Putin May Have the Military Might, but Ukrainians Have the Motivation to Fight

We’ve seen plenty of news reports about Russia’s military blunders in the first week of its invasion of Ukraine. Despite an overwhelming advantage in troop levels and military hardware, and continued escalation, Russian troops have been unable to deliver a decisive blow.

Among the many explanations, perhaps the most crucial one is that Ukranians have a much higher motivation to do what all wars demand: kill people.

Imagine how traumatic it must be to kill another human being. Clearly, the more justness you feel in your cause, the better you’re able to do the horrible act of taking another life.

What is the “just cause” to take another life? There’s only one—to save your own. If someone is trying to kill you, you’re allowed to kill them first. In a court of law, that’s called self-defense.

That may help explain the ferocity of the Ukrainian response to Vladimir Putin’s naked attempt to invade their country. People have come to kill them and they must kill them first. One side is the clear aggressor; the other side is the clear defender.

There’s also an emotional and familial component: Russia and Ukraine have blood ties going back centuries. Both countries have a significant overlap in language and culture. In other words, Putin is not asking his troops to risk their lives to kill nasty foreigners. He’s asking them to invade and kill their neighbors.

If anything can bring Putin to back down, it will be the enormous gap in the motivation to kill.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has more than enough reasons to motivate his troops. His nation is under attack. His people have every right to fight back.

I almost feel bad for Russian troops who have been forced by a bloodthirsty tyrant to do something I’m sure many of them despise: killing for a cause they don’t believe in.

We’re already seeing signs of this apprehension. As The New York Times reported on Wednesday, “Some Russian units have put down their arms and refused to fight… the bodies of Russian soldiers have been left in areas surrounding Kharkiv. Videos and photos on social media show charred remains of tanks and armored vehicles, their crews dead or wounded.”

With his huge advantage in military might, Putin’s naked aggression may well win the day. He’s doubling down every day to submit his neighbors. But any grabbing of Ukrainian cities will come with a big asterisk: His people don’t want this war, and the Ukrainian people will never surrender.

If anything can bring Putin to back down, it will be the enormous gap in the motivation to kill.