To the editor:

Generals and politicians said the enemy was defeated. In a surprise move, the beleaguered country, with deliberate care and innovative planning, managed a stunning move, hitting multiple sites at once, shifting public perception of their imminent demise. No, this isn’t the 1968 Tet Offensive in which North Vietnam and the Viet Cong struck multiple targets across South Vietnam, but Ukraine’s recent master stroke of attacking Russian airfields with drones.

Like North Vietnam in that earlier war, Ukraine has constantly employed new tactics to offset Russia’s numerical superiority (Russian ineptness, especially in the opening days of the war, certainly didn’t help). Ukraine’s audacity should be a sign to the U.S. leaders who want to back away from supporting Ukraine (which, if done, would give tacit support to Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, who started this war).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is correct: Ukraine is not only fighting for its survival but for the survival of Europe. A revanchist Russia, aiming to reclaim past glory and world prestige, is a dangerous threat to us all. Make no mistake, the Cold War of old is over, but that doesn’t mean the Russian bear is asleep. The U.S. needs to decide who it supports and what is it willing to do to prevent this war from expanding and possibly becoming one in which American men and women are called to the colors. And if Russia should win, are we ready to wage Cold War II?

David L. Teska,

Lawrence