Why I choose to donate money to Ukraine

No person who thinks of themself as progressive, left, or pro-democracy can in good faith be neutral about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia faced no existential threat from Ukraine on 24 February, the European Union or even realistically from the United States.

This was an unprovoked war of aggression and imperial expansion. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers on both sides, most of them barely out of boyhood, have died. Large sections of Ukraine’s infrastructure are in tatters; city centres in the east have been destroyed.

Vladimir Putin and his officials have implicitly or explicitly threatened nuclear war several times since the invasion. Escalation to nuclear war will probably not happen, but the risk is substantial enough that it has to be taken extremely seriously.

Ukraine, like South Africa, is a flawed democracy. It is struggling, like us, with corruption and some ugly politics. But it is a democracy.

More than 90% of its population voted for independence from Russia in 1991. Ukraine has freedom of expression and freedom to organise politically. It has held several free and fair elections, albeit not in the Russian-controlled regions over the past eight years. It is distressing that some on the left underestimate the importance of these traditional freedoms and the desire of most Ukrainians to join the European Union. Perhaps they are blinded by their anger over Western hypocrisy. But two wrongs do not make a right.

Ukraine has more than its fair share of fascists and neo-Nazis, in the military too (as does Russia), but they are not the dominant faction in Ukrainian politics. And, if anything, Russia’s aggression strengthens their hand.

Russia is not a democracy. Its war is an attack on democracy. Besides undermining democracy in Ukraine, Russian imperialism is a threat to the Baltic democracies too. It is also causing economic misery and risks causing widespread hunger in Africa.

Russia’s invasion has also given Nato new momentum. Now facing a genuine existential threat from an unpredictable and extremely powerful military power, the governments of once-neutral Sweden and Finland see no alternative but to join Nato.

South Africa’s failure earlier this year to support the United Nations resolution calling for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine was a low point in our foreign policy.

The excuse by South Africa’s ambassador to the UN, Mathu Joyini, that the resolution could drive a wedge between the parties betrayed a combination of naivety and expediency.

Naive because it is harder to think of a greater wedge than war.

Expedient because Russia under Vladimir Putin had a role in state capture, with the attempt to get us to agree to an unaffordable one trillion dollar energy deal (thankfully scuttled — it would have made Stage 6 load shedding seem a trifle). Russia may have tried to support the ANC in South African elections. Our ruling party doesn’t oppose Russia’s aggression, almost certainly, because top ANC bigwigs have close ties with the Putin regime.

There is a small act of solidarity with the people of Ukraine that South Africans who are ashamed of their government’s response can take. We can donate to one of several institutions either providing humanitarian relief or — and I accept some may not feel comfortable going this far — directly to the military defence of Ukraine. (You can also support Medecins Sans Frontieres.)

I’m anticipating some objections:

What about America’s 2003 invasion of Iraq?

What about Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories which is de facto supported by the US?

We’ve got huge political problems and poverty in South Africa. Shouldn’t one rather donate to South African causes?

Does an individual donation make any difference?