The Ukraine-Russia war brings up the sticky topic of ethnic, national, and social identity. It’s the one that stirs the ugly winds of street protest every time it’s mentioned. It’s also something that’s difficult to navigate because of its complexity.
The reporting that most Journalist’s do is all we’ve got to use if there’s a need to speak. It’s an urgent classification of matters that can bring about perspective.
It completes any personal recollection gained by actual visits, and the studious work of others to understand such places. This makes for a more complete picture.
It’s a necessary inlet into a country that’s at war with itself, too. This is the case in Ukraine. It struggles with rivalries that aren’t easy to handle in peacetime. It has to negotiate inside its own borders in terms that don’t involve normal politics.