To the Editor:
Re “Putin Orders Forces Into Eastern Ukraine” (front page, Feb. 22):
President Vladimir Putin is relying on the thinnest of justifications to send troops into separatist-held eastern Ukraine and recognize the independence of those regions.
It is not exactly an invasion, but the beginning of the end for Ukraine. Mr. Putin took Crimea in 2014, and NATO did little. He is not bothered by sanctions, because he will not suffer. The Russian people will, but he will offer them the promise of ultimate victory and revenge against the West. He knows that NATO does not want to go to war, and America is hampered by isolationists weary from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I think that Mr. Putin will continue to chip away at Ukraine until there is nothing left, at which point he will install a puppet government. It is a different day, but similar to the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia in 1938. The question now should be what country or countries are next, because Mr. Putin will not stop until an armed response stops him.
George Magakis Jr.
Norristown, Pa.
To the Editor:
I wonder what Ukraine will look like after a Russian invasion. There will be an occupying force, an insurgency of some kind and a financially crippled country that has to be governed and its people fed. How does anyone, Russia included, profit from that?
Lawrence Weisman
Westport, Conn.
To the Editor:
President Vladimir Putin knows full well whom he is dealing with. He can handle the sanctions that are being imposed. The only meaningful sanction would be to remove Russia from the global financial system. Anything less would have little effect.
Paul Schoenbaum
Richmond, Va.
To the Editor:
If President Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine continues, we will see a grave humanitarian crisis — one that could fast grow into one of the worst in the world.
There are already nearly three million civilians needing humanitarian aid in eastern Ukraine because of the fighting with Russian-backed rebels since 2014. If Mr. Putin launches a large-scale invasion there will be displacement and hunger for potentially millions more civilians.
Refugees would flee to neighboring countries and need urgent food and shelter. Children will suffer the most in Ukraine should this war escalate. Deadly malnutrition could threaten infants if food shortages occur.
A war in Ukraine would also cost the Russian people as they have to bear the expense of the military. Every ruble going to Mr. Putin’s wars takes away from their society’s needs. The Russian people should demand that Mr. Putin pursue peace instead of war.
William Lambers
Cincinnati
The writer partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.”
To the Editor:
Re “As Russia Mulls Options, Ukraine’s Economy Reels” (news article, Feb. 19):
The expanding economic toll of Ukraine’s crisis is more insidious than reported, increasing the suffering of the neediest every day. Already adversely affected by Ukraine’s snarled Covid economy, they’ve been worse off since tensions began simmering on the borders last year.
Imagine what inflation feels like to the poorest pensioner living on $2.40 per day when utility prices are up by 20 to 30 percent and food items like sunflower oil and sugar are up by 57 and 61 percent. They’re left with a painful choice between food, medicine or heating during the harsh winter.
We see this among needy Jewish elderly and families we serve in more than 1,000 locations in Ukraine. For them, and millions of their poor neighbors, a quiet crisis is playing out between the headlines of diplomacy and escalation.
Whatever happens in the hours and days ahead, the poorest will still face an enduring battle for survival.
Ariel Zwang
New York
The writer is chief executive of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
‘You Will Be Missed, Jane Brody’: Fan Letters to a Health Columnist
To the Editor:
Re “Farewell, Readers. It’s Been a Notable Ride,” by Jane E. Brody (Personal Health column, Feb. 22):
I was fortunate enough to see Ms. Brody in person many years ago, at a corporate event where diversions for spouses were set up to keep them from being bored and angry. As a faithful reader of Ms. Brody’s columns, I considered it a rare treat to meet and chat with her. Her talk was as interesting and on the money as her weekly articles.
The Tuesday issue of The Times has always been special to me because of her wisdom and wonderful information about our health. We mourned with her when she lost her husband several years ago.
While we are sorry to see Ms. Brody leave, we wish her well for the future, and hope that she will be comforted in knowing that she has contributed to making our lives better through her advice on health.
Vivian Glassman
Boynton Beach, Fla.
To the Editor:
I read with great sadness Jane E. Brody’s column “Farewell, Readers. It’s Been a Notable Ride.” My reaction was not rooted in the obvious fact that her decades-long advice to readers of The Times, particularly seniors, is at an end. No, I am sad at what this represents for those of us past retirement age who continue to do the work we care passionately about.
I am 74, and left my college teaching career when I was 61 to pursue a new passion of mine, preserving the stories of members of the World War II generation.
Yes, I regret the fact that I will no longer read Ms. Brody’s columns. What saddens me most, however, is that I will no longer see regularly the example she set, even at age 80, of working past the traditional “retirement” years on something that is meaningful to ourselves and others. You will be missed, Jane Brody, for more than one reason.
Linda Dudik
San Marcos, Calif.
The Overlooked Translator of Ferrante’s ‘Lost Daughter’
To the Editor:
Re “Translator Makes a Plea for Credit” (Arts, Feb. 14), about Jennifer Croft’s translation of a Polish novel:
I am one of those people who stay at a film until the last credits roll, and I was disappointed that the acknowledgments closing out “The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel, did not include Ann Goldstein, who translated the book from Italian into English.
Ms. Gyllenhaal has herself been likened to a translator — for adapting a book into a film — and she made her main character a translator, but she overlooks the actual translator, without whom the film would not have been possible. Some of the most memorable lines in the film were taken verbatim from the English translation.
If Ms. Gyllenhaal wins the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, she should thank Ann Goldstein. She should thank her anyway. (Full disclosure: I saw the movie with Ann, my former boss and my brilliant friend, and she was not in the least surprised to have been left out.)
Mary Norris
New York
The writer was a senior copy editor at The New Yorker, and Ms. Goldstein formerly headed its copy desk.
A Tribute to Truckers
To the Editor:
Re “Why America Doesn’t Have Enough Truck Drivers” (Business, Feb. 10):
Thanks so much for the article about the challenges of long-haul truck driving. We rely on those drivers for almost everything we buy, without realizing the personal and professional hardships they face doing a vital job that few of us would want or have the patience and fortitude to endure.
The next time I’m on an Interstate highway, I will silently thank them. And like Stephen Graves, whom you profile, and me, one of those lonely drivers may be another fan of Brahms.
Patricia Butler
Boulder, Colo.
