On the odds against Ukraine

by Paul Dudar

The most recent developments in Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine have spurred me to write this. I'm a 2nd generation Ukrainian. I was born in Canada. I don't speak Ukrainian and my history is varied. But I can tell you about my family.

My Baba and Didu were born in Ukraine near Ternopil at that time, Polish-controlled Ukraine. When the Nazis invaded Poland they were taken to Germany and used as slave labour for the duration of the war. When the war was over, they could not return home. Many of the people they knew that did return were sent to the Gulag and never heard from again.

Eventually, they came to Canada. They met in Winnipeg, raised 3 children, who had 5 grandchildren and now 3 great-grandchildren...so far. They have both since passed on.

When they were taken from Ukraine, they never dreamed they would see a free and democratic Ukrainian nation in their lifetime. They both lived long enough to see it happen.

If I told my Baba and Didu that the Ukrainian Army had defeated a Russian invasion force, they would have never believed me. If I told them that the majority of Europe had rallied behind Ukraine...if I told them that, without a Navy to speak of, Ukraine has crippled the Russian Black Sea fleet......if I told them that the Ukrainian Army, with material help from its allies, has not only held off, but decimated the Russian Army....they would not believe me. These things were impossible to them.

Three years ago, if you told any military expert that there would still be a free and independent Ukraine, they would have disagreed with you. They were not out of line to think that way, the odds were against Ukraine by every conceivable measurement. 

Decades ago, President Kennedy visited the besieged city of West Berlin and told a crowd of thousands that "...today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner." I am a Berliner. A free thinking citizen of a democratic country, holding the line against tyranny and oppression, by simply still existing. Today, that boast has been replaced by a salutation and a mantra of a country and a people that have stood defending the doorstep to the west and democracy: Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!

Every day is a victory against the odds.1112 days and counting as of this writing.