Olga Tokariuk
Olga Tokariuk, an independent journalist, is a fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in Oxford, England and a non-resident fellow at CEPA (Center for European Policy Analysis). Her professional interests include international relations and disinformation research. She details how resilient the Ukrainian people and military have been in confronting a more powerful Russian military. The former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin tried to destroy the identity of Ukraine; much the same way Putin is. Putin felt emboldened to invade Ukraine because he received no repercussions for his aggressive behavior in Chechnya, Georgia and the Crimean Peninsula. Major efforts should focus on continuing sanctions and aid, and combatting the propaganda campaign by Putin to use a myriad of disinformation techniques, such as humor, to undermine Ukrainian resistance and Western resolve. The incoming Republican House of Representatives’ leaders have indicated that the US aid will be reduced and there will not be a “blank check” to confront Russian aggression, although no “blank check” currently exists.
