On February 21, 2022, Russian military forces were ordered to enter DPR and LPR regions, both of which are breakaway states located in Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces that had been gathered at the border. This topic has been all over the news, and opinions have been formed around the world. Xavier is no exception. When it comes to the war in Ukraine, what does the school think? If you would like to be featured in articles such as this, email Senior Reporter Justin Caulfield at [email protected] and make your opinion known.

Freshman Ian Hawley makes a quick analysis of the situation saying, “Russia and the U.S. are the two competing powers of the world. With Russia, a lot of their hardware is Cold War era, so their hardware isn’t up to date. The problem with the U.S. is that it’s blown billions of dollars developing cutting edge technology. All of that has drained away the taxpayer money. Through bureaucracy, we are encumbered. Nobody wants a war, but everyone’s willing to fight it.” Ian continued his statement saying, “Not only is this Russia against Ukraine, but it is also Russia against all of NATO.” Ian elaborated saying, “Captured soldiers from Russia have testified that their leadership lied to them about missions they are partaking in.” Ian finished by saying, “All in all, the odds are stacked against Russia in the long term should nuclear war not break out.”

Senior Rob Mullins says, “I was very disappointed to see that Chris Murphy said he was in favor of it [war].” Rob proceeding saying, “He [Chris Murphy] said he’d be in favor of it, which was depressing. Shouldn’t they [Democrats like Senator Murphy] be the dove-voice of the U.S. Senate?” Rob spoke about the potential of war saying, “We will end up going to war. I would love to see us have to reinstitute the draft just because of how unpopular it is; that would be great. It would be like Vietnam, frankly. We are fighting somebody else’s war.” Rob ended his comment by saying, “Honestly, if we reinstituted the draft, I would take a nice, long tour of Canada for maybe six to eight years.”

In the student body, there are several who believe that Ukraine should be supported through military intervention.

An anonymous student states, “I think that we should help Ukraine out. We should make Russia turn around, that’s the goal. Make sure we defend Ukraine at all costs. We cannot have Russia take Ukraine.” The student states a possible plan of action moving forward, “If we can get England and Paris to send their troops to Ukraine, we can defend the cities and keep Russia out.”

Freshman Bruno Massaro says, “Now that the United States is getting more involved with the battle between Ukraine and Russia, they should take an approach that supports and helps the innocent. Actions that won’t drag this war any further than it already has come.” Bruno spoke about the negative results of war saying, “War is a horrifying thing, something these people should not be experiencing. Death, losses, tragedy, sadness. Everything that, from the children, to the adults and elderly from Ukraine should not be going through.”

Sophomore John Thompson says, “I think we should help them [Ukraine] at least. I don’t think it’s right for them [Russia] to take over.”

An anonymous student states, “The situation is not good. Unless we step in, it’s not getting any better.”

Junior Holden Buckley says, “It doesn’t seem right to just sit there and let them [Ukraine] get taken.” Holden proceeded to speak about the potential future of Russia and NATO. “Russia’s been going at this for a while. At a certain point, they’re going to go after NATO countries, and we’re going to have to do something about it, but I’m not sure if now is the time.” Holden finished by saying, ” I think we should continue having strong sanctions on Russia.”

Several students condemn the attacks made by Russia.

Freshman Lucien Delaney says, “I think that what Russia did is unacceptable when they bombed that kindergarten. Someone should step in.”

Senior Aidan Muldoon says, “Obviously, Russia is unjustified. It’s surprising that they’re moving towards Kyiv. That was a little bit of a plot twist.”

Freshman Jack Daley says, “I think that the way that Russia is handling the situation, the way that they’re taking the votes and attacking them [Ukraine] in general, is way too much. If they really wanted to take control of Ukraine, they should try to make a diplomatic treaty.”

An anonymous student had a lot to say, “I can understand Russia’s want to take Ukraine. From a political, economic, and logistical position I get it. They need the resources; they need the agricultural strength that it gives them to support their nation. It also draws a line in the sand and says, ‘NATO will not move past this point.'” The student continued, “But it’s also kind of stupid. We live in an age where mutually assured destruction governs global politics; I don’t see the point. I can understand why, but they’re basically just defecating on a bunch of poor farmers who didn’t want anything to do with it, and launching missiles at them, which seems a little uncool. And then they’re rolling up with tanks and stuff trying to overthrow the government, which only serves to make a political statement, which is kind of dumb, because at the end of the day, if they take Ukraine, they’re getting all their other essentials blocked because one-third of their trade has already been embargoed by NATO. So, they’ve lost all the resources that they want to take.” The student wrapped up saying. “What’s the point? It’s stupid.”

Junior Brendan Peary says, “I think that at this point, Russia is impeding on Ukrainian sovereignty. For any country to do that to any country is unacceptable.”

Some students believe that Ukraine does not have a fighting chance against Russia.

Senior Marcelo Burno says, “I think that Ukraine can’t really hold forces against Russia, which is practically a war machine at this point.” Marcelo spoke about his predictions saying, “I think what is going to happen is that Russia is going to occupy Ukraine for a long amount of time just has it has Crimea. I don’t think NATO’s going to do too much to help it [Ukraine].”

Senior Alex Sauer says, “Godspeed. They can hold out for a little bit and try to demoralize the Russian army or the Russian people at home. I know that there’s a lot of protests going on currently. So, if there’s enough casualties, and morale drops low enough, Russia might have to pull out.” Alex continued to say, “Honestly, they [Ukraine] are probably going to get taken over, and Putin’s probably going to install a puppet.”

An anonymous student states, “It’s going to be a one-sided war. It’s probably going to end in a month because Russia’s military forces are about three times the size of Ukraine itself.”

Junior Will Dupree says, “Ukraine is done. That’s about it.”

An anonymous student states, “I think Americans should not get involved because it would just be the start of World War III.”

Junior Paul Thiel says, “Wasn’t this a thing four years ago. I distinctly remember on the news they were worried about Russia invading Ukraine. This is years ago though; I don’t remember how long ago. It’s kind of weird that it finally happened.”

Many students expressed their concerns for the Ukrainian people.

An anonymous student says, “It’s a bad situation in Ukraine. It’s worrying, troublesome, it’s moving fast.”

Freshman Joshua Raj says, “I feel bad for everyone there now. I believe our prayers should go out to the people in Ukraine because they are leaving in mass trains to escape their current situation.”

Students also expressed their optimistic hopes for the future of Ukraine.

Sophomore Bobby Zdrojeski says “It seems really bad. If I was in their shoes, I’d be really worried. I know a few friends of mine that have distant relatives in Ukraine, and I hope they get back safely.”

Sophomore Raekwon Shabazz says, “In Ukraine, it’s crazy. We just need to find peace. We’re all living in the same world.” Raekwon created an analogy to describe the situation, “It’s like this: we’re living in the same building but split into two floors. I feel like we should just come together and try to understand each other instead of fighting in this war. We need to fine peace.”

An anonymous student states, “I hope that everyone stops fighting, to be honest.”

Mr. Guyon says, “I hope and pray that it could be solved without further loss of life, and I hope that we do not have to get involved militarily. I hope that Eastern Europe calms down.”

The war in Ukraine has caused many opinions to be expressed. While some students may be right in that Ukraine has little chance of victory, it is always good to keep an optimistic outlook. Similar to what Mr. Guyon said, ideally, there should be no more loss of life. As the situation unfolds, it is important to monitor the situation closely and stay up to date with the hope that the situation can be handled peacefully.