggression is unlikely to stop anytime soon.

Even comedian-turned-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his opening address to the recent Munich Security Conference, said it was “obvious” that Ukraine is unlikely to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s last stop.

Zelenskiy warned that Putin - who first came to power in 2000 and is now Russia’s longest-serving leader since Soviet leader Joseph Stalin - will continue to march on to other former Soviet countries in an attempt to reclaim Russia’s former glory.

Malaysians, too, are victims of this power play, even if we’re not willing to admit it. The war has greatly disrupted global supply chains that were already strained by the Covid-19 pandemic, wreaking havoc on Malaysia’s food security and causing inflation to skyrocket.

And let’s not forget the 43 Malaysians among the 298 people who perished aboard MH17 when it was shot down over the skies of eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, months after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and amid active hostilities between the two countries in the region.

The Kremlin continues to deny responsibility for the downing, despite The Hague having found “strong indications” that Putin had personally signed off on the use of Russian BUK missile systems that were used by Russia-backed Ukrainian separatists to shoot down the aircraft.

The Malaysian government, meanwhile, has sent mixed signals on the issue due to its longstanding policy of neutrality in matters of geopolitics.

In 2019, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said Russia is being scapegoated for MH17’s downing during his second tenure in helming the government.

At the United Nations today, Malaysia, alongside 140 other counties, voted in favour of a resolution that marked the ongoing war’s anniversary and demanded the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.

Although Malaysia has consistently condemned the ongoing war and appealed to both sides to end the conflict, it also refuses to call outright what Russia terms a “special military operation”, an invasion.

Can we be truthful with ourselves on this?

Standing for the suffering of a continent

As the war rages on in Europe with no signs of giving way, I find myself re-examining works by German printmaker and sculptor Käthe Kollwitz - whose art I first came across in a book by former British Museum director Neil MacGregor, titled ‘Germany: Memories of a Nation’.

“Can one mother holding her dead child stand for the suffering of a continent and a century?” reads the opening line of the book’s chapter on Kollwitz, who has a tremendous capacity for compassion and is known for her honest portrayal of pain and tragedy.

Born in 1867, Kollwitz lived through the unification of the German Empire under Otto von Bismarck, lost her 18-year-old son to World War One, and then her grandson in World War Two.

She is best remembered for turning her own tale of loss into art and her anti-war advocacy, including publicly opposing the Nazi party and eventual German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler.

For that, the Nazis threatened to arrest and throw Kollwitz in a concentration camp. Only her fame as an artist and international standing prevented the Nazis from carrying out the threat.

She continued to live in Germany through World War Two, having her home bombed and losing many of her artwork in the process. Kollwitz died in Dresden, just 16 days before the war ended.

While not Ukrainian, Kollwitz and her work is a testament to sincerity to history and the idea of Europe - having seen the continent through some of its most transformative and destructive phases.

Kollwitz is an artist not just important to German history, or that of Europe, but to society at large in reminding us of the brutal and unnecessary terrors of war.

In Ukraine today, it is estimated by the UN that more than 8,000 civilians have died in the war. Norway’s defence chief puts the estimate at 30,000. Many more, including young toddlers, have suffered horrific injuries as Russian missiles and artillery rain down on cities and towns.

The US, meanwhile, estimates that more than 100,000 troops in both the Russian and Ukrainian military have been killed or wounded for minuscule gains on the battlefield.

ALENA NADIA is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

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