War in Ukraine

The world woke up to history last week, rumors of its death again vastly overstated. Russian troops in Eastern Europe, missiles screaming into residential Kyiv, nuclear sable rattling: Conflict is in the air. News about surging refugee flows, miles-long military convoys, and diplomatic failure blasts out of every screen and speaker. Words alone cannot capture the horror, the carnage — or the grief.

War has come to Ukraine.

Our Board has, for years, argued against a variety of wars, and against unilateral aggression like Russia's more specifically. For those times when we, like too many outlets, have been silent, when we have failed to spotlight conflicts with non-white, non-Christian victims, we apologize. But in Ukraine, like almost two decades ago in Iraq, our opposition to the conflict is — must be — unambiguous.

The effects of Russia's most recent aggression won't be confined to Ukraine's (rightful, breached) national borders. As the invasion presses on, lives are at risk, even in our community. Some of our Ukrainian and Eastern European classmates might simply have nowhere to return to this summer; their families may be forced to flee the country, if they are not struggling to do so already. For those Russian students who, like thousands across their country, bravely choose to speak out against the conflict publically, going home could soon prove similarly unfeasible, if for markedly different reasons.

All of them — every affiliate at risk of becoming another casualty of the meaningless bloodshed — deserve tangible support from our community. That means, first and foremost, ensuring their physical safety. We call on Harvard to provide legal and financial support to any affiliates and their families who are compelled to remain in or flee to the United States, flexing its lobbying power for good. That may include securing visa extensions and summer housing. In the worst case, it may mean supporting claims for asylum. It’s crucial to take these actions immediately, not just to meet the urgency of the crisis but to provide a rare point of stability in the lives of those affected — a respite from a shattering world.

The war will be felt most acutely by those who lose their lives or their loved ones, but its costs will be spread even more broadly. Many will lose their homes, jobs, and meaningful possessions, or be forced to abandon them amid the violence. Ukraine’s currency has hit a seven-year low, and the country will likely take years to recover. Harvard should immediately make emergency expanded financial aid available to students whose situations have changed, perhaps drastically, because of the war. In the face of chaos and uncertainty, the administration’s generosity could have a material impact on those students’ lives.

The rest of us, those who feel too powerless but also too angry to remain unmoved, can contribute in smaller ways. Professors should provide flexibility to those affected, showing understanding commensurate with the situation’s exceptional gravity. We, as students, should make clear that we are here for our friends and classmates who follow news updates with a dread more heavy and concrete than our generalized concern.

We are heartened by the early outpouring of support for Ukraine: Over the past week, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Yard, and spontaneous get-togethers organized on class GroupMes helped spark an organic, impactful if not at first visible, community response. Harvard itself shouldn’t lag behind. Though less pressing an issue than ensuring visas and increasing aid, the administration, chiefly University President Lawrence S. Bacow, should continue to express their support for impacted affiliates, and do so as publicly and categorically as possible. Harvard’s solidarity, much like our own, will not change the grisly nature of the conflict — but it might just make our peers feel slightly less alone.

A whole new host of our affiliates will now have the reality of war at home looming over them for the foreseeable future, forced to keep pushing through their courses and extracurriculars as if their homeland or their loved ones’ safety were not at imminent risk. As a community and an institution, the least we can do is offer them unusual support for these unusual times.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

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