I see this as a defining moment of our times. Ukraine is literally fighting for their countries survival against an opponent they cannot beat in a conventional sense. The world sits and does nothing. Scared of the implications of war with Russia. Don't think that Russia doesn't see this. The West called their bluff only to find they weren't bluffing. Once they take Ukraine, they will put in a pro-Russia administration who will then ask to become part of Russia again. Russia will magnanimously accept them back into the fold. A few years from now, they will do this again, and then rinse repeat.
The parallels with 1936 - 1940 are astounding. Truly history repeating itself. Hitler did the same things. He reassured the surrounding countries that they had nothing to fear as he broke the treaty of Versailles. Then when Austria would not willingly become a part of Germany, he moved his Army in putting his own people in place, then had a referendum where Austria (agreed) to become part of Germany. Again he reassured the World that everything was fine. He knew that Europe and the US were weary from WW1 and would do nothing that might start another war. Thus there was a period of appeasement, where Countries held off engaging in any defiance of Hitler as he continued to annex countries he felt were "German".
Hitler threatened war over the issue of annexing Sudetenland. In September 1938 the British, Italian, French and German leaders met in Munich to discuss the issue.
The Allies agreed to concede the Sudetenland ( Czechoslovakia) to Germany in exchange for a pledge of peace.
Less than half a year after it was signed, Germany broke the Munich Pact. Germany invaded the Czech provinces of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939.
Despite breaking the pact, there was again no response from the "Allies".
I bring all this up because what led up to WW2 and how far the World allowed Hitler to go before they acted, might have cost more lives in the long term. The policy of appeasement that Europe and the USA had at the time did not work. It will not work this time either.
Here is a statement from the Auschwitz Memorial:
“As we stand at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, it is impossible to remain silent while, once again, innocent people are being killed purely because of insane pseudo-imperial megalomania.
“We express our absolute solidarity with the citizens and residents of the free, independent, and sovereign Ukraine and with all Russians who have the courage to oppose this war.
“At this moment, the free and democratic world must show it has learned its lesson from the passivity of the 1930s. Today, it is clear that any symptom of indifference is a sign of complicity.