Local Opinion: Time is Life: Ukraine needs action and technology now

We write to call on elected officials to go beyond economic sanctions to halt the devastation increasing in Ukraine.

We stand in support of Ukraine. We, as most of the world over the past week, have mounted a clarion voice in support of the people of Ukraine, denouncing an increasingly violent, brutal and caustic war. But now we must do more. Voice is not enough, we must act. We must act in support of Ukraine with dynamic, substantive and forceful actions beyond economic and humanitarian.

Of course constraints on Russia must continue, but we are entering a dangerous new phase. After one week, the shock and awe of the blitzkrieg campaign has awakened us all to realize that Vladimir Putin is in this for the long haul.

We must, in parallel with support, attempt to understand, to whatever degree possible, the mentality of Putin in driving this offensive. Is it land? Is it people? Is it property? Or is it something else? It is clear from the indiscriminate bombing, shelling and destruction of property that an attempt to “take back” Ukraine as an element of a larger Russian empire is at best a subterfuge for this offensive, unwarranted, counter to the will of the sovereign people, and in violation of international law.

Is it the people? It is similarly clear that indiscriminate bombing of civilians, most pointedly with the recent attack on the children’s hospital in Mariupol and the mounting fatalities of innocent citizens of all ages erases any concept that this is about reuniting a people. The exodus of over 2.3 million Ukranians and the mounting death toll emphasize this futility.

Then what is this is about? This is about Vladimir Putin, with visions of glory, of domination and superiority of Russia as a world power. And while we may never completely understand the driving forces of this war, it is clear that without driving back Russian forces, rapidly halting the destruction and squelching this mounting inferno, that devastation and decimation of Ukraine will be the consequence.

We therefore call upon Arizonans, those in the public and private sector, as well as our government officials to mount all efforts — via whatever means at their disposal, to boost support for Ukraine on all levels that they may conceive.

We urge the mounting of a campaign of information, to counter disinformation — to spread via all means possible the truth, particularly to Russian citizens to drive increasing resistance and revolt from within.

We call on our elected officials to urgently advance immigration statutes facilitating acceptance of those fleeing from the war zone to enter the U.S. and to offer protection for Ukrainians temporarily in the U.S.

But most importantly we call on our representatives to advance support at the governmental level for intervention — covert, overt, jets or otherwise, to stop this brutal campaign and combat the combatants.

In our modern connected world, we can view the war up close, with means and media previously unimaginable in the days of prior European campaigns — as in World War II with the atrocities of the Nazis hidden from the world until the end, when it was too late. We, now sadly and shockingly, are witnessing the same activity on media feeds on our smartphones in real time.

There is incredible irony here, by virtue of having the war up close and in person with modern technology we should not stand by with this added capability of watching war from our armchair without mounting a similar, strong, advanced technological effort aimed at absolutely halting an evolving Holocaust unfolding in front of our eyes.