Traffic jams are seen as people leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Russia has officially invaded Ukraine after months of building up hundreds of thousands of troops at its border and denying that it planned an actual attack.
After recognizing Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donbas as Russian territory and calling the invasion a “special military operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on his neighboring country in what he calls an effort to “demilitarize” the smaller country.
Putin threatened any country that interferes with the invasion with “consequences that you have never experienced in your history,” according to a CBS News broadcast.
Dozens are reported dead in Ukraine as a result and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared a state of emergency and implemented martial law.
U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders are condemning the attack as “twisted,” “barbaric,” “unjustified,” “unprovoked” and “a grave violation of international law.” International leaders are also set to impose strict sanctions to cripple the Russian economy.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump praised Putin as a “genius” and “very savvy” and some fellow Republicans followed suit. Trump also blamed President Joe Biden for the attack, saying Putin did so because he saw the weakness of the Biden administration.
Ukrainians are begging the West for more help and support.
“I’m worried. I’m trying my best to stay calm and collected but it’s been tough. All-day it’s been tough and a roller coaster,” said 17-year-old Ukrainian Sasha Bondar in a telephone interview with CBS News on Thursday, Feb. 24.
Bondar added that she and her family had all the essentials they needed to survive, but they would leave the country if things got too bad.
“Fourteen-thousand Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in my area in the last eight years and it’s been crazy here,” Bondar continued, noting she has never seen anything that backs up Putin’s claim that Russians are being mistreated in Ukraine.
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“We never wanted this war to happen. We never wanted this to get to this point. We just wanted to stay an independent beautiful and powerful country,” Bondar continued. “We never wanted to take their country.”
Halyna Yanchenko, Ukraine’s Deputy Head of Parliamentary Majority, got emotional during a live interview during which she begged Western nations to do more.
“Children were murdered today because the world was not serious about Putin. The world was not serious about sanctions on time,” Yanchenko tearfully said. “He’s [Putin] killing and he’s ruining lives … so I beg American politicians to block Russia … now please. Save Ukrainian men, women and children. I beg you please save our people. … They’re killing people, they’re murdering people, not only our soldiers but innocent people.”
Many Ukrainians are panicked, causing a gridlock traffic jam trying to evacuate while others are taking up arms or sheltering in place.
The fallout is great and Black America is weighing in on all of it. Below are some tweets expressing the sentiments of some Black Americans relative to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
“The lesson for many war skeptics is b/c the messenger has poor credit with trust, that doesn’t mean you close your eyes to a military mobilization encircling a country,” Moguldom Nation founder Jamarlin Martin tweeted. “The skeptic can be so soaked up in the past, they may not see the REALITY right in their face.”
“A lot of hypocrisy will be spewed from Americans about other nations today, many not realizing that the fruits they enjoy in this country are a result of imperialism and war,” Charles Preston tweeted.
“America isn’t also obligated to involve themselves in everyone’s affairs. No one seems to remember that this started because America overthrew Ukraine’s legitimately elected president & installed a puppet,” @xspotsdamark tweeted.
“Overwhelmed. People are going to suffer tonight, and for a long time, as superpowers use their land and lives as chess pieces to advance state power,” user @CAMONGHNE tweeted. “Imperialism is an old sin with the same old consequences, no matter how much our planet ages.”
“If you’re cheering for Vladimir Putin, war and the killing of innocent civilians in the Ukraine because of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ you are a pretty awful person and need to address some real issues in your life b/c it isn’t Joe Biden, ‘the Blacks’ CRT, or a green M&M,” attorney Xavier Pope tweeted.
“The Twitter gotchas don’t hit the same when there’s the potential for nuclear war,” @negrosubversive wrote. “But honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if NATO sat back and let Putin take over all of Ukraine, which would just prove in the last estimate, that if you have nukes you can do whatever you want…”
In a Twitter thread about the Russian invasion, @negrosubversive added we may need to “assume nobody is actually willing to use nuclear weapons” because “If that happens, we could see a conventional ground war in Europe involving multiple nuclear powers, all of whom are held back by the fact that they want a world to control once everything is over…”
“Best explanation I’ve ever heard about what’s going on with Russia,” @sophiadiava tweeted, along with a video from a Black TikTok user explaining the conflict in AAVE (African American Vernacular English).
Twitter user @LeeroyBarnete gave a summation of the events that led up to this moment in a Twitter thread.
“For those saying ‘Ukraine has nothing to do with us’: ‘We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.’ #MLK,” Bernice King tweeted. “We are tied to Ethiopia. We are tied to Ukraine. We are tied to Yemen.”
“My prayers and thoughts with my best friend, her family and everyone in Ukraine. Praying for peace in this war,” wrote @Dr_nifemi, along with a retweet of a picture of a woman identified as Veronica Ogbunuju, who is said to be sheltering in Ukraine.
“Watching videos on Snapchat in the Ukraine is sad. People are evacuating, tanks are rolling through the city, grocery stores empty, people taking shelter in bunkers,” @taurusk_ tweeted. “Humans suck!”
“If you’re not paying attention to the Russian / Ukraine conflict than your priorities are skewed,” @shamroctmoney tweeted.
“Black people ain’t trippin about this “war” because we been seeing war everyday since we been outside. Can’t blame us for being desensitized,” @TakYoTimeSlime tweeted.
“Speak for yourself. I’m sad for the people of Ukraine. And yes, I know my people, our history and the grotesqueries inflicted upon us here in the US. That hasn’t dulled my humanity,” @jahsounds responded. “If anything, it has made me more sensitive to injustice, even when it happens elsewhere.”
“May those who profit from war never see peace in this life,” @annie_etc. wrote.
“You Niggas wit them flags in your bio ready to sign up to fight for your country?” asked @bigbrimstone.
“We stand with the people of Ukraine, full stop. There is no reason for the invasion of a sovereign nation in 2022,” The Congressional Black Caucus tweeted. “Swift sanctions must be imposed and responsible nations must stand united against this unprovoked and unjustified attack. Our prayers are with the people of Ukraine.”
PHOTO: Traffic jams are seen as people leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a military operation in Ukraine and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences you have never seen.” (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
