Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has weighed in on the ethical considerations surrounding conflicts, particularly in the context of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Buterin argues that the actions of the Ukrainian government in 2014-15 do not justify the scale of the 2022 attack, emphasizing that the threshold for invading a country is extremely high and requires substantial local support, which he believes was not present. Buterin also highlights the actions of Russian forces, such as the incidents in Mariupol, Bucha, and Kherson, as inconsistent with the behavior of a liberator. He stresses the importance of ethical considerations in conflicts, viewing them as a crucial part of humanity's evolved coordination mechanisms that can resist and even unseat strong leaders when necessary. In a decade marked by great powers exerting dominance, Buterin underscores the need for ethical frameworks to navigate these challenges.