For an American, I’ve spent a lot of time in the Russian-speaking part of the world. I’ve taught in Russian universities. I’ve traveled to eastern Ukraine, to Odessa, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Mikolaev, all of which have since been attacked by Shahed drones and Russian missiles. The first hotel I stayed at was bombed to rubble just last month.

I’ve spent about a year in Russia, in Ukraine maybe half that. Based on my experience, I know one thing. Ukraine is right, and Vladimir Putin is wrong.

I say “Putin is wrong”, and not “Russia is wrong”, because Putin is not Russia, Russia is not Putin. Dictators might genuinely believe their interests coincide with those of the country they rule. That just means they’re delusional.

I understand noninterventionist arguments. I think they’re often quite right. Iraq? No weapons of mass destruction, a hyperemotional reaction to the shock and horror of 9/11. Afghanistan? A failed experiment in nation building.

But supporting Ukraine in their struggle against Putin is different. Ukrainians aren’t asking us to fight and die. They are doing that. They are asking for the weapons and resources they need to ensure their fledgling democracy does not fall to a tyrant. Isn’t this why we stockpile weapons in the first place?

Putin’s pre-invasion rhetoric about “de-Nazifying” Ukraine and protecting ethnic Russians was clearly nonsense. After all, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish, and there are millions of Russian speakers in Ukraine opposed to Russian domination. Let’s not forget Adof Hitler used similar arguments about protecting ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland to invade Czechoslovakia. Who exactly is the Nazi here?

Putin’s so-called concerns about NATO expansion giving him “no choice but to invade” now look like a joke. Thanks to his foolish adventure, Finland is now a NATO member, as Sweden will be in about 3 seconds. NATO is stronger than ever, and Putin hasn’t batted an eye. Not that he could do anything. He had to pull most of his forces from Finland’s border to invade Ukraine.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a Ukraine supporter, has pointed out the aid supplied to Ukraine is about 5% of our defense budget. As a result of our support and those of our allies, Russia’s military is now completely bogged down in Europe, and will be degraded for years to come. That’s money well spent. When victory comes, it will show the world larger countries cannot invade smaller ones simply because they want to. Are you listening, China?

I watch Russian “news” and their propaganda talk shows. All of them are choreographed by the state, with so-called experts saying insane things designed to make Putin look statesmanlike and reasonable. None of them dwell on the real issue.

Putin cannot allow a country on Russia’s borders with shared Slavic history and culture to develop a thriving, western-style democracy. He would rather see it burned to ashes.

And no, there is no comparison between what is happening on our borders versus Ukraine’s. Those who cross our border come with hopes to leave desperate poverty and build a better life. Those who cross Ukraine’s border bring pain, destruction and death.

That said, I’ve never liked the slogan “As long as it takes” for our pledges of support. It conjures up images of forever war, an endless series of blank checks from the accounts of American taxpayers. I prefer we give Ukraine what it needs to bring victory “As soon as possible.”

Send Russia’s prisoners and conscript fighters off Ukraine’s lands and back to their homes. Give them and millions of ordinary Russians the chance to lead normal, prosperous lives. “Slava Ukrayenye” – Glory to Ukraine.

Barry Fagin is a two-time Fulbright scholar to the Russian Federation and a fluent Russian speaker. He is the author of The Radical Center. Readers can contact him at barry@faginfamily.net.

Barry Fagin