Ukraine has lessons for beating bullies

Domestically, lawsuits are democratic advocates’ armed drones

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds more cards than the U.S. president thinks. (White House photo)

Authoritarian bullies aim to maintain an atmosphere of invincibility and inevitability. Bombarding their victims from many angles, they seek to depress, paralyze, and stun their opponents. But what if the opponents go on offense?

That is precisely what Ukraine did in its masterful drone attack deep inside Russia. “For months, even as its forces were losing ground on the battlefield at home, the Ukrainian military was planning a stunning assault deep in Russian soil,” the New York Times reported. “On Sunday, remotely operated Ukrainian drones emerged from hiding inside Russia and began wreaking damage. When they were done, at least a dozen military aircraft lay in ruins.”

Russia’s assumption it could wage war without domestic damage similarly went up in smoke. “The attack, known as Operation Spider’s Web, hurt Moscow’s prized strategic capabilities,” the Times explained. “But just as significantly, it demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to strike nearly anywhere in Russia, and to destroy warplanes costing $100 million or more with drones with price tags as low as $600, according to one U.S. defense official.” Ukraine got a boost in morale; Russia’s confidence it could simply grind Ukraine into the dusk took a hit; and Vladimir Putin’s sidekick, Donald Trump, discovered Ukraine actually does have some cards.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took a well-earned victory lap, stressing his country’s resilience and ingenuity. “A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation,” he said, as reported in The Hill. In case Putin poodle Trump did not get the message, Zelensky added, “A result achieved solely by Ukraine.”

The David-and-Goliath analogy fits when an underdog can pick up a modest-sized weapon and, with skill and some daring, “deliver precision strikes at ever greater distances, even if their systems are not incredibly sophisticated,” as Michael C. Horowitz of the Council on Foreign Relations explained. Moreover, Ukraine quickly followed with an assault on the “symbolic Crimean Bridge across the Kerch Strait, which connects the illegally annexed peninsula to the Russian mainland.” The effort to keep Russia off balance is ongoing.

The effects on the psyche and morale of each side can be profound. “Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion more than three years ago, Russians have grown accustomed to viewing the war as something that is taking place far away,” David Kirichenko of the Atlantic Council wrote. “That sense of security has now been shattered.” Putin must now divert resources and worry about the entirety of Russian security. (“The consequences of this are potentially far-reaching. Russia must now increase security at every single military base, military-industrial site, command center, and transport hub throughout the country.”) The impact of successful asymmetrical warfare—e.g., demoralizing the other side, sowing confusion and paranoia, buying time while allies (Europe) can bolster a conventional arsenal, strengthening domestic political support—cannot be overstated. Most important, scoring military victories (with the potential for more) can significantly shift leverage at the negotiating table, where Putin (egged on by Trump) has had no reason to back away from his maximalist demands. (Frankly, if Trump understood the intersection of hard and soft power, he would be aiding Ukraine to force Putin into a negotiating posture that might actually lead to a ceasefire.)

Beyond battlefield strikes, there might be lessons for the MAGA era from this episode that can be applied in the domestic and legal context. After all, Trump’s dictatorial ambitions, assumption of invincibility, and staff of dunces are not so different from Putin’s corrupt regime that depends on threats, disinformation, and state violence to maintain power.

What are those lessons?

• Make the other side pay a price for its continued aggression (e.g., force Republicans to take hard votes; exploit their inane comments).

• Puncture the complacency and over-confidence MAGA Republicans exhibit. (Note that, even in Texas, GOP overreach can trigger a backlash sufficient to stymie a radical agenda.)

• Use what tools you have to punch holes in Trump’s aura of invincibility (e.g., the courts, public protest).

• Patience is essential to plan and execute long-range strategies. Drawing out fights allows pressure to mount on Republicans and creates opportunities for unforced errors.

In the domestic arena, legal missiles have been the weapon of choice in targeting Trump and his lawless regime. Increasingly, Trump litigants are going on offense.

Miles Taylor, who has been criminally targeted, has demanded two inspectors general investigate his persecutors; Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has sued interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba and Homeland Security’s Ricky J. Patel for defamation and constitutional violations for alleged false arrest and prosecution. Taylor’s and Baraka’s maneuvers might not succeed in delivering the concrete results they want, but the demonstration of resilience and the effort to put Trump on defense are effective in the long fight against authoritarians.

Meanwhile, Democratic attorneys general have had real wins (e.g., attacking impoundment of funds, birthright citizenship revocation) and are vowing to continue their barrage of suits against the Trump regime. NBC News reported that “even as the initial rapid-fire onslaught of executive actions has slowed, [Democratic state attorneys general] are vowing to keep up their aggressive—and coordinated—posture in the courts.” That means taking the fight to Trump on “bolstering consumer protections, combating what they see as Trump's weaponization of the federal government and stymying the administration's immigration policies.”

Whether it is these litigants or Harvard, plucky law firms or labor unions, the concept is the same: Instigate suits against the behemoth Trump “Justice” Department. Not all the legal missiles will land on target, but enough will knock holes in Trump’s legal armor to rattle MAGA Republicans, bolster elected Democrats, and dispel lingering paralysis and defeatism out in the country. Democratic forces here can gain inspiration from Ukraine: The best response to bullies is a smack in the face.

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