Americans Support Answering Ukraine's Request to Provide No-Fly Zone

The entire world watched as the Russian military, under the direction of President Vladimir Putin, invaded the sovereign and peaceful nation of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since the Russian invasion began, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a consistent plead for help establishing a no-fly zone to protect the Ukrainian civilians being targeted by the Russian military. Many NATO nations, including the United States of America, have refused the call for a no-fly zone by expressing Russian President Vladimir Putin would view a no-fly zone as being escalatory. Meanwhile, the world watches as Ukrainian civilians, including over one-hundred children, are being actively targeted in their homes, schools, and hospitals by Russian military.

Russia’s intentional genocide of the Ukrainian people must be stopped in a most expeditious manner. A world where Russia is bombing orphanages and kindergarten classrooms, vacuum bombing hospital maternity wards and children’s hospitals, and intentionally trapping fleeing Ukrainian civilians only to murder them in masses cannot be a world America is willing to accept as the new normal no matter the personal risks or costs.

Now is the time that we, as Americans, speak directly to the President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden, the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate to demand the United States of America grant Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plead to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect Ukrainian children, women, and civilians fleeing their homes as Russia commits intentional genocide of the Ukrainian people.

• March 16, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia should conduct a “self-cleaning of society” and rid itself of “bastards and traitors” (Cohen & Musumeci, March 16, 2022).
• Adolf Hitler also shared Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vision of “self-cleaning” and believed genocide to be for the greater good.

Now is the time to stand united, stand with the people of Ukraine, and show our NATO allies that the United States of America is still the leader of the free world!

• Americans understand the risks posed by implementation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
• Americans hear the threats of nuclear war made by Russia.
• America has nuclear capabilities that far surpass Russian capabilities, and although all Americans and the entire world would prefer nuclear weapons never be used, Russian follow-through would ensure Russia's own inhalation. 
• Americans stood up to Adolf Hitler, and Americans will always stand up against genocide.
• Despite the risks, Americans fully support imposing a no-fly zone to prevent the further genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Sign this petition! Show President Joseph R. Biden, the United States House and Senate, and world leaders that America supports a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Recently, Estonia, a NATO member nation, echoed Ukraine President Zelensky's plead for a no-fly zone by calling on NATO nations to grant Ukraine’s no-fly zone request. Still, no nation answered, and the Russian army continues slaughtering children, women, and innocent civilians as they attempt to flee from their homes in the war-torn country of Ukraine.

The people of Ukraine do not have months to wait hoping sanctions will persuade Russia from continuing the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Consider the following as the morality over implementing a no-fly zone is contemplated:

• February 24, 2022 - Ukrainian lawmakers called upon the United States and NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine after the Russian military invaded their sovereign nation without cause or justifiable provocation. Both the United States and NATO denied their request citing that Russia would consider this to be a provocation and create an escalation.
• February 25, 2022 - Russia targets an orphanage hosting a kindergarten school in Okhtyrka killing Alisa Hlans, a seven-year-old girl who was three months away from her eight birthday, and 10 others (ABC4 News, 2022).
• February 27, 2022 - Two days after the start of the invasion, Russia killed 352 unarmed civilians, including 14 children, and another 1,684 people, including 116 children, were wounded by the Russian military. (Reuters, 2022).
• February 28, 2022 - Russia used cluster munitions, in violation of the Geneva Convention, against civilians in residential buildings in the city of Kharkiv killing at least 11 and wounding many others (Stern, Berger, Cahlan, Khurshudyan, and Lee, 2022).
• March 10, 2022 - Russia used vacuum bombs, once again in violation of the Geneva Convention, against a children’s hospital and maternity ward killing and injuring innocent women and infants (Lister, Smith-Spark, Voitovych, and Picheta, 2022).
• March 16, 2022 - Russian forces blocked escape routes for civilians attempting to flee Ukraine, killed an 18-month-old child, murdered a 6-year-old girl while wearing her unicorn pajamas, slaughtered fleeing civilians in masses, and trapped an estimated hundreds of thousands in the city (Mololetka, 2022).
• March 16, 2022 - Ukrainian President Zelensky pleaded with U.S. lawmakers for help and sought a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
• March 16, 2022 - Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised announcement where he stated that Russia should conduct a “self-cleaning of society” and rid itself of “bastards and traitors” (Cohen & Musumeci, March 16, 2022).

Morality must overcome fear and self-interest if we are to maintain our humanity.

The time to act is now, and Americans support a no-fly zone over Ukraine!

 

References:

Chow, V. (2022). Russian troops attack orphanage, kindergarten in Ukraine. ABC4 News. Retrieved on March 16, 2022, from https://www.abc4.com/news/national/russian-troops-attack-orphanage-kindergarten-in-ukraine/

Cohen, R. & Musumeci, N. (2022). Putin says Russia must undergo a 'self-cleansing of society' to purge 'bastards and traitors'. Associated Press. Military.com. Retrieved on March 17, 2022, from  https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/16/putin-says-russia-must-undergo-self-cleansing-of-society-purge-bastards-and-traitors.html

Lister, T., Smith-Spark, L., Voitovych, O., and Picheta, R. (2022). Mariupol children's hospital bombing one of many attacks on medical facilities since Russian invasion, WHO says. CNN World News. Retrieved on March 16, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/europe/russia-invasion-ukraine-03-10-intl/index.html

Mololetka, E. (2022). Why? Why? Why? Ukraine’s Mariupol descends into despair. NBC News. Reported by Associated Press. Retrieved on March 16, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-vladmir-putin-mariupol-siege-bodies-buried-rcna20229

Reuters.com. (2022). Russia’s invasion of Ukraine kills 352 civilians, including 14 children. Reuters. Retrieved on March 16, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-invasion-ukraine-kills-352-civilians-including-14-children-2022-02-27/

Stern, D.L., Berger, M., Cahlan, S., Khurshudyan, I., and Lee, J.S. (2022). Dozens wounded in shelling of Kharkiv as Russia strikes building with suspected cluster munitions. Washington Post. Retrieved on March 16, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/28/kharkiv-rockets-shelling-russia-ukraine-war/