Ironic, Russia-Ukraine War On The 51st Anniversary Of The Peace Song Imagine: John Lennon's Dream Never Comes True

A Ukrainian soldier stands on a tank for the war against Russia. (Photo: EPN/Newscom/Avalon)

“You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.”

JAKARTA - This is a snippet of the song Imagine by John Lennon. Imagine is about a world of peace. First aired September 1971. Now, half a century later, the world needs it even more than it did when Lennon dreamed.

During the 50th anniversary of the song Imagine, the official website for John Lennon's content managed by Yoko Ono, the widow of the late Lennon, shared an image containing the words Imagine All The People Living Life in Peace, in 110 languages including Indonesian and Javanese.

If today the world still commemorates Imagine then it proves that the song is no longer just a product of musical art. The song has become mankind's dream of a world of peace, in the midst of the unquenchable fire of war.

Russia's attacks on Ukraine continue to be launched, adding to the precarious condition of Ukraine. Around 100 thousand people have fled, even fled, abroad for fear of the Russian attack increasingly endangering their lives. Casualties from soldiers to civilians continue to fall

A building in Kyiv, Ukraine catches fire after being bombed by Russian troops. (Photo: Ukraine's States of Emergency Services)

The international condemnation has not stopped Russia's determination to launch an attack, after weeks of denying accusations of an invasion. A series of sanctions were imposed on Russia, even though the country led by President Vladimir Putin did not budge and continued to launch an invasion. Dozens of people, including civilians, were reported killed.

Russia's attack on Ukraine has been described as the largest single-state attack in Europe since World War II. The outbreak of this open conflict became the culmination of the conflict between Russia and Western countries, which are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by dragging Ukraine. Various diplomatic efforts have been carried out since November 2021, when NATO announced the deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, but failed.

2014 War Killed 14,000 People

Prior to the conflict that led to Russia's invasion of Ukraine , Russia had annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine in 2014. More than 14,000 people died in massive fighting in May in the region, known as the Donbas, and at least two million people were forced to flee. their homes. The annexation was carried out under the pretext that Russia was defending the interests of Russian-speaking citizens.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European affairs, Olha Stefanishyna said her country was more organized today than it was in 2014, the last time Russia invaded it.

“We didn't have an army in 2014. We don't know what Russian aggression looks like. We think that a full-fledged war will be fought on our territory, so we are preparing a massive protection of our territorial integrity without the resources for that," he said.

A message written on the back of the uniform of a player from Ukraine, Ruslan Malinovsky, who plays for Italian Serie A club Atalanta. (Photo: Instagram@uafukraine)

For centuries, Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire which was also part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine became independent in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved after the Cold War. Since then, there have been tensions between Ukraine's old relations with Russia and new allegiances to Western countries. Putin as Russian leader wants to regain control of the former Soviet Union.

Ukraine is a democracy with a population of 44 million people, geographically the largest country in Europe after Russia.Ukraine voted to become independent from Russia following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and expressed its desire to join forces with the European Union.Since then, there have been tensions between Ukraine's longstanding relations with Russia and allegiances. new with Western countries.

The Famine of the Soviet Union

So what triggers Ukraine to want to be separated from Russia?

The hatred of Ukrainians for Russia has long historical roots. When the famine hit in the 1930s, at least four million Ukrainians starved to death due to the imposition of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's collective agricultural policies.

Ukrainians call it Holodomor or starve to death. The number of people who died as a result of the famine in 1932-1933 is estimated at four million. In the midst of the Russian invasion, those bitter memories further fostered hatred towards Russia. Various territories of the Soviet Union suffered from Stalin's cruel agricultural policies and repression, but Ukraine recorded the highest number of deaths.

Illustration of a mural against war. (Photo: Unsplash)

All countries understand that memories are a powerful weapon. The trauma of the Holodomor is at the heart of thinking of Ukraine as a country that defies Russian domination. When reminiscing about the horrors of the famine of the past.

President Joko Widodo via Twitter called for an end to the armed conflict in Ukraine. "Stop war. War torments humanity and endangers the world," President Jokowi tweeted, Thursday, February 24, 2022.

Calls for an immediate end to the war between Russia and Ukraine must continue to be echoed. Like Imagine, John Lennon's song for peace is sung even though wars continue to occur in various parts of the world.