Unify Ukraine campaign

Here’s how Ukraine’s National Day of Unity looked different this year.

Ukrainians displaced by Russian invasion spent their National Day of Unity away from their homeland.

Ashley Zlatopolsky, writing for the Unify Ukraine Campaign.

#UnifyUkraine

Across Europe and around the world, memories of unity still exist for millions of Ukrainians separated from their homeland. Instead of celebrating a special day that’s known for unification together, millions of displaced Ukrainians recognized their National Day of Unity taking shelter in countries both near and far.

As neighboring Poland continues to welcome those displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, efforts are being made to #UnifyUkraine and stand with refugees, many of whom have spent more than 10 months away from their country, family members and friends.

As the one-year mark of the invasion approaches, it’s important for everyone to remember that the destruction is far from over. Bravely, Ukrainians continue to fight for their freedom every day.

On behalf of the Polish government, the #UnifyUkraine public service campaign aims to shed light on the ongoing Russian invasion and its devastating effects. Children traumatized by war and the loss of home need care, support and a safe space. Polish civilians are going into war-torn Ukraine to bring friends and family to safety, or offering their homes to shelter refugees who have none.

Such stories are more important than ever as Ukrainians celebrated their National Day of Unity on January 22, both at home in Ukraine and, for displaced Ukrainians, in temporary homes in countries worldwide that have provided shelter.

Here’s everything you need to know about Ukraine’s National Day of Unity, how Poland has helped Ukraine — and how you can, too, through the Unify Ukraine Campaign.

What is Ukraine’s National Day of Unity?

Ukraine’s National Day of Unity celebrates the unification of Eastern and Western Ukraine in 1919, following the end of World War I. Typically, celebrations feature carrying the national flag (which includes creating a human chain across bridges to symbolize national unity), concerts and other community events.

While the National Day of Unity isn’t a public holiday in Ukraine, it serves as an important and beloved day of observance that millions of Ukrainians have participated in for more than 100 years. That’s when eastern and western Ukraine, which previously belonged to different empires, were united.

Now, as the Russian invasion seeks to destroy that unity and take away land from Ukraine, the annual celebration takes on a new meaning.

How is Poland continuing to help Ukraine?

Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, it’s estimated that more than 8.3 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the Polish border. Just two weeks after the attacks began, more than 142,000 people crossed the Polish border on a single day — March 6, 2022.

Since the beginning of the conflict, refugees have received aid at the Polish border and throughout the country. Poland has provided food, shelter, medicine and jobs for Ukrainians who left with nothing.

Most recently, the European Union has given Poland 144.6 million euro to help it continue to support Ukrainian refugees displaced by the invasion.

Throughout the conflict, Poland has provided incredible support to Ukraine. It has become a frontline partner, humanitarian supplier and logistical hub for aiding Ukrainian refugees. Poland also remains second behind the U.S. in providing military support to Ukraine.

What is the Unify Ukraine Campaign?

On January 22, Americans were asked to stand with Ukraine on their National Day of Unity. The campaign asked supporters to post an image of a sunflower, which is Ukraine’s national flower, on social media using the hashtag #UnifyUkraine.

In New York City, a magnificent field of bright sunflowers cut through the winter chill in Flatiron Plaza for four days as hundreds of people visited the art installation, took photos and shared messages of hope on social media.

Through the campaign’s efforts, supporters are given a means to demand an end to the occupation so Ukraine can be united once more. By standing together, the goal is to generate awareness for peace.

From January 23, to February 10, the campaign will continue to share stories of survival of refugees who have found a temporary home in Poland, and the bravery of both Ukrainian and Polish people who risk their own safety to make sure Ukrainian friends and families are safe. The campaign seeks to raise greater awareness among Americans on the long-term impact of the invasion, and the cultural history that has fueled the conflict.

The campaign continues to seek partners who will help amplify the message of hope and the call to stand with Ukrainians in their fight for freedom.

