Russia's war in Ukraine a fight for global democracy, experts say

As a groundswell of support for Ukraine continues to build across the world amid Russia's invasion of the country, many experts say the ongoing conflict is one not just for the future of Ukraine, but also for liberal democracy.

Protests have been staged around the globe, including across Canada, which is home to the second largest Ukrainian diaspora after Russia with about 1.3 million people, many of whom reside in Western Canada.

Christopher Cochrane, an associate professor in political science at the University of Toronto Scarborough, told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday that many Canadians, as well as others in the West, see the struggle in Ukraine as the "very foundation of liberal democratic societies, which is the will of people to fight, in some cases against great odds."

While difficult to see unfold, he says the situation has "rekindled something" in western countries "and that explains really the sort of unprecedented change in the political landscape over a very short period of time."

Experts have warned of the potential impact this conflict could have on other democracies faced with a similar threat.

The recent escalation in hostilities between Ukraine and Russia has left Baltic countries, formerly part of the Soviet Union, worried about what this may mean for them.

Ukraine is now seeking European Union membership, and Cochrane says he suspects NATO will expand because of this war.

While conflicts remain ongoing in other parts of the world, such as in Ethiopia and Yemen, Cochrane says the situation in Ukraine seems to be resonating with people because it is seen as not just a threat to that country, but others in the western world.

Some have even made the decision to fight alongside the Ukrainians as foreign freedom fighters.

"There's not much that can be done about every problem, but in this case, I think the perception is this is not just a threat to Ukraine, and so we're seeing a reaction," Cochrane said.

THE UKRAINIAN DIASPORA

Despite being thousands of kilometres away, the ties between Canada and Ukraine are longstanding.

Canada was the first western country to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also has Ukrainian heritage and this past weekend spoke at a rally in Toronto in support of Ukraine.

The integration of Ukrainian culture in Canadian society has likely contributed to a broader awareness of and support for Ukraine, Yuliia Ivaniuk, co-ordinator of the Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the University of Manitoba, told CTVNews.ca.

"They understand that this is not the first time that the Ukraine nation has suffered from Russian atrocities," she said in a telephone interview on Monday.

Ivaniuk said she and the Ukrainian community are devastated by Russia's aggression, including the bombing of civilians and infrastructure such as hospitals, as well as the "lies" being put out by Russian media that forces are trying to "de-Nazify" Ukraine's president, who is Jewish.

Beyond that, she pointed to other events in history such as the Holodomor, when millions of Ukrainians were starved to death in the 1930s under the Soviet Union, that have been described as genocide.

"My assumption is that he (Putin) is looking to bring back the Russian Empire," Ivaniuk said.

This "David versus Goliath" fight between freedom and democracy versus authoritarianism is not only about the future of Ukraine, she says, but the broader security of Europe.

This was previously made evident by Russia's aggression toward Moldova in the 1990s, with Georgia in 2008, its propping up of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko despite allegations of ballot fraud in the 2020 election, efforts to help supress protests in Kazakhstan earlier this year, and Putin's recent threat of nuclear warfare.

"So this is an extremely interesting, complex and enigmatic region, and I think this is why this crisis and this war has attracted so much attention in Canada and also around the globe," Ivaniuk said.

Orest Cap, professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba and former director of the Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies, has friends and family close to the fighting in Ukraine, and says other countries need to be able to respond better to incidents such as these.

"This is basically a threat to democracy around the world," he told CTVNews.ca during a phone interview on Tuesday. "And Ukraine cannot continue to be just a shield, as it has been for these years."

CANADA SANCTIONS RUSSIA, SUPPLIES WEAPONS TO UKRAINE

Along with numerous sanctions levied against Russia, Canada and its allies have supplied lethal and non-lethal supplies to Ukraine and supported the removal of Russia from the digital payment and messaging network SWIFT, which connects thousands of banks worldwide.

Canada closed its airspace to Russian aircraft on Sunday and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced Canada would send $25 million worth of helmets, body armour, gas masks and night vision gear to Ukraine via Poland.

This is on top of the $500-million loan and $7.8 million worth of lethal equipment and ammunition Canada pledged to Ukraine earlier in February.

Canada helped train about 33,000 Ukrainian soldiers as part of 2015’s Operation UNIFIER, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the declaration of separate states in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014. Canada is also sending 460 additional troops to Europe to join the approximately 800 already there as part of NATO.

In the face of a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, the federal government has promised to prioritize immigration applications for Ukrainians, although the journey across the border into western Europe has proved difficult for many, including the country's African residents.

With files from CTV News and The Associated Press