Sam Graves: Putin's unprovoked military aggression has gone unchecked for far too long

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

Life for forty-four million Ukrainians changed dramatically this week. They have been fighting Russian-backed separatists for control of two break-away territories in eastern Ukraine for eight years. Now, they're fighting for their freedom and the future of their entire country.

Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces into a full-scale invasion of the eastern European country. That's a break from the comparatively smaller-scale invasions into eastern Ukraine and Georgia in 2014 and 2008. An assault of this scale will mean exponentially more bloodshed and could drag out for months, if not years. We haven't seen anything like this in Europe since World War II.

Our response must reflect the magnitude of this assault on freedom. Putin’s unprovoked military aggression has gone unchecked for far too long. We must relegate his regime to the status of an international pariah. We must swiftly impose the strongest possible sanctions on Vladimir Putin's regime to cripple his ability to make war.

The will of the Ukrainian people is strong, and they will not slip silently into the night. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, they will fight with everything they have to defend their homes, their families, and their freedom. We’ve already seen so many incredibly heroic examples of Ukrainian patriots staring down impossible odds and fighting to protect their homeland. Our prayers are with them in this darkest hour.

There will be plenty of time to dissect this crisis and cast blame on those responsible in the coming weeks and months. For now, we must work together to support our NATO allies in the region and condemn the man ultimately responsible for this unprovoked attack on the free people of Ukraine—Vladimir Putin.