How to get involved

Showing support on social media through the #UnifyUkraine movement is the most powerful way to let Ukrainians know they are not alone and we stand with them.

In Washington, D.C., an End the Occupation mobile truck installation featuring black sunflowers will be live and touring the city from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3. The route will pass landmarks such as the Russian embassy, Senate and House office buildings, U.S. Department of State and Embassy Row on Massachusetts Ave. A city-wide ad campaign will run through Feb. 10 to raise awareness for this important cause.

Supporters of Ukraine can also explore content related to the #UnifyUkraine movement as well as a list of nonprofit organizations they may choose to support by visiting UnifyUkraineCampaign.org.

Learn more about the #UnifyUkraine movement, visit facebook.com/unifyukraine or its Instagram at @unify_ukraine. 

Vladimir Putin is a morally corrupt and failed leader of a terrorist state, He will never recover.

Ukrainians to Putin’s evil empire: Hell No!

Ukrainians say "Hello No" to Vladimir Putin!

Vladimir Putin is an evil monster!

Some things we know. One is that Ukraine has come of age. Ukrainians do not want – will not accept – being some sort of sub-unit of Greater Moscow.  Echo opinion published in MinnPost news community voices, by Dick Virden.

Dick Verdin writing for the MinnPost independent journalism in Minnesota: MinnPost is a nonprofit news organization providing high quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

Watching Ukrainians bravely risk life and limb for their country, I’m reminded of what I saw during assignments as a diplomat in Poland and Romania. For more than four decades after World War II, those countries – and the others of Eastern Europe – were governed mainly by Soviet puppets. I recall friends tapping their shoulders to mock the epaulettes of collaborators playing for the other side.

These were oppressed lands then. Political rights were scant, and regime claims of a socialist paradise transparent nonsense. The government had long since lost the respect of the governed, what Chinese call the mandate of the people.

Years of non-violent but widespread and creative resistance finally paid off when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. General euphoria followed, in Poland, Romania and throughout the region. Free at last. The countries of the region made the most of the opportunity by undertaking the dramatic political and economic reforms required to earn membership in the European Union and NATO.

Ukrainians want to govern themselves!  Free the Ukraine.

Today, Ukrainians, like Poles and Romanians before them, are telling us in the sharpest possible terms that they, too, want to govern themselves, not with Moscow’s “help.”

Vladimir Putin does not "get it". Unlike his Nobel Prize winning predecessor, Mikhail Gorbachev, who concluded that holding the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe against their will was detrimental not only to them but to Moscow’s own hopes for peace and prosperity.

Putin has lost his stupid gamble to take the Ukraine.  In my opinion, I cannot understand how it is that Vladimir Putin is still alive.  

In effect, Putin is bent on reversing what some called the Sinatra Doctrine, Gorbachev’s bold decision to allow the Soviet Union’s “satellite” countries the freedom to “do it their way.” 

Moreover, Putin wants to go backwards, regain an empire, restore past glory, and match or outstrip the legendary deeds of Peter the Great.

Ukrainians are not buying it. They reject Putin’s ambition and are giving their all to frustrate his plan of conquest. They’ve put the lie to his claims of popular support for his invasion, or “special military operation” as he terms it. His referenda at the barrel of a gun are as laughable as they are tragic. No fair-minded person anywhere regards such charades as a legitimate expression of citizen will.

Still, while few believe Putin’s rhetoric, neither is it clear how Russia can be dislodged from territory taken by brute force at horrendous cost. We cannot know how many acts there are to this drama, nor how it ends. Any number of scenarios are plausible; none offers an easy way out. We would do well to remember Yogi Berra’s dictum against predicting the future … “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Some things we do know, however. One is that Ukraine has come of age. Ukrainians do not want – will not accept – being some sort of sub-unit of Greater Moscow. Putin bet otherwise and has lost his gamble. If there were any doubts about Ukraine being a real country, they disappeared as Ukrainians held off the invading Russian Army, then pushed it back. People uncertain of their nationality and their patriotism do not achieve such feats. Ukrainians will be free.

