May the heroes of Ukraine inspire Americans to stand up for our rights

Friday, May 20, 2022 | 2 a.m.

The battle for Mariupol ended Monday with the surrender of several hundred Ukrainian fighters who had been holed up in the plant for months. They are heroes, who were left with few supplies, and even fewer options. And they changed the course of the war in Ukraine, and just maybe the course of the global fight for liberty, democracy and self-determination.

Despite Russia’s ability to now lay claim to complete control of Mariupol, the strategic port city on the Sea of Azul, the battle for the city came at an astounding cost and is viewed by most observers as a strategic failure on the part of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mariupol is in Eastern Ukraine and when the war started, its people were uniquely vulnerable due to their proximity to territory already controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Just days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mariupol was fully surrounded and cut off from supply lines. Yet Mariupol’s defenders refused to surrender.

Two months after the Russian invasion began, in mid-April, Russia had effectively leveled the city, killing untold thousands of civilians in the process, and leaving thousands more as refugees without homes or access to needed supplies. Russia issued a “surrender or die” ultimatum, giving Ukrainian forces holed up in the Azovstal Steel Plant, the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the city, just a few hours to lay down their arms and “keep their lives.”

The heroes of Mariupol once again refused to surrender, using the plant’s labyrinth of tunnels and structures as a defensive fortress.

While the full extent of death and atrocity that occurred in Mariupol will not be known for many months, we do know that many of the civilians and soldiers who defended the city are now dead, having given their lives to defend their country, their homeland and their way of life from an aggressive dictator.

For those who did survive, their fate now rests on the whims of a power-hungry bully, Putin, who could choose to torture or execute them at any moment.

These brave men and women changed the course of the war and their nation’s history. By preventing the eastern and southern fronts of the war from being joined early, they slowed the Russian invasion, prevented the expansion of Russian supply lines and redeployment of Russian troops into other areas of Ukraine, and forced Putin and the Kremlin to make a monumental investment of resources to take the city.They also bought time for Ukraine to seek and receive foreign aid, reposition key assets, and allow thousands of civilians to escape to the West.

Today, the Ukrainian people, their president, Volodymir Zelenskyy, and especially the heroes of Mariupol are widely viewed as global defenders of democracy; heroes who pushed back against Putin’s dictatorship and once again laid down their lives in defense of not only their country but of the larger ideal of freedom.

Unquestionably, Ukraine has struggled, been flawed and deeply challenged in its steps as a young democracy. However, its improving reputation today is both justified and much needed.

With the United States and numerous countries across the globe increasingly and actively flirting with dictatorships and the destruction of democratic institutions as we know them, the world needs heroes like the defenders of Mariupol to remind us of just how fragile liberty, democracy and self-determination can be. We need them to inspire us to action. We need to be reminded to stand firm.

For decades, the United States has served as a beacon of hope and opportunity for people from other countries seeking a better life. While imperfect, our long march toward justice was, until recently, a march that was always moving forward: extending rights, extending liberties, and granting increasing levels of self-determination.

But that does not mean our rights and freedoms are permanent or cannot be taken away. Republicans have introduced laws to limit voting rights in more than 40 states. Moreover, as the Supreme Court is demonstrating, rights that were gained through years of hard work and progress are now subject to a change in the political winds and the makeup of the court — now dominated by a conservative Catholic majority that is comfortable blurring the lines between the separation of church and state. We must be willing to fight back.

This might be as simple as taking the time and effort to vote, or to be more informed about lesser-known down-ballot races. It might require some discomfort, as we engage in intentional conversations with our friends, family and neighbors about our hopes, fears and concerns for our future and the future of our country and community. Or the even greater discomfort of listening to the hopes, fears and concerns of others and taking a hard, introspective look at our role in their lives and their liberty.

The heroes of Mariupol put their lives on the line to defend their country’s freedom and ideals. We have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps but without the bloodshed or carnage. Let’s step up and tell the world, once again, that America is committed to becoming the land of freedom, liberty, opportunity and self-determination for all people. Let’s celebrate the inspirational heroes of Mariupol by becoming inspirational heroes of our own country.