Currently there are numerous "just wars" being waged and "unjust wars" being endured in the world every day; those that are tribal [e.g. in Africa South America] with a smaller scale with lesser death tolls do not make them less important in deliberating a Christian response as to whether one actively defends one or supports the others, promotes physical action or spiritual. The massive scale of war [in Ukraine] by quoted numbers of people alone seems to provoke our nation to ponder its role in response; and putting aside the majority of the world media 'spin' which advocates [i.e. pushes] for siding with Ukraine, Jesus values the fewer dozens of lives unjustly lost in tribal "war" fought in jungles in the river regions of the Congo or Amazon, just as much as He does innocent deaths of Ukrainians and many innocent [forcefully] conscripted Russian troops. In fact literal tribal war is still being fought in Afghanistan and amongst tribes in Iraq; innocents are still dying.

In modern America we pick and choose our wars based on our 'national security' [at least we hope so] and not so much with a prayerful consideration of 'just war'. US war participation now is distinctly without the weight of an Augustin influencing a Boniface, and certainly that type of weighty spiritual influence in the waging of war is more often manifested by local missionaries in the smaller less-political, and less-complicated wars.
I'm grateful for our churches response to care for refugees and other innocents affected by war, but believe we in the LCMS should be less inclined to definitively judge and determine just and unjust sides, especially in Ukraine when we in the US lack clarity of all historical and cultural context of that region in the world and cannot rightly sift through all the political motives or media-spun narratives. I'm also less inclined to apply a 'render to Caesar what is Caesars' axiom to our nation's wars fought today, and our Church's response to it with simple allegiance to it and the 4th commandment - lest we unwittingly side with nationalism instead of Christ first.
The Church sides with Jesus first, who will never diminish His love for all people seeking justice amidst every war, despite how small the scale may be in comparison to the one in Ukraine and despite how American politicians may ignore the 'small' wars where unjustly lives are lost [i.e. murdered].

If it is the increased death toll numbers alone that seem to determine today's Church response to war... her attention, physical action, and spiritual response ought be in the greatest current "war" of our time, against the innocents in the womb, where tens of millions of non-combatant lives in the US, and hundreds upon hundreds of millions of non-combatant lives throughout the world have been murdered under unjust government policy.

This war against the Innocents is easier to determine the right and wrong participants and sides. It's easier to sift through the media spin and narrative regarding this war, because principle truth from the Word of God is easily applied. This war is where the Church Militant ought enter more vigorously and with clearer conscience amongst its members. As unjust war combatants threaten lives of SCOTUS justices, and pro-Life advocates, even firebombing pro-Life offices, we ought say, 'Yes!' to marches, prayers, peaceful protests, communications to 'left' kingdom representatives, and to more vocally say 'Here we stand!, especially for the Life in Christ to be extended toward babies [even physically in front of murder 'clinics'].
The war in Ukraine has been made to be 'important' because of its large scale, and the media and some politicians say so; so we in the LCMS grapple with it - even to dedicate a response to it in our denominational publication. It's legitimate to respond because our church members wonder about it, are stirred by "news" of it, and seek to know better how to respond individually, as Christians should. So, now we have. Truly, I’m thankful for Fr. Shaw, Fr. Hokana, et al. for their current perspectives and insights.

Now I pray our church members do not enter into knee-jerk reactions to that ‘war’, similar as in the Northwest, southern Minnesota, Texas, etc., where other ‘wars’ are ‘fought’ by church leaders inciting action for 'justice'; some of them adding the adjectives 'social' and 'racial', as if it makes the cause for 'justice' more just. In those places, more and more time, energy, and finances are spent by our churches to placate standard-bearers of Critical Race Theory, LGBTQIA+ agendas, apologizing for 'White Privilege' even with denominational initiatives [e.g. “Lutherans for Racial Justice’, district tool kits for "Speaking... [to] Racism"], rather than to lead the Church Militant as the Lord of Heaven’s Hosts has and would with His priorities, as He clearly communicates them in Scripture.

Let us as a Christ’s Church on earth war the good war of faith; let's storm Hell’s Gates that can’t withstand His “just war” to set [POW] captives free. He who holds the field for us is Christ’s Victor, and all who follow Him are more than victors. Amen.