We also know that Putin’s professed aim of driving NATO away from Russia’s borders has backfired. In response to Putin’s aggression, Sweden and Finland decided to abandon neutrality and join the alliance. They’ll still be sitting right there on Russia’s doorstep however the Ukraine war ends. This is a major strategic setback for Russia, one it brought on itself. Putin also badly miscalculated Kiev’s resolve, the strength of the West’s response, and the prowess of his own military.

Rather than prove Russia is a great power, Putin has done the opposite, displaying the weakness of its army, its political system, and its principles. This is not a country others will willingly follow or strive to emulate. Putin’s Russia is a failed state.

We can hope that someday a new, better, Russia will emerge from the ashes of this disastrous war and become, not an empire, but a responsible member of the world community. There is much such a Russia might contribute. For now, however, Putin has made it a pariah.

Ukraine, by contrast, has won the world’s admiration and support. This can hardly be the result Mr. Putin had in mind when he launched hisbotched invasion back in February. Or, as the poet Robert Burns put it, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men…”

Dick Virden is a retired minister/counselor in the State Department Foreign Service. He is a graduate of St. John’s University and the National War College.

Futre leadership studies will include President Volodymry Zelensky

Why do we admire Volodymyr Zelensky? The question almost answers itself.

An inspiring echo opinion about the bravery we witness from Ukrainian President Zelensky, published in The New York Times by Bret Stephens.

Jewish history: In the famous narrative, young David slays Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior, using a round pebble he collected from a brook.

We admire him because, in the face of unequal odds, Ukraine’s president stands his ground. Because he proves the truth of the adage that one man with courage makes a majority. Because he shows that honor and love of country are virtues we forsake at our peril. Because he grasps the power of personal example and physical presence. Because he knows how words can inspire deeds — give shape and purpose to them — so that the deeds may, in turn, vindicate the meaning of words.

We admire Zelensky because he reminds us of how rare these traits have become among our own politicians. Zelensky was an actor who used his celebrity to become a statesman. Western politics is overrun by people who playact as statesmen so that they may ultimately become celebrities. Zelensky has made a point of telling Ukrainians the hard truth that the war is likely to get worse — and of telling off supposed well-wishers that their words are hollow and their support wanting. Our leaders mainly specialize in telling people what they want to hear.

We admire Zelensky because of who and what he faces. Vladimir Putin represents neither a nation nor a cause, only a totalitarian ethos. The Russian dictator stands for the idea that truth exists to serve power, not the other way around, and that politics is in the business of manufacturing propaganda for those who will swallow it and imposing terror on those who will not. Ultimately, the aim of this idea isn’t the mere acquisition of power or territory. It’s the eradication of conscience.

We admire Zelensky because he has restored the idea of the free world to its proper place. The free world isn’t a cultural expression, as in “the West”; or a security concept, as in NATO; or an economic description, as in “the developed world.” Membership in the free world belongs to any country that subscribes to the notion that the power of the state exists first and foremost to protect the rights of the individual. And the responsibility of the free world is to aid and champion any of its members menaced by invasion and tyranny. 

As it goes for Ukraine, so, eventually, it will go for the rest of us.

We admire Zelensky because he embodies two great Jewish archetypes: David in the face of Goliath and Moses in the face of Pharoah. He is the canny underdog who, with skill and wits, makes up for what he lacks in fearsomeness and brawn. And he is the prophet who revolts against the diminishment and entrapment of his people — and determines to lead them through trials toward a political culture based on self-determination, freedom and ethics.

We admire Zelensky because he fights. Fighting is not supposed to be a virtue in civilized societies that value dialogue, diplomacy and compromise. But the world isn’t always civilized: There are things for which civilized persons and nations must be prepared to fight if they aren’t to perish. Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have reminded the rest of the free world that a liberal and democratic inheritance that is taken for granted by its citizens runs the risk of being taken at will by its enemies.

