War in Ukraine hits close to home

It is hard to put into words the events that have taken place since I last wrote a week ago.

Russia raged war on Ukraine in all directions, and over a million Ukrainians packed their bags and fled their homes.

Those of us with personal ties to the conflict are feeling hopeless but are doing what we can to help. My roommate is Ukrainian, and her family and friends who fled to Poland are being helped by my family in Poland.

I find the wide range of networking that is taking place from all corners of the world to help with this crisis incredible, even at CSB in Lutemer.

It is hard to put into words the fear that Russia has evoked in Eastern Europeans throughout history. A core memory for my mother is when martial law was invoked in Poland in the 1980s. She remembers her grandmother screaming as her father put on his military uniform and walked out the door.

My great-grandmother, who lived through WWII, feared for her son’s life because she thought a new war was taking shape. Today, my mother is fearing for her home and family just like her grandmother did in the 80s.

I overheard my mother talking to my baby brother who is in music school in Poland. She, holding back tears, told him that if he was to come home he couldn’t come by plane.

Today, my mother is in a constant state of worry and fear because she is convinced that Russia will come for Poland and her family.

This week my very passionate roommate, Elena Harrington, organized a donation drive for students to donate to help Ukraine.

Her family is still in Ukraine living in a village, and her uncle was just recently drafted.

Please rummage through your closets and pantries for things to donate. This is a crisis that hits close to home for a number of CSB/SJU community members.

As I am writing this, Russian forces are circled around the city of Kyiv, a city of over two million people. Fifteen thousand people are hiding and sleeping in the subway in Kyiv. The second largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, is being hit with air strikes and shelling. So far 20 people have died, and 125 people have been injured.

Russians have struck office buildings, a university building and residential districts in the city. On Tuesday, a large explosion struck directly in front of the Kharkiv’s administrative building, killing seven people.

On Wednesday, Russia occupied its first crucial city, Kherson, a port city with a population of 300,000 people.

I think it can be easy to assume that everyone who feels under attack has left the country. This is far from the truth. While there was a mass exodus of over a million people, the population of Ukraine is 44 million. That is a lot of people who may run out of food soon and whose lives have been forever shaken.

While it is hard to see the light in the middle of such a horrible event, it is hard not to admire the resiliency of Ukrainians during this time. They are putting up a very strong fight and have been successful in keeping their cities safe.

When reading about the events in Ukraine, please check that you’re reading a credible source. For example, Russia recently put out their death toll count, but I am not sure I trust that they published an accurate number.

Check to see who is funding the information you are reading. Check to see if what your friends are posting is actually true, and don’t be scared to fact check them.

Please think critically about what you are reading about the Russo-Ukrainian War. It has been predicted that a lot of propaganda will spread during this time.

News sources I trust who have individual journalists stationed in Ukraine and who are largely unbiased include BBC, The New York Times and the Associated Press.

I want to close with a powerful quote by Andriy Yermak, the head of the Presidential Office in Ukraine, from an editorial that he wrote that was published in The New York Times.

“We need more—and, please, stop telling us military aid is on the way. Nothing less than our freedom—and yours—is at stake…every day brings the possibility that our words may be our final ones. So let them be a plea for support for a free Ukraine.”