The Facts about Ukraine and the Ukraine War
it has been a concerning week of disinformation about Russia and Ukraine in American media.
In the past few days, there have been multiple attacks against Ukraine and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, which were filled with untruths.
They include:
1. President Zelensky has a 4% approval rating
2. President Zelensky is a dictator
3. The United States has given Ukraine $350 billion in aid and much of it is missing
4. Ukraine started the war
None of these statements are true. Let’s take each of these one by one.
Zelensky’s approval rating—According to the Kyiv Independent, President Zelensky currently enjoys a 57% approval rating among the Ukrainian public. This is based on a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on Feb. 19.
Zelensky still holds broad majority support from his constituents.
President Zelensky is a dictator – Due to the Russian invasion and continued war, Ukraine is under martial law. Under Ukraine’s constitution, the country is forbidden from holding elections. Even if the country decided to lift martial law or ignore its constitution, holding elections today would be impractical.
More than a quarter of the forty million Ukrainian citizens would not have easy access to vote. Twenty percent of its territory with an estimated 2.4 million Ukrainian voters according to Metro would have no access to voting booths and no way to cast a vote. An additional 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees are living in countries around the world including 6.4 million in Europe according to Statistica. The country also has three hundred thousand active soldiers on the frontline with many of them in foxholes.
Then there are the constant drone and bombing attacks from Russia on Ukrainian cities at a moment’s notice.
A country cannot hold a fair and free election under these conditions.
Zelensky has an active opposition with Poroshenko and Zaluzhnyi waiting in the wings, both of whom are alive and active in Ukrainian politics. However, not very too long ago, Putin jailed his opposition, Navalny, in Siberia and he ended up dead under obscure circumstances.
The United States has given Ukraine $350 billion in aid with much of it missing - The United States has committed $176 billion in aid but only $106 billion of it has been allocated to Ukraine. The Ukrainian government maintains a detailed database of how American weapons and monetary funding is used. The United States also tracks Ukraine aid through the following agencies: the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and USAID.
Ukraine started the war – Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 in Crimea and the Donbas and again on February 24, 2022. Ukraine has lost twenty percent of its territory to Russia from the war.
There is significant evidence to support the inhumane conduct of Russia in this war.
· Russia bombed Mariupol, destroying most of the city until it surrendered. This included bombing a maternity ward of a hospital and a theatre with the word "children" written on the rooftop.
· Russia has illegally kidnapped over 19,000 Ukrainian children and transferred them to Russia to be illegally adopted by Russian families.
· The Russian military carried out a massacre of civilians in Bucha.
· Russia tortures Ukrainian POWs against the Geneva Conventions.
· Russia tortures and kills Catholic and Protestant Ukrainians in the occupied territory.
· Russia systematically targets Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure in an attempt to cripple Ukrainians into submission.
As Americans, we should remember who the dictator and aggressor is.
We should also remember how Ukrainians served alongside American servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ukraine has proven to be a bold and brave ally and the United States must continue to Stand With Ukraine.