We admire Zelensky because he rouses the better angels of our nature. His leadership has made Joe Biden a better president, Germany a better country, NATO a better alliance. He has shaken much of the United States out of the isolationist stupor into which it was gradually falling. He has forced Europe’s political and mercantile classes to stop looking away from Russia’s descent into fascism. He reminds free societies that there can still be a vital center in politics, at least when it comes to things that matter.

We admire Zelensky because he maintains a sense of human proportion befitting a democratically elected leader. Note the contrast between his public encounters with journalists, cabinet members, foreign leaders and ordinary citizens, and the Stalinist antics of the Putin court. In the ostentatious trappings of Russian power we see the smallness of the man wielding it: the paranoia and insecurity of a despot who knows he may someday have to sell his kingdom for a horse.

We admire Zelensky because he models what a man should be: impressive without being imposing; confident without being cocksure; intelligent without pretending to be infallible; sincere rather than cynical; courageous not because he is fearless but because he advances with a clear conscience. American boys in particular, raised on preposterous notions of what manhood entails, should be steered toward his example.

For Ukrainians, sunflowers’ cultural significance goes beyond their prolific growth and role as an economic driver. As Olivia B. Waxman writes for Time, the flower has historically represented peace.

For Ukrainians, sunflowers’ cultural significance goes beyond their prolific growth and role as an economic driver. As Olivia B. Waxman writes for Time, the flower has historically represented peace.

We admire Zelensky because he holds out the hope that our own troubled democracies may yet elect leaders who can inspire, ennoble, even save us. Perhaps we can do so when the hour isn’t quite as late as it is now for the people of Ukraine and their indomitable leader.

Post Script:  Maine Writer- All leadership studies now taught in international forums and in academia must be amended to include a study to focus on Zelensky! 

Stupid former guy Trump is a Russian asset. Calling Putin "smart" is treason.

This series of opinion letters sent to the Register Guard's editor express the depth of grief, anger and anti Putin sentiment from readers in the Eugene area of Oregon: 

The Former Guy is bought and paid for with useless Russian junk currency.

Praising the war criminal Vladimir Putin is treason!

Reading that #TFG Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “genius” for his “savvy” moves in Ukraine raises profound questions. Is that kind of praise coming from a past and future wannabe president of the United States in the midst of a globally significant crisis tantamount to treason?

Shouldn’t we be more outraged that a foreign leader, in particular, a ruthless, totalitarian oligarch like Putin, is freely playing into our political divide? Surely, Putin is testing our resolve as we are his. Surely, he sees NATO’s expansion along his borders as a threat, as we do his Russian troops invasion into Ukraine. 

From Jack Cooper, Eugene

A more fitting comparison:  Putin has compared NATO’s eastward expansion to Germany’s invasion of the USSR during World War II. A more apt comparison would be his invasion of Ukraine to “protect” Russians in the Donbas with Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia to “protect” Germans in the Sudetenland.

Hitler’s Rise to Power Explains Why Republicans Accept Donald Trump- The Intelligencer

From Lawrence N. Crumb, Eugene

A depraved fan: It takes a depraved person to order the brutal invasion of Ukraine, which has already caused the loss of lives, massive destruction, economic devastation and untold suffering. 

That special depraved person is Vladimir Putin. And it takes another special depraved person to describe Putin's actions as "savvy," "smart" and the product of "genius." That special depraved person is The Former Guy "Donald Trump".

Trump's repetitive idolization of Putin and Russia is an insult to all who believe in the rule of law and democracy. The United States has been, and always will be, a force for democracy and a foe of totalitarian rule.

Be it Russia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and elsewhere, Trump will predictably favor totalitarian rule.

From David Jensen, Walterville, Oregon

Like Hitler, Trump is a radical, authoritarian figure who lies outside the normal parameters of his country’s conservative governing class.

War crimes

The attack and invasion of Ukraine is genocide, and the U.N. needs to begin war-criminal proceedings immediately against Putin. Innocent civilians are being targeted and lives lost due to a mad dictator. Please, citizens of the world, do all we can to help and support the beautiful people of Ukraine. 

