There’s an image I can’t shake: A 13-year-old girl clings to the railing of the hospital ship Moero, fleeing the carnage of war gripping her home country of Estonia. The year is 1944. The Soviets have mined the harbor in Tallinn, and the ship groans under the weight of desperate refugees escaping the clash between Hitler and Stalin.
After a harrowing voyage, the ship reaches safety. But soon after, on its next journey, the Moero is struck by Soviet torpedoes and sinks, taking some 2,700 souls with it.
Against all odds, that refugee girl survived. At 18, she arrived at Ellis Island after spending five years in a Displaced Persons camp in post-war Germany. She and her family eventually built a new life in the foothills of western North Carolina, where she married and had four sons. I am the youngest.
The image of the desperate girl on the ship comes rushing back to me each February 24, when the news is filled with remembrances of the start of the war in Ukraine. Seeing the plight of the Ukrainian refugees brings back painful memories for those who experienced similar horrors in wars past and for those of us who were raised hearing those stories.
That same date holds a very different meaning for Estonia: it is the country’s Independence Day, the anniversary of its 1918 Declaration of Independence from Russia. Though Estonia remained free for more than two decades, World War II brought devastation. First occupied by the Soviets, then by Nazi Ger-many, and then forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union again in 1944, Estonia en-dured nearly 50 years of oppression before reclaiming its independence in 1991.
Two nations. One date. Two vastly different realities.
For Ukraine, February 24 marks the anniversary of an unprovoked invasion by Russia—a brutal attempt to erase a sovereign nation. For Estonia, it is a day of celebration, a reminder of its hard-won freedom. This stark contrast—one country fighting for its survival, another thriving as a democratic success story—underscores a critical truth: Freedom is never guaranteed, and history warns us what happens when aggressors go unchallenged.
Both nations bear the scars of Russian imperialism. Estonia lost nearly ten percent of its population to Soviet purges and deportations, while Ukraine endured the Holodomor, Stalin’s man-made famine that starved over three million people. These are not distant tragedies—they are stark warnings for today.
Estonia has emerged as one of the most successful post-Soviet nations, thriving as a beacon of democracy and innovation. With its advanced digital society, low corruption, and top-ranked education system, it stands firm in defending democracy, showcasing the enduring spirit of a nation that knows the price of freedom. Ukraine was headed in that same direction until it was brutally attacked.
The Cold War lasted 45 years and was ultimately won without direct military conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. That victory led to the liberation of over 100 million people across Eastern and Central Europe. Today, those nations, once under Soviet rule, have grown to a combined population of about 120 million. They have embraced democracy, strengthened economies, and joined alliances that safeguard their security—proof that standing up to authoritarianism can lead to lasting freedom.
But why should this matter to the United States? Because history has shown that unchecked aggression does not stop at one border. If Russia succeeds in Ukraine, it and other authoritarian regimes will be emboldened, from Beijing to Tehran, to test the resolve of democratic nations. NATO’s strength—built on the idea that an attack on one is an attack on all—has helped maintain global stability for decades. If we waver in our support for Ukraine, we risk signaling to adversaries that the U.S. no longer stands by its commitments. The cost could be far greater than we imagine if we fail to stand firm.
That is why it is both shocking and deeply disappointing to see the United States weaken its commitment to Ukraine. Instead of standing resolutely behind a fellow democracy fighting for its survival, we see troubling signals of prioritizing appeasement over strength. Cozying up to Vladimir Putin — an authoritarian leader who murders or jails opponents, silences the press, and wages wars of aggression—undermines not only Ukraine but the very values America has long championed. This is not just a betrayal of Ukraine; it is a betrayal of the world order that the U.S. helped build and has defended for decades.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is not just a regional conflict; it is a direct challenge to the principles of sovereignty, democracy, and international order. Vladimir Putin, an unelected autocrat who clings to power through repression, is the true dictator—not Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was democratically elected by his people. We must not allow the world to be misled by false equivalences, nor should the United States hesitate in supporting those who fight for freedom.
This week, as Estonians celebrate their independence, we must remember that freedom is never self-sustaining—it is preserved through resolve. The same forces that once sought to crush Estonia’s sovereignty are now attempting to erase Ukraine’s. If the free world falters now, we risk not just Ukraine’s future but our own.
Tommy Luckadoo
Estonia’s Honorary Consul
in North Carolina
Winter War Lessons