Assessing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after a year of war
MIT event examines effects of the war on domestic politics and daily life in both Ukraine and Russia. Close Ukraine has been withstanding Russia's invasion for slightly more than a year. One element of this resistance has been the military aid many allies have provided Ukraine. But surely the most important factor, ever since Russia attacked in February 2022, has been the strong sense of solidarity Ukranians have displayed in their attempt to keep their country free and democratic. That was one takeaway from a recent public discussion at MIT, "Ukraine and Russia One Year On: The Domestic Impact of the War." The event, held online, was the latest iteration of the Starr Forum, MIT's prominent event series on foreign policy and international relations. "This is most important when we look at the internal dynamics now in Ukraine," said panelist Olga Onuch, a senior lecturer and associate professor in politics at the University of Manchester in the U.K. "Ukrainians not only have shown resilience and resistance, but they have doubled down on [these] things, that are likely to be the most important element of their fight for victory, this incredible sense of a collective action to protect the values and rights that are dear to them." If anything, the ongoing war has heightened a previously existing trend toward support for democracy among Ukrainians, which had already been on the rise. As Onuch pointed out, polling shows that from 2019 through February 2022, backing for democracy among Ukrainians rose from around 40 percent to nearly 60 percent.