From Cindee Robertson, Eugene

A tale of two mandates: Ukraine mandates all males age 18 to 60 remain in Ukraine, take a Kalashnikov into their hands to protect others and defend their right to be free from Russia. Hope: a free country. Risk to them: death.

From Larry Hirons, Eugene

Ukrainians deserve all our support

I've not been this upset on a political event for decades. Right-wing news asks, "Why is Russia the problem?” Freedom is OK, but not if it raises my gas prices. This mentality at World War II would have Europe speaking German and the Pacific nations (and Hawaii) speaking Japanese.

What I view as “American values” — proud of flying the flag, a threat to democracy anywhere needs to be challenged, people over politics are being eroded. A group not connected to the conflict, but close to home for many, feeling these events is the Afghanistan War vets. Twenty years, lost friends and family, and when we left, did Afghans fight for their country? No!

Did the cowardly President Ashraf Ghanirun away? Yes! 

In Afghanistan, billions of dollars were spent, and thousands of lives were lost or ruined. Do you feel it was worth your service for a country that lacks the courage to fight for your values? You were duped into believing that your service, as was mine in Vietnam, was moral and a cause worth dying for.

The Ukrainians deserve all the support we can offer.

From Dan French, Eugene

Evil Putin made the decision to send young, innocent Russians into a futile war

Opinion essay published in The New York Times: 

"We can’t let them down," by PM Boris Johnson. 

LONDON — Over the past week, in response to the gut-wrenching scenes in Ukraine, Western unity has been impressive and heartening. I know from my near-daily conversations with President Volodymyr Zelensky that this has provided Ukrainians with some comfort in their hour of need.

Never in my life have I seen an international crisis where the dividing line between right and wrong has been so stark, as the Russian war machine unleashes its fury on a proud democracy. Russia’s reckless attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant reminds us just how grave the stakes are for everyone. More than one million people have fled the violence, toward an uncertain future.

President Biden displayed great leadership, consulting and convening allies, exposing the lie that America’s commitment to Europe is somehow diminished. 

Indeed, the European Union has undertaken a remarkable effort to align behind severe sanctions on Russia. 

Dozens of European countries are sending defensive equipment to Ukraine’s armed forces. But have we done enough for Ukraine? The honest answer is no.

Vladimir Putin’s act of aggression must fail and be seen to fail. 

💙💛

Moreover, we must not allow anyone in the Kremlin to get away with misrepresenting our intentions in order to find ex post facto justification for this war of choice. This is not a NATO conflict, and it will not become one. No ally has sent combat troops to Ukraine. We have no hostility toward the Russian people, and we have no desire to impugn a great nation and a world power. We despair of the decision to send young, innocent Russians into a futile war.

The truth is that Ukraine had no serious prospect of NATO membership in the near future — and we were ready to respond to Russia’s stated security concerns through negotiation. I and many other Western leaders have spoken to Mr. Putin to understand his perspective. The United Kingdom even sent emissaries to Moscow before Russia’s invasion to deal directly with Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, who are spearheading this awful campaign.

It is now clear diplomacy never had a chance. But it is precisely because of our respect for Russia that we find the actions of the Putin regime so unconscionable. Mr. Putin is attempting the destruction of the very foundation of international relations and the United Nations Charter: the right of nations to decide their own future, free from aggression and fear of invasion. Putin's assault on Ukraine began with a confected pretext and a flagrant violation of international law. Russia is sinking further into a sordid campaign of war crimes and unthinkable violence against civilians.

Though there can be no comparison with the assault on Ukraine, we in the United Kingdom know something of Mr. Putin’s ruthlessness. Four years ago, we endured the outcome of Russian operatives’ use of chemical weapons against people in Salisbury, England — and our allies rallied to our side. In our defense and foreign policy review, published a year ago, we warned that Russia remained the most acute security threat, and we announced the biggest increase in our defense spending since the end of the Cold War.

