Member-only story
No, Ukrainians Cannot Just Cede Territory — How Russian Dominion Over Ukraine Informs Its Resistance
As we have reached two years since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and ten years since Russia annexed Crimea and launched its separatist war in Donbas, it’s worth reiterating that Ukraine is fighting not only for its own sovereignty and security, but for all democracies.
It’s not a strong claim to make since the international community’s response to this conflict is what many believe it would be in the case of China launching a war on Taiwan.
Furthermore, Ukrainians themselves are not ready or willing to cede territory to Russia, who have been trying to incorporate Ukrainian territory into the Russian empire since at least the 19th century, as the Ukrainian historian, Serhii Plokhy explains.
Let me explain.
The largest problem with the argument that Ukraine should just give up is because Putin’s intentions in Ukraine are clear. They are to eradicate the concept of ‘Ukraine’ and ‘Ukrainians.’ He will not stop at Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea (annexed territory, according to Putin).
When discussing the Russian tsar Peter the Great’s invasion of Sweden, he said:
“On the face of it, [the tsar] was at war with Sweden taking something away from it ……
