This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

“I feel that with this war, the Russians are unjust at what they’re doing…like a bully, and I’m glad that people of other countries are coming together and putting the pressure on him [President Vladimir Putin]. I don’t think it’s going to last too much longer. If you don’t have money, you can’t run a country, right? That’s how I feel about it. But I hope that this thing stops soon, because it’s going to spread like cancer in Europe if it doesn’t. He’s saying he doesn’t want NATO countries too close to him, but that’s how the world is. He’s shooting civilians, it’s crazy.”

Michael Grady,

Kingsbridge

 

“It’s a waste of human life and it’s a matter of freedom of choice. Yes, they want to go back to the 1800s or early 1900s when Lenin [Russian revolutionary, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, otherwise known as Lenin] was in power. All I know about their bombing is they just missed killing a bunch of kindergarten students and luckily, they were on the other side of the building when the bomb hit. So, I don’t trust [President Vladimir] Putin. I think Sweden and the other surrounding countries know what Putin is thinking and they’re not going to let him get away with this.”

Lt. Shelly Hunter (Ret.),

Kingsbridge

 

“Yes, I’ve been following it. According to what’s on the news, it’s very unfortunate what’s happening to the people in Ukraine, and unfortunately Russia has made a grave mistake. He [Putin]’s actually united the nations of NATO, and the people of the European nations, and I think it’s going to be a bad outcome. Everybody’s feeling the pinch; my groceries went up, my gas is going up. I’m feeling the pinch. What’s the alternative?”

Moses Burgos,

Van Cortlandt Park

 

“I think that [expletive] should get two bullets in the back of his head: Putin. I mean the guy is out of line. Maybe he was waiting for [Donald] Trump to win so that he could walk in there and just take it, I don’t know. That’s the rub; if they go in there, he might do what he’s saying, because he doesn’t care. Maybe he really doesn’t care. Maybe he’s sick and dying, and he figures he might as well take the whole world with him. But they’re not doing enough, obviously. So, what if the United States doesn’t get in it? What about Europe? Let them get in it, but somebody should do something. Cluster munitions and vacuum bombs are supposed to be against the Geneva Convention…that’s terrible. They’re going to take that country and they might not stop; the Baltic states might be next. Everything is up in the air; whatever it is, it’s not going to be good.”

Peter Basilone,

Morris Park

 

“I think the only people who are going to pay for this war are the innocent people. I mean this guy, [President Vladimir] Putin, he has money and power. He has everything, and some believe he has this in his brain, and that’s leading to all of the Ukraine people’s suffering. They’re losing their houses, they’re losing their lives, their kids, their family, and their financial situation. I think this is a disaster. In my opinion, the innocent people pay for all of this. If any president in the world had done the same thing he’s doing now, it would be considered a war crime. There is no justice in this world. He has power and money, and no one will mess with him. He’s not Saddam Hussain. God bless America!”

Mohamed Ouertani,

Morris Park

 

Editor’s Note: The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is an international treaty, drafted in Dublin, Ireland in 2008, and ratified in Oslo, Norway in 2010, that prohibits all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions or “bomblets” over a specific area. Among the countries which have not signed the treaty as of July 2021, are the U.S. and Russia.