Four Years Into Russia’s Invasion: Standing With Ukraine, Standing for Democracy
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
Today marks four years since Russia launched its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine - a war that threw the world into chaos and subjected millions of Ukrainians to unspeakable violence.
On this grim anniversary, LIBRAEL stands in unwavering solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Their resilience, courage, and refusal to surrender their freedom embody the very ideals upon which liberal democracies are founded: that people should determine their own future.
For Israelis, the story of Ukraine is not theoretical but painfully familiar. Like Ukraine, Israel has faced unprovoked assaults by forces that deny its legitimacy, deliberately target civilians, and openly abuse international law. Both nations have endured intentional attacks on population centers, systematic crimes against humanity - including the torture and rape of civilians and the kidnapping of innocent children - in an attempt to erase their national identity. And in both cases, the aggressors cloaked their violence in information warfare, cynically claiming our own ideas of liberation, justice, and peace.
Ukrainians fleeing missile strikes on Odesa or Kharkiv, seeking refuge underground while air-raid sirens wail, echo scenes Israelis know from Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim, and the communities devastated in the Gaza Envelope. Just as Russia and Hamas show total disregard for human life, neither spares its own people: Putin has sent hundreds of thousands of Russians into a meat grinder, and Hamas hides its fighters and weapons behind children and hospitals.
But the connection between Ukraine and Israel runs deeper than shared trauma. Both societies are living proof of the power of democratic values in regions threatened by authoritarianism. Ukraine has spent decades striving toward a freer, more open, more Western-oriented future - choosing democracy even at enormous cost. Israel, too, is a democracy forged in conflict and war. And in both countries, the struggle for the rule of law, human rights, the freedom of their citizens, and peace with their neighbors - is far from over.
At a time when authoritarian regimes are growing more aggressive, democracies cannot afford moral ambiguity. Supporting Ukraine is not merely an act of compassion - it is a strategic necessity. If aggression is rewarded in Europe, it will spread to the Middle East and beyond. This is exactly why we also stand with Taiwan. If the world fails to draw a red line in one region, it erodes deterrence in all others. And if democracies hesitate to support one another, they send a message that our freedoms and independence are negotiable.
They are not.
LIBRAEL’s mission is to build bridges between Israel and liberal America - communities that share a belief in democracy, human rights, justice, and peace. The Ukrainian people remind us what these values look like in practice: the bravery to resist tyranny, the clarity to distinguish between bully and victim, and the patriotism that fuels resistance come hell or high water.
Four years on, Ukraine is still fighting for its right to exist. So is Israel. And the democratic world must stand with them - not by escalating war, and not by giving a blank check - but by holding firm to the principles that make peace possible.
Solidarity is a choice. And today, as every day, we choose Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini. Am Israel Chai.
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