I started yesterday reposting to my photography-centric Instagram account (@darkroomdetritus) a link to a blog post and photos from a rally I attended at the Minnesota State Capital on March 6, 2022. The rally’s theme? Unequivocal support for Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia roughly 10 days earlier.
As (hopefully) all of you know, yesterday, February 24, 2025, marked the three-year “anniversary” of that invasion. My, how things have changed. Ukraine continues its brave fight for sovereignty and democratic existence, while our recently-inaugurated “leadership” (at least one of them unelected) blatantly display their own greed and authoritarian desires while feigning strength with chest-thumping (and chainsaw slinging) pubescent bloviating and Nazi salutes.
We know Ukraine’s journey: after defending its capital city, Kiev, from Russia’s initial rapid push (they thought they would conquer the country in days), and after retaking a significant amount of territory roughly a year into the war, and after continuing to inflict an incredible toll on the Russian military, Ukraine’s forces are slowly losing ground. Russian President Vladimir Putin is simply using his largest resource—conscripts—to take massive casualties but slowly wear down the more skilled military of the less-populated Ukraine.
We know our journey, too. While there were debates about how deadly the weapons we supplied should be, our support was unquestioned by the vast majority—and, most importantly, the then-President and administration. Then we had an election in late 2024, and the candidate who was impeached while in office the first time for trying to extort the Ukrainian government won another term. That candidate (now President) also had an infatuation with Putin during his first term (and the years since). After a closed-door meeting with Putin in 2018, he chose to ignore his own security experts and believe the authoritarian. And now, barely a month into his second term, after a phone call with Putin, chose to spout almost to the word the Russian propaganda justifying the war—even blaming Ukraine as the aggressor.
As yesterday wound down, the UN—including the US’s European NATO allies—voted to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The US voted against that resolution, siding with Russia, North Korea and Iran.
Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a disgusting and transparent turn, no matter your “politics.”
—all photos ©MikeMitchelson