As Russian armed forces advance on Ukraine, shelling cities and towns in an effort to destroy its democracy, we have been watching breathtaking acts of courage. From Ukrainian President Zelensky who refused to be flown to safety, to women and children forced to flee their homes with only what they could carry (leaving husbands, fathers and brothers behind to fight), to the Western governments and corporations joining together to thwart Putin’s powers, we are knocked out by big fat reminders of what courage looks like in the face of the gravest of threats. Here are two:
A soldier on Snake Island, off the coast of Ukraine, told a Russian warship to “go fuck yourself” as he and 12 other soldiers repelled two attacks by Russian forces before they were captured.
Then we found this the New Yorker interview of Dmitry Muratov, the Nobel Prize–winning editor of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, who went on social media vowing that the paper would publish its next issue in Ukrainian as well as Russian.
Muratov and his staff have refused to tame their language in reporting about Russia’s war against Ukraine, despite “the consequences” and the personal danger they put themselves in. They are committed to reporting to their 30 million readers on social networks.
As tragic as the events in Ukraine are, we are deeply moved and heartened by the choices of many to confront such fearsome danger, intimidation and uncertainty.
Can we find that in ourselves?
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