(Editors note: Story edited lightly for length and clarity.)
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is ongoing. Denis Guriev was born and raised in Ukraine and moved to the Miami Valley ten years ago with his wife when he got a job as a software developer. But Guriev has been closely watching what's happening in the Ukraine because both his parents live there and a lot of friends. He spoke with Mike Frazier about his perspective on the conflict.
Are you surprised it came to this?
"The me three days ago would be surprised, but once the ball started rolling, it was inevitable. Because this war is completely unnecessary. There is no reason, there's no geopolitical reason to have it. There's no conflict to be resolved. There's nothing."
What is the media not getting right about the situation in Ukraine?
"The general feeling I get is that Ukrainian media shows things from the ground, how it feels to be there. And I think that's the best way to cover this conflict. There is no reason to pontificate of what it will take to stop the war. This war was unnecessary to begin with. So when I read the coverage that talks about some kind of geopolitical strategy to ending the war, to me, it's just not what this war is about. It's not what people are experiencing. It's not why it started as far as anybody can tell. So it seems like it's missing the point then. The point is basically just completely senseless suffering."
The United States has imposed sanctions and other Western countries have imposed sanctions against Russia. What do you think about that?
"The people of Russia need to put enough pressure on the government to stop this. This is not going to stop because Putin lost some investment. It just doesn't happen. This obviously should not hurt people to a point of some kind of humanitarian crisis in Russia or anything like this, obviously. But the sanctions have to be across the board for everybody who lives in Russia, for anybody who can vote, who pays taxes and who can stand up in Moscow, in St. Petersburg, in Rostov anywhere. People need to rise up to stop this."
Are you afraid that the sanctions might affect ordinary people, ordinary Russians more than the ones who started this war, say Putin and his inner circle?
"Yes, they definitely will. The vast majority of Russian people, their problems are very, very particular. How much food costs, how much whatever the apartment rent is and so on. So financial sanctions will definitely change this, start tipping the scale. Regardless of what politicians say, that they only put sanctions on specific people, specific elites in Russia, it's not really the case. These sanctions will start basically slowing down the economy. It will first and foremost hurt regular people. And that's where the pressure could come from in my experience living in Ukraine and knowing people in Russia. Otherwise, the elites will just not get the message. They just don't care. But it's encouraging to see that Russian people rose up immediately. From day one there were protests. I'm hoping that they will keep going because the Russian government cracks down on protests senselessly."
What can those of us in the United States watching this from the outside, what can we do to support the Ukrainians going through all this?
"This war is going to go on for a while. There should be no getting used to this conflict and saying, 'Oh, it's just the war in Ukraine.' I absolutely appreciate everyone who tunes in to this because I can understand people thinking that this is another continent. This is the country I have never heard of. Why should I care? But I really, really appreciate people who don't have any kind of personal investment in this issue tuning in and paying attention, providing support, just thoughts or any sort of other material support if they have a way to support. This is an ongoing story. This will keep going. We're just scratching the surface of what's going to happen."
Denis Guriev says his parents in Ukraine are sheltering in place and safe at the moment.
