A war-battered Ukraine on Tuesday commemorated the 10th anniversary of the so-called Maidan revolution, the popular uprising that toppled a pro-Russia president, showcased the nation’s embrace of European values and foreshadowed the current conflict with Moscow, The New York Times reports:
Across Ukraine, people laid flowers at monuments honoring those killed during the protests, and officials hailed the uprising that started in 2013 as a milestone on the road to achieving greater democracy and to standing up to Russia….The Maidan uprising “is also part of Europe’s history,” said Kateryna Zarembo, an associate fellow at the Kyiv-based New Europe Center.
As lawmakers in Washington weigh sending billions more in federal support to Kyiv to help fight off Russian aggression, close to half of the U.S. public thinks the country is spending too much on aid to Ukraine, according to polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, The Washington Post reports.
But letting Ukraine drop off the West’s radar would be an error of historic significance. For one thing, fractures within Ukraine’s Western democratic supporters are precisely what Putin is counting on, says analyst Matthew Sussex. The Kremlin calculation here is simple, he writes for ASPI: Russia’s advantages over Ukraine in size and cannon fodder mean it should be able to continue its war for years. And Moscow believes that the West (as Ukraine’s main arms and aid backers) will at some point lose interest and push Kyiv to sue for peace.
In June 2023, Russia destroys the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine and commits an unprecedented ecocide. In response, French philosopher and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Lévy returns to Ukraine to capture Ukraine’s deep humanity despite the dire conditions, and a civilian resilience and resistance unlike any other.
In Glory to the Heroes, Lévy spends the summer in eastern Ukraine recording for the world a passionate ode to Ukraine’s courage on the battlefield while also depicting the overwhelming sorrow sowed by Russia’s continuous attacks on civilians. On the ground during the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Lévy embeds with elite forces on the frontline. With unprecedented access, they capture the horrors of war, the hopefulness of the Ukrainian citizens and their optimism in the face of senseless destruction. Tickets here.
Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues risked their lives to document Russia’s siege of Mariupol in this FRONTLINE/AP documentary, PBS adds. The Guardian calls it “a brave, visceral, merciless masterpiece.” The New York Times says, “Essential. A relentless and truly important documentary.”
