Ukraine war two years on, through Asian eyes

Kyiv’s struggles and setbacks offer cautionary lessons for other countries.

- Ravi Velloor

Last Saturday, the Singapore Press Club and Singapore Film Society organised a special screening of the award-winning short film, 20 Days In Mariupol, a moving, intensely painful account of the Russian siege, and eventual seizure, of the south-eastern Ukrainian city in 2022.

No one who watches it even the most conflict-hardened medic or reporter will be unaffected by the film. Of all the humanitarian disasters that visit upon us, from earthquakes to pandemics, war is the worst - and the only one that is truly avoidable. So, for war to break out on a continent thought to have settled borders and established institutional set-ups such as the European Union and Nato is deeply troubling when viewed from Asia, where territorial issues are rife and systems weak.

To their credit, Singaporeans were so outraged about the Russian invasion, and moved by the Ukrainian cause, that in the early days of the conflict many wanted to travel to Ukraine to fight on its behalf. Indeed, such reactions prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs to react with a cautionary announcement that "it is an offence for any person, whilst in Singapore, to wage, attempt to wage, or abet the waging of war, against the government of any power with which Singapore is not at war".

Ukrainians, and their president, Mr Volodymyr Zelensky, have shown exceptional courage. Mr Zelensky had the option of taking a helicopter ride to safety - who can forget the hapless Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan who fled even before the Taliban had entered Kabul following the US-led coalition pullout in 2021 but he chose to stay.

Thereafter, he led the fight from his underground bunker. His nation rallied under him, and indeed, inflicted significant early damage on the advancing Russians in the early days of war.