I’ll admit the headline is inflammatory. It’s also incorrect in its assumption that you have an excuse. You shouldn’t. Threats to democracy have recently resurfaced in Ukraine and Kazakhstan as they face mass protests and sovereignty infringement from Russia. A major link between these countries is that they’re former republics of the Soviet Union.

While the hammer and sickle flag came down on Dec. 25, 1991, the Soviet Union never went away. At least, not its expansionist ideology. Post-Soviet fever is why we have Russian president Vladimir Putin making the claim “Russia’s borders do not end anywhere” at a children’s geography competition. While he later added it was a joke, it’s safe to say the Russo-Ukrainian war is no laughing matter.

Nearly 14,000 people have died since it began in 2014 and more than a million have been displaced. Now, as the conflict nears its eight-year anniversary, tensions between the two countries have reached new heights. Russia has launched cyber-attacks on Ukrainian government websites, massed 127,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders and, according to U.S. intelligence, is planning a false-flag operation in the separatist-held southeastern region of Donbass to create pretext for an invasion.

If that’s not enough reason to pay attention to Ukraine, I don’t know what is.

Despite these high-stakes, President Biden referred to a potential invasion as a “minor incursion.” The U.S. intends to retain its pro-Ukraine position by sending the country more military aid, threatening to impose economic sanctions on Russia and restricting export. The Pentagon has also put 8,500 troops on high-alert for potential deployment to Eastern Europe.

One way to permanently protect Ukraine’s sovereignty from Russian aggression is for the country to join the Western military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Of course, Ukraine’s potential NATO membership is exactly what Russia has threatened to invade over and why current tensions are boiling over. NATO’s collective defense policy ensures its 30 member states would come to Ukraine’s aid if its territory were infringed, but Ukraine needs to fend-off an invasion alone before it can obtain this protection.

That’s the paradox of this situation, yet it’s one we should solve instead of wasting time on whataboutisms and posturing. Oppressive regimes are on the rise, and five out of fifteen post-Soviet states have already received “Authoritarian” ratings on the democracy index. Western Allies can’t afford to concede to Russia’s threats and lose another independent nation because authoritarian leaders everywhere are watching and waiting to see what they, too, can get away with.

Because of this, Ukraine’s problem isn’t just a European issue. It’s a global one where lives and democracy are on the line, so please start paying attention to it.