We also warned that the world was entering into a period of competition in which authoritarian states would test the mettle of the West in every domain. Last year’s agreement among the United Kingdom, America and Australia to help deploy nuclear submarines for the Australian Navy demonstrated our shared resolve to meet the challenges we face in the Indo-Pacific.

We have failed to learn the lessons of Russian aggression*. For too long, we have turned the other cheek. No one can say we were not warned: We saw what Russia did in Georgia in 2008, in Ukraine in 2014 and even on the streets of Salisbury. And I know from speaking to my counterparts on recent visits to Poland and Estonia just how acutely they feel this substantial threat.

It is no longer enough to express warm platitudes about the rules-based international order. We are going to have to actively defend it against a sustained attempt to rewrite the rules by force and other tools, such as economic coercion. We must restore effective deterrence in Europe, where, for too long, the very success of NATO and of America’s security guarantee has bred complacency. What happens in Europe will have profound implications worldwide.

We are pleased to see more nations beginning to grasp this hard reality. In January, the United Kingdom was among a handful of European countries sending defensive aid to Ukraine. Now more than 20 countries are part of that effort. Defense spending is going up, though it will take time for that to translate into capability.

That’s a welcome development, but it is not going to be enough on its own to save Ukraine or keep the flame of freedom alive. Russia has overwhelming force and apparently no regard for the laws of war. We need to prepare now for even darker days ahead.

So a six-point plan for Ukraine must begin- starting today!

1. First, we must mobilize an international humanitarian coalition. On Monday, I will meet the leaders of Canada and the Netherlands in London to talk about creating the widest possible coalition to expose the outrages that are taking place in Ukraine. On Tuesday, I will host the leaders of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, now on the front line of a refugee crisis. The United Kingdom has 1,000 troops on standby for humanitarian operations, on top of 220 million pounds ($291 million) of aid. We must all work together to establish an immediate cease-fire and allow civilians safe passage, food and medical supplies.
2. Second, we must do more to help Ukraine to defend itself. More and more nations are willing to provide defensive equipment. We must act quickly to coordinate our efforts to support the government of Ukraine.
3. Third, we must maximize the economic pressure on Mr. Putin’s regime. We must go further on economic sanctions, expelling every Russian bank from SWIFT and giving our law enforcement agencies unprecedented powers to peel back the facade of dirty Russian money in London. We must go after the oligarchs. So far, the United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on more than 300 elites and entities, including Mr. Putin himself. But these measures will be insufficient unless Europe begins to wean itself off the Russian oil and gas that bankroll Mr. Putin’s war machine.
4. Fourth, no matter how long it takes, we must prevent any creeping normalization of what Russia does in Ukraine. The lesson from Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008, and seizure of Crimea in 2014, is that accepting the results of Russian aggression merely encourages more aggression. We cannot allow the Kremlin to bite off chunks of an independent country and inflict immense human suffering and then creep back into the fold.
5. Fifth, we should always be open to diplomacy and de-escalation, provided that the government of Ukraine has full agency in any potential settlement. There can be no new Yalta, decided over the heads of the people of Ukraine, by external powers.
6. Sixth, we must act now to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security. This includes not only bolstering NATO’s eastern flank but also supporting non-NATO European countries that are potentially at risk of Russian aggression, such as Moldova, Georgia and the nations of the western Balkans. And those that participate or enable Russian aggression, such as Belarus, will be subject to maximum sanctions. 

Ukrainians have bravely defended their country. It is their valor that has united the international community. We can’t let them down.

The human cost of modern warfare as Russian invasion sets Ukraine ablaze.

*Prime Minister Johnson is 57 years old. He obviously has no experience with World War II.  Maybe somebody can read this to Mr. Johnson:  On September 1, 1939, the German army under Adolf Hitler launched an invasion of Poland that triggered the start of World War II (though by 1939 Japan and China were already at war). The battle for Poland only lasted about a month before a Nazi victory. 

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939