The Fighting Women of Ukraine
THE FIGHTING WOMEN OF UKRAINE
by Fr. Shay Cullen
News reports from Ukraine show the courage and solidarity of Ukrainians in resisting the might of the Russian army, led by Vladimir Putin, the tyrant dictator ruling Russia as an autocracy. This is an immoral war; nothing can justify the killing and indiscriminate bombing of civilians denounced already by Pope Francis and many world leaders. The brave men of the Ukrainian army are fighting on the front lines, holding back the advancing enemy tanks in a David and Goliath confrontation. Meanwhile, Ukrainian women are seen working too. Right now, Ukrainian women are doing the most to save the children from the onslaught of Russian bombs and bullets.
Women, are a power unto themselves and must be celebrated and admired for their talents, intelligence, and courageous acts in pursuit of justice and resisting evil. The greatest weakness of a portion of the male population of the human race is underestimating and refusing to acknowledge the power, influence, and importance of women in shaping and guiding society. They are the ones that ensure the survival of the human species, not only through their unique nature and the ability to bear children and nurture them but also through their great contributions to the fields of education, law, and science. For many, they are agents of social change in society and the strength of the family.
Ukrainian women who have joined the resistance are proving that they can fight the war like their male counterparts do. They are learning to use weapons, make camouflage nets and concoct Molotov cocktails. These are petrol bombs in a bottle with soap powder mixed in and a petrol-soaked cloth on the top. When a Russian tank passes below an apartment window, they can expect brave, valiant Ukrainian women to light the makeshift bombs and throw them down the engine. Imagine a tank taken out with a few bottles of petrol and sticky soap. The Russians are right to fear urban warfare and street fighting.
The war has stagnated near the capital Kyiv due to a huge strategic mistake by Putin. Like Hitler, he wants to direct the war personally. He imagined that the war would merely require a swift tank and bombing attack, with swarms of Russian troops all over the cities for a few days before the Ukrainian government would surrender. Then, he would install his puppet government and rule from Moscow. It has not happened.
This Ukrainian resistance is an unprecedented challenge to an overwhelmingly modern Russian army. Led by the charismatic president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former actor, is a powerful leader in this time of crisis. His experience in using the media to rally the people to fight back is invaluable.
Putin might eventually overwhelm Ukraine and destroy the cities and rule a total ruin. When he does, it will be at a huge cost to Russia to try and occupy Ukraine. He has united the EU, NATO and all nations against him. The sanctions against Russian banking, trade, oil and gas and economic boycotts against its products are growing. Eventually, the Russian economy will be crippled and his people will turn against him too. As of now, investors are already fleeing and thousands of Russian people are unemployed.
There is nothing to be gained and much to be lost in the war made by Putin. His massive crackdown on the media is not enough to stop the news eventually getting out to the Russian people that the war is doomed. They will realize they have been led into a quagmire with hundreds, if not thousands of their teenage soldiers, killed in a failed war. To launch a war of aggression for no cause other than the lust for power and control is the evilest thing one can do and it is as stupid as stupid can be. Weep for Ukraine but save a tear for the duped and misled Russians and their thousands of dead children and a destroyed economy.
(This is an edited shortened version of Fr Shay Cullen’s article. The full article can be read here https://www.preda.org/2022/the-fighting-women-of-ukraine/)