History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes

Ukrainians defy the latest czar
to think the ruthless get to rule the world.
Misunderstanding who these people are;
their blue and yellow banner streams, unfurled.
A charismatic president who'll fight
when Dugin swore he'd hasten to retreat
inspires discussion of ultimate right
and if the Kremlin's facing a defeat.
Like Spanish communists, four lifetimes back
this anti-fascist fight draws volunteers
who see the global threat in this attack
on all that our democracies hold dear.
Reprising blunders empires made before,
now, Putin stands to lose more than a war.