To the editor:

This is an open letter to Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

Last week was the 11th anniversary of Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, in which they managed to steal Crimea from its lawful inhabitants. It is also the third anniversary of the invasion which led to the current conflict, in which more than 700,000 innocent people have been murdered. Yes, they are innocent, even if they fought in the war, because they did not start the war. They did not want the war. They were just living their democratic lives. But because Vladimir Putin could not stand the thought of people living democratic lives so close to his luxurious palace — in a country in which he controls every word spoken in public, and every “election” the country has had in the past 25 years — he had to invade and take their land, murder them indiscriminately and even kidnap their children.

Up until this year, I was able to be proud of my country, the United States of America, which had supported our democratic allies in their fight against the Russian invaders. But suddenly we have switched sides. It’s as if we entered World War II on the side of the Nazis.

We are now officially implicated in the deaths of innocents, the destruction of a democratic country, and the evaporation of the rule of law, perhaps even the beginning of World War III in Europe. We have become pawns in Putin’s scheme to control as much of the world as he can. Well, he now has one more big landmass in his stable. He was aiming for the 233,062 square miles of Ukraine, but we have now just handed him the 3,809,525 square miles of the U.S.A. We are now officially part of the Axis of Evil.

It is too late to save our reputation and our moral standing, but it is not too late to save Ukraine’s sovereignty at the very least. Please, Congresswoman Stefanik, do something now. Insist that President Zelenskyy is brought to the negotiating table along with Trump and Putin. If nothing else, give Ukraine the dignity that we have now lost. You have been conflicted in your support of Ukraine, but please stand up now for your constituents who support democracy and individual freedoms for all.

Shir Filler

Bloomingdale