Ukraine and India

On breakup of Soviet Union, Russia had been thrown into an unexceptional recession with three digit inflation. It was due to support of market driven western financing that it came out and became what it assumes it is today, bullying its weaker nations in neighbourhood. But western dependence, using open finance regime, advancement in technological collaborations and ignoring global realities of our times, would set its nemesis. 

Indian interests are in being powerfully neutral but standing on principle of respecting and defending sovereignty of every nation. And at the same time not allowing any country create justification for invading other nations on flimsy grounds of one-sided prejudiced view of the history. Success and tolerating such actions can give reasons and excuse to our neighbours to attempt repeating similar misadventures over our border territory which they might dreamily assume as their own!

Ukraine is democratic country invaded by a dictator. Standing with him would severely dent our reputation. We will be considered week if we fail to take an expected stand from a largest democracy. We must at least condemn this illegitimate invasion of democratic nation and then decide on question to abstain if present policy so requires. Russia is inherently a week economy heavily dependent on outside support for everything including its military equipment which gets almost all its components from US, China, Korea and Taiwan. All these except China have imposed sanctions now and closing of financing imports would make it impossible for Russia to replenish and sustain economy and defence technology. China too would fall in line soon and support common actions being heavily integrated with global economy and reaping huge benefits out of that. That could lead us to isolation if we continue supporting Putin. Again, Putin is not Russia. Nor Russia a USSR. He would one day be consigned to history with Stalin and Hitler and Saddam.

Ukraine is not Iraq as some people illogically compare the present scenario. Iraq under Saddam was an autocratic nation led by another megalomaniac killing its own citizens. Afganistan was a theocratic dictatorship committing atrocities on people and engaging in global terrorism. Yes, the first invasion of Afganistan in 1980 was unjustified as that time Afganistan was a republic. Know, that illegal invasion too was done by USSR!

Here in case of Ukraine it is reverse , we have a democratic nation invaded by a dictator. Time will test us by standing with the wrong. And to compound that wrong, we have two of our known enemies on the same side. Irony.