DEAR EDITOR:

It is astonishing how quickly some reduce the Ukraine conflict to a simple fairy tale of “good versus evil.” The reality is far more uncomfortable. Ukraine is not the beacon of democracy it is so often portrayed to be. For decades it has been one of the most corrupt nations in Europe, run by oligarchs, rife with backroom deals and propped up by billions in Western aid that rarely reaches its citizens.

Now consider Russia. Whether people like to admit it or not, eastern Ukraine has deep cultural, linguistic and familial ties to Russia that go back centuries. These are not abstract connections; they are lived identities. When Ukraine shifted westward under political pressure and foreign interference, the voices of millions in the east were ignored. Russia stepped in claiming protection of those people and their heritage.

Meanwhile, NATO, despite repeated promises in the 1990s that it would not expand eastward, pushed closer and closer to Russia’s borders. Imagine how the United States would react if a rival power began building military alliances in Mexico or Canada. Yet, when Russia raised the same security concerns, the West dismissed them as illegitimate.

Western leaders call Russia’s actions “unprovoked aggression,” but to ignore Ukraine’s corruption, NATO’s expansion and the silencing of eastern Ukrainians, is to rewrite history. Wars are never born in a vacuum; they are the result of years of broken promises, ignored warnings and power plays at the expense of ordinary people.

None of this excuses the bloodshed. Innocent lives are being lost and that should never be minimized. But honesty requires us to admit that this is not simply Russia waking up one morning and deciding to conquer.

It is the culmination of decades of corruption in Ukraine, hypocrisy from the West and a refusal to treat Russia’s security concerns as anything but paranoia.

If we continue to pretend that Ukraine is pure and Russia is evil incarnate, we will learn nothing and we will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes in the next conflict.

LARRY YORK

Warren