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TAKE ACTION: Resources to help Ukraine, from my Ukrainian student [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-02-24

During the 2015-16 school year, I had a lovely Ukrainian exchange student, Sofiya [not her real name] in my high school English class. The story of her influence on my teaching and views of history are material for another diary; today, action is needed. Suffice it to say we kept in touch after she returned home and throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After our recent elections, I began drafting a message to her expressing my sorrow and solidarity with her nation. But when the news broke that HE was calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and was demanding rights to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, I abandoned my draft and poured out my heart to Sofiya in the following message:



Dear Sofiya, I am so desperately sorry that the United States has let you, your fellow citizens, and the sovereign nation of Ukraine down. Please know that the majority of our electorate did not vote for the dictator Trump and that we who care about freedom, democracy, and human rights grieve with you as daily events spiral toward disaster for both our countries. We mourn the loss of innocent Ukrainians who never asked for this war, and we honor those who gave their lives fighting for Ukraine's right to exist. As difficult as it may be to believe, the majority of Americans do not support the dictator Putin and his lapdog Trump, though these deplorable "leaders" will have the world believe that they have a mandate of the people. As Putin pursues his obscene lust for Ukrainian blood and soil, decent people in the U.S. are standing as firmly as ever in support of the Ukrainian people. Right now we are whipsawed by Trump's bombardment of the media with his illegal actions and dangerous rhetoric. He wants us, and Ukraine, to feel helpless and to give up out of exhaustion. But we will not, and I know that Ukrainians will not. I have no idea what resistance will look like in the days to come, but we will resist these monsters together until they are gone and Ukraine is safe once again. Only then can the world hope to be safe. I pray you, your family, your friends, and your fellow Ukrainians remain steadfast in your determination to remain free. Please let me know if there is absolutely anything I can do to help you in any way. From across the miles, you have my heart and my hope. Slava Ukraini!

Her response was immediate and powerful:





Heroyam slava! Thank you, Ms. [Greek Goddess]. Ukraine stood strong on its own in the very first days of invasion, and we'll continue doing that even without the help of our allies as long as it's possible. This war is existential for us as a nation. And although we really want peace, just signing a treaty with Russia won't do anything. There will never be peace until Russia and it's people recognize what they have done and pay for all the damages. Ukrainians have lost so much that we cannot just seek peace now – we need justice. I am really sorry that the US elected this president, and that it's not only American internal politics which are affected as a consequence but also Ukraine is held hostage now. It feels like both Putin and Trump make decisions about whose lives matter and whose don't. This is such a disgrace. https://u24.gov.ua/ About how you can help - there are a lot of fundraisers if you want to contribute financially, like If you'd like to volunteer, there is this initiative for providing English speaking practice for Ukrainians online. I recently learned about it, you could find it interesting too https://www.enginprogram.org/ About the resources: I can recommend Kyiv Independent https://kyivindependent.com/ And also for those who are interested in Ukrainian history (because without knowing the historical context, it's really difficult to understand why Ukrainians don't trust Russia): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNewfxO7LhBoz_1Mx1MaO6sw_&si=8LwzqwfWEVlYdyUa online course with videos: https://online.yale.edu/courses/making-modern-ukraine Or a book "Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine" by Sekhii Plokhy

I then asked Sofiya for permission to share her message with the DKos community, and she graciously agreed. Please use these resources to provide desperately needed help to the people of Ukraine and to educate yourself about a history I’m sure HE knows nothing about. Slava Ukraini!

[END]
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