Simplifying the current war in Ukraine as either a battle between western democratic values and post-Soviet imperial aspirations or neo-fascist political movements and struggles for national liberation, does not further an understanding of the root causes of this war. While all of these tendencies and histories are present in the current conflict, it is only through a thorough exploration of their complex inter-relation that we can find a resolution. As in all conflicts, the war in Ukraine has been highlighted by black and white moments of right and wrong, but is defined by a confusing and overwhelming grey. More than 4,300 people have died in fighting since the conflict began, and unfortunately, everything is much less clear than when I first arrived in Kiev a little less than a year ago. The only clarity I’ve found is civilians always pay for the decisions of men with guns, and it in those moments never matters which side you support.