The New Congress and Ukraine

Remember the Ukrainians, and their daily acts of heroism.

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Jay Nordlinger is a senior resident fellow at the Renew Democracy Initiative and a contributor to The Next Move.

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In February 2022, Russia launched its all-out assault on Ukraine. In November of that year, we Americans held midterm elections. The Republicans took the House from the Democrats.

There is a “lame duck” period, of course. The Democrats still had two months of control.

In December, Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to address the Congress. Many of us figured he would not be invited again, with the Republicans in control.

He certainly was not. In fact, Republican leaders gave Zelenskyy the cold shoulder on several occasions. Many Republicans were more likely to mock the president’s modest, wartime clothing than to extend their hand to him.

After four years, the Democrats again have the majority in the House, and the Senate, to boot. Will this make a material difference? Will the Democrats be able to unlock aid to Ukraine? It takes the administration, unfortunately, to follow through on congressional directives.

But Democrats, and like-minded Republicans, might be louder when it comes to Ukraine. They might take a firm, unmistakable moral stand, signaling to the Ukrainians that many of us admire them a great deal. In her invitation to Zelenskyy four years ago, Pelosi said, “America and the world are in awe of the heroism of the Ukrainian people.”

Well, some are and some aren’t—but awe is due.

Last week, Zelenskyy conferred on Kostiantyn Vlasenko the title “Hero of Ukraine.” I will recount just a little of Vlasenko’s story. And I will begin by quoting the opening of a Reuters report:

“Kostiantyn Vlasenko was huddled in a hole under the boiler of a bombed-out school when he came to a terrifying conclusion: to survive, he needed to amputate his only remaining foot.”

Yes, he had lost the other foot in a Russian drone attack.

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Before February 2022, Vlasenko was a miner in Kryvyi Rih (the hometown of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as it happens). He volunteered for the army. When he was trapped in that boiler room, first with one foot, then with neither, he figured he was a goner. “I had already buried myself,” he later said.

But he was rescued by drone. That is, a drone scooped him up and flew him out. This is believed to be the first-ever rescue of a soldier by drone. The Ukrainians have been forced not only to be heroic but also to be innovative.

Here is another name to remember: “Oleksandr Matsievsky.” He was a Ukrainian sniper, captured by the Russians. They forced him to dig his own grave. Before they shot him, he said to them, “Glory to Ukraine.”

For nearly a thousand days, Stanislav Aseyev, a writer, was held in a Russian torture camp. After that ordeal, he went back to the front, to fight. “I don’t think the West really understands,” he told a reporter.

Iryna Tsybukh was a journalist. She volunteered as a combat medic. She was killed three days before her 26th birthday.

Russian forces took Ukrainian children from a special-needs school. They took them into Russia. The school’s director, Natalia Lutsyk, followed them there and managed to get the children into Georgia, where they could be safe.

A bus caught fire after a Russian strike in Sumy. Many were killed or injured. A 13-year-old boy, Kirill Illiashenko, was riding on the bus with his mother, Maryna. Acting quickly, Kirill was able to save many—with shrapnel in his head.

Six weeks later, he participated in a wrestling tournament in Croatia, taking the silver medal.

Here is the headline of a report from the Associated Press: “Drivers risk all to bring aid, help civilians flee.” There is quiet heroism in Ukraine, day after day.

Maryan Kushnir is a reporter for RFE/RL (America’s combination of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty). His apartment building was bombed by the Russians. His neighbors’ apartment was rapidly disintegrating in flames. He raced in and saw a little girl on a couch, screaming for her mother. He saved her, but could not save the others.

In response to praise, Kushnir said, “I’m not a hero, I just happened to be there and did what I had to do.” Nonetheless, others are free to call him what they will.

The headline over a column by Nicholas Kristof says a lot: “They’re Ready to Fight Again, on Artificial Legs.”

I have noted a handful of names and the roll is very long. The entire nation is involved in its own survival: its right to live in freedom and independence. Its right to exist. The Ukrainians have set an all-time example of patriotism, resilience, sacrifice, and courage.

I admire them no end, and I hope they win. I hope they repel the invader and keep their country—with or without the support of the United States.

Whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy will again address the US Congress, no one can say. But we can recognize outstanding leadership when we see it.

In October 2022, I recorded a podcast with George F. Will, a bona fide conservative. He cited Harvey Mansfield—the Harvard political scientist and another bona fide conservative—to the effect that the purpose of education is to learn how to praise. To learn to recognize high standards and praise those who meet or approach them.

Said Will, “Our capacity for praise often atrophies from disuse. It’s time to sit back and praise Zelenskyy. This is what a hero looks like.”

Before I leave you, I’d like to mention one more name—that of Andrew Kirby. His sister and brother-in-law are friends of mine. I attended their wedding in September. Three weeks later, Andrew was killed in Ukraine.

The Kirbys are from Texas. Andrew was a member of Ukraine’s International Legion. When he was killed, he was on a mission to evacuate civilians under siege.

Before such as Andrew Kirby, I am in awe and almost speechless.

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