The war in Ukraine is ending its third week. While officials are trying to figure out what to do, I’m trying to figure out how it ends.

Is the European Union okay if Putin takes over Ukraine and he is at their doorstep? Is the European Union okay signaling it’s acceptable to take over another country because it’s too difficult to get involved with a nuclear power? What message does this send to other vulnerable countries with powerful neighbors, like Taiwan?

On the other hand, what happens in a best case scenario? If Putin withdraws his forces, does he then just say, “Oops. Sorry.”? Sorry for the destruction. Sorry for the lives lost. Sorry for the children killed who didn’t get to live their lives. Sorry for the lives destroyed and the people left behind.

What happens to Russians living in Russia? I guess we just go along with living with a dictator? I guess what our government did is okay. I guess we are not responsible because we were not in charge. I guess we’re also the victims here.

What can the Russians do? Protest knowing they will be arrested, that the judicial system is rigged, that they could be sent away for 15 years? Is destroying their life and their family’s life worth standing in a town square with a sign?

Is destroying their life and their family’s life worth standing in a town square with a sign?

Does Putin ever turn on western media to look at the children killed or lying in a hospital bed with injuries as a result to his actions? What does he see when he is looking in the mirror? What do his ministers and advisors see when they sit 30 feet away from him? No leader remains in power alone.

What does the Russian military on the ground see in Ukraine? Do they care that they are also shooting at Russians, the very people they were supposedly sent to protect? Do they care that residents are speaking about the horrors of war in Russian, the native language they share with the invaders? How does the Russian military feel about shooting their own people, their own kin? Who’s the asshole that fires missiles at apartment buildings? At a maternity hospital? Who are the parents that raised these soldiers? Who are the spouses and children that have this asshole as their father?

Are Russians okay with this kind of barbarism while also priding themselves in presenting high European culture such as dance, music, art, and sports? Are Russians comfortable inside their own conscience with this dichotomy?

How does this war end?