You know the story by now. I was invited to visit Ukraine back in 2014, when I was traveling on the Trans Siberian Railway. A nice American lady invited me to join her on a side trip to Kiev. I declined, even though it sounded interesting, and despite the fact she offered to pay. I just knew it was not for me.
Now, refugess are pouring into eastern European countries, many places where I have visited. And they are probably not prepared for this onslaught. In fact, many countries have a standard of living not that much better than Ukraine, when it was comparatively peaceful.
Per Business Insider (MSN):
- Ukraine’s neighbors are preparing for a surge of refugees as a possible Russian attack looms.
- Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republican have all said they are making preparations.
- Thousands of Eastern Ukrainians have already evacuated to Russia over fears of war.
Central Europe is bracing for a possible migrant crisis as Ukraine’s Western neighbors make preparations to welcome millions of refugees in the event of a large-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine.
The United Nation’s refugee agency told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that it has not yet seen increasing numbers of fleeing Ukrainians, but called the ongoing situation “highly volatile.” Some estimates suggest as many as five million people could be displaced in a worst-case scenario, the outlet reported.
What can you do with 5 million immigrants? Some are skilled, many are unskilled. Some are good citizens, some are lifelong criminals. But most are needy, hungry, cold, and now homeless.
The real question is why are the political opposition so quiet. If this was our border, Biden would be roasted!!!
Having spent some time in Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, and Hungary, I can tell you that these countries are not well prepared for this onslaught. The bigger cities cannot afford to house and feed more people. They are densely populated, with older infrastructure, and marginal social services.
War is never a good thing. People die. People are displaced. Economies are destroyed. Just imagine right now, if trumpty dumpty was still Prez, and his buddy Poohtin invaded Ukraine. He would probably help him!!!
Are the economic sanctions enough? If they can limit his oligarch buddies, maybe yes. If not, this will end up uglier than Vietnam, and Desert Storm combined!
Bottom line: I feel badly for the people of Ukraine.
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