Ukraine remains at the forefront of the fight against Russian terror, facing a hostility that not only claims civilian lives, but also raises concerns about the wait-and-see attitude and delay by allies in providing necessary support. The tragedy in Odesa on March 2, which claimed the lives of 11 people, including two infants and two children (another child is still being searched for under the rubble), was evidence of Ukraine's loneliness in the face of enemy terror, as openly stated by the Ukrainian authorities, UNN reports.
The attacks on Ukraine know no bounds, leaving human tragedy and destruction in their wake, while the international community's efforts to respond to the challenges facing Ukraine are insufficient. A week before the tragedy in Odesa on the night of March 2, the head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, Oleh Kiper, met with the German Foreign Minister, where he stated directly that the region was in dire need of additional defense systems, including air defense. Not after the war, not in six months, but right now.
Other international delegations visit Odesa region almost every day, but the answer to the question of how to help Kiper remains the same: the region needs air defense systems to protect people from Russian violence.
"A large number of foreign ambassadors visit Odesa region. I have had many meetings with them. And I see from the negotiations that they are waiting. They ask what kind of help you need after the war is over... What are you waiting for? You realize that people are dying here every day. Maybe we won't need help after the victory, but it's better to give it right now. During meetings with foreign delegations, we always explain to them that we are a shield for them. They went to Bucha after the terrible events that took place there. And there were people living there... Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donbas - what atrocities were committed there. I asked them: do you want to see this in your own life? We don't need to wait for the war to end - we need help today and now," Kiper comments on his meetings with ambassadorial delegations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also notes the escalation of the crisis within the pool of allies due to internal disputes, calling for an end to it in order to defeat Russian terror.
"The world knows what can be done against terror. The world has enough air defense systems, systems to protect against the "Shahed" and missiles. And the delay in supplying weapons to Ukraine, air defense systems to protect our people, unfortunately, leads to such losses, to the fact that the list of children whose lives are taken by Russia is constantly growing. Ukraine has not asked for anything more than what is necessary to protect lives. And when lives are lost, and our partners simply have internal political games or disputes that limit our protection, it is impossible to understand. It is impossible to agree with it. And it will be impossible to forget - the world will remember this. Russian terror must lose. This is a matter of principle," Zelenskyy said on March 2, commenting on the deadly Shahedi attack on Odesa.
However, despite the calls to action and challenges to respond, the delay by allied states in providing effective support leaves Ukraine alone in the face of hostility. Insufficient response and lack of resolve in addressing the threat keeps the ability of allies to withstand violence uncertain.
To resolve this crisis, the international community must immediately unite its efforts, provide effective support to Ukraine and take decisive measures to stop terror, says political commentator Gennady Dubov.
"Given the fact that there is a war going on, that we have never produced an air defense system in principle, it is absolutely clear that we need air defense systems here and now, both to conduct combat operations and to protect the population. Both the military and civilian authorities are always talking about this. It is an obvious necessity," he comments.