Dear President Putin:

You decided to attack the Ukraine with 175,000 troops and an armada of tanks and artillery batteries. Additionally, the Russian air force and navy have launched cruise missiles into areas populated by civilians. Your tactics have been ruthless and classified as crimes against humanity.

Many people around the world are wondering why you were so determined to attack your neighbor and former SSR. After all, there were many pro-Russian supporters in Ukraine prior to the commencement of hostilities.

Early man resorted to violence as part of his search for food, water and shelter. Prehistoric people were always looking for more fertile places to grow food and raise animals. When circumstances made it difficult to live, early man resorted to violence to fulfill his needs that might include land and natural resources.

As man evolved, warfare was commonplace among contiguous tribal groups who like their ancestors were constantly looking for places to find food and shelter for their families. Often, skirmishes and squabbles occurred when the needs were great, and the survival of the tribe was at stake.

Eventually, man invented weapons to do battle. This resulted in bloody confrontations for land and food sources. The strongest overwhelmed the weakest.

And finally, war erupted for political reasons and for access to natural resources that translated into wealth and prosperity.

There have been epic battles between neighbors over the years. During the 20th century, the scope of warfare increased exponentially as weaponry became more advanced. Wars broke out between people that were located around the world from each other.

During World War I, Germany tried to engulf the European continent. Sovereign states were invaded, and new and nefarious political systems were foisted onto defeated countries. During World War II, the stakes became greater as planes could fly hundreds and thousands of miles to drop bombs with devastating results. Innocent people were dying because of political ambitions. And finally, the US dropped nuclear weapons on Japan effectively ending the Japanese efforts to control Asia. Thousands of civilians died. This is a testament to the existential threat that nuclear weapons pose to civilization.

Today, most fighting involves terrorism, religion and political manipulation. Sunnis fight against Shia in the Middle East. Protestants fight against Catholics in Ireland. Tribes and African countries attack and slaughter each other because of hate and bigotry. Sometimes, countries are broken up to accommodate historically old feuds, like the Balkans.

But mostly, civilized countries do not start wars unless another a group is violating human rights, terrorizing others and/or committing genocide.

Mr. Putin, why are you your soldiers dying in Ukraine? What do you want? Is it your dream to reestablish a new Soviet Union? About the only thing Ukraine has of value is access to the ocean in Crimea. Surely, Russia’s access to water, for commercial and military reasons, cannot be an issue. So, why hurt so many innocent people?

You say Ukraine is a threat to Russia. In what way? Surely, if NATO tanks populated the Ukraine which abuts Russia, it would not be a problem. You could easily obliterate whole armies with nuclear weapons. What’s your concern?

You say that countries should be formed based upon ethnic demographics. You might not agree, but the US and its melting pot citizenry are living proof that countries need not be of one race, religion or tribe to live peacefully and be great.

Are you attacking Ukraine for sport? Killing thousands and forcing three million plus people from their homes is not is not a legitimate pastime. You didn’t expect such amazing resistance from Ukrainians. They are fighting for freedom and their families. It’s no wonder that they are killing hundreds of tanks and thousands of Russian soldiers and making your adventure into Ukraine seem so utterly nonsensical.

Frankly, Mr. Putin, you underestimated many things. Besides the determination of the Ukrainians, you significantly misread the reaction of the West. Now the largest and most prosperous countries in the world are lining up to help Ukraine militarily and effectively bankrupt Russia. Your people are now suffering losses, inflation, food shortages, etc.

Many experts are predicting that Russia’s power and influence will be seriously diminished when all is said and done. You still have nuclear weapons, but that’s it. Even your oil and gas resources will decline in value as fossil fuels are used less in the future.

What’s next, Mr. Putin? Are you going to threaten the West with nuclear weapons like rogue countries such as Iran and North Korea? Do you want to be among these Godforsaken countries?

You will be long gone before Russia regains what it lost with this invasion of Ukraine. Look at photos of the damage and devastation your soldiers are causing. Look at pictures of women and children struggling to survive. Prove you have a soul and make peace.