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✨This one is not all negative comments, but just things I feel need more commenting on. ✨

This is also more about what I’ve heard at fundraising events and art fairs.

“I can’t believe this war has gone on for four years.” - it has actually been longer. This war did not start in 2022, that’s when Russia expanded its invasion. It started in 2014 with invasions into Donbas (eastern Ukraine) and Crimea (southern peninsula of Ukraine), and if you want to get metaphorical it started long before that, but that’s a long conversation. So really it’s been 12 years!!!

***Ukrainians might have to correct me on this, but my understanding is that the first time Russia physically challenged Ukraine’s territory sovereignty after 1991 independence was in 2003 during the Tuzla Island Conflict (Конфлікт щодо острова Тузла) when Russia tried to build a bridge to a Ukrainian island.

“I wish the US was doing more.” — I wish so too. A Pew Research Study from this year reported that 29% of Americans wished the US was doing more to help Ukraine. Here’s the fun part: Every individual has the power to do something concrete. Not just performative actions like posting about it once on social media. It’s about doing something that actually makes a difference. Staying educated and caring is a baseline.

⭐️Every state has Ukrainian groups you can support locally and attend their events. They usually host concerts, festivals, holiday markets, cooking contests, etc. all to raise money for Ukrainians in Ukraine and in your community! My favorite are the pysanka workshops in the spring, where you get to make and bring home a decorated egg :)

I recommend looking at what skills and connections you have and how you can use those to help Ukrainians. Also check out if your city has a Sister City relationship with a Ukrainian city and look into what your community has done to make a difference in Ukraine! There’s lots of inspiring stories out there!!!!!!!!!!

Your fellow Americans have raised millions for Ukrainians. Things like generators, ambulances, clothing, medical equipment, solar panels, drones, gear for Ukrainian soldiers, art therapy rooms, and the list goes on and on. These next few points are just some ideas.

Volunteer, start, and donate to fundraisers for Ukraine. Or go online to ENGin and help Ukrainian kids practice English and learn some Ukrainian too. Find out what your community is doing for Ukrainians, and if it’s nothing, then this is your opportunity to change that :)

The biggest American charities that are specifically about Ukraine include: Razom, Nova Ukraine, DAWN. But there are a bunch of smaller reputable non-profits as well!! Look to see what’s in your state. World Central Kitchen is also highly recommended.

Advocate. Have conversations that will make a difference; like encouraging others to donate, dismantling Russian propaganda, or start a fundraiser yourself. If you live near DC, consider participating in political advocacy for Ukraine (with Razom, Nova Ukraine, or the American Coalition for Ukraine)

🦅🇺🇸💥Fun fact for Americans: There’s a website called Charity Navigator that rates charities (IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profits) based on their public tax records and transparency. You can also examine public tax records (Form 990 for big non-profits, Form 990EZ for smaller non-profits) to see which charities are actually putting most of their funds towards their cause and not just admin and advertising. You can find the formulas and more information about what to look for online. (This topic could really be a whole other post.)

“I hope Trump ends this war soon.” - He doesn’t care at all about Ukraine, neither does Musk. They are a lot of things, including very much in favor of wars and chaos. Have you thought about how you can help Ukrainians right now? *lists off ideas from above*

“I hope Putin ends this war soon.” Spoiler: Putin is not going to end this war. He does not want to. Not in 2014, not in 2022, and not now. He doesn’t care.

“Trump is friends with Putin so he’ll bring him to the negotiating table.” - . . .

“Trump is a Russian puppet.” — Not only Trump. There are also a number of American politicians who also spew Russian talking points. Plus orgs like the NRA, for example, were investigated for their connections to Russian politicians. Russian interference in our politics didn’t end in 2016 or 2020. This is why political advocacy for Ukraine is so important.

“I saw videos/news online of [insert battle or traumatic moment].” - It’s sad that people all over the world can watch this unfold on their phones, isn’t it? And then we go on about our days because we think we can’t do anything or that it’s not our problem. How would you feel if someone filmed your worst or even your last moments on Earth? Have you considered ways to help? *rambles off ideas about how they can make a difference*

“ *tells me personal story about a Ukrainian they know* ” — Please stay in contact with them and kindly ask if there’s anything you can do to help them. Many Ukrainians have told me that they feel forgotten. Remind them that they are not forgotten by finding concrete ways to help them personally and their countrymen. Kind words and listening are always welcomed, but words of support will likely feel more hallow as this war drags on. Please find concrete ways to support them.

“Why do you support Ukraine? Do you have Ukrainian roots?” — A person doesn’t have to have “roots” to care :) *proceeds to explain what my friends in Ukraine have gone through and are still going through everyday*

“Slava Ukraini!” (“Glory to Ukraine!”) - I was shocked the first time someone said this to me after looking at the art I was selling to raise money for Ukraine. I accidentally said “Дякую» (“Thanks”) I meant to say “Heroyam Slava” (“Glory to the Heroes”) 😅 ooops

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Andddddd that’s all I have for now. I’m sure there’s more, and especially much worse things being said, but I don’t continue conversations with conspiracy theorists and stubborn ragebaiters.

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Thank you for your support 😭

This is inspired by a post from @bavovniatko about mean and/or misinformed things Americans say about Ukraine and Russia’s war. I’m only listing what I’ve heard in-person. There’s far more people/bots are saying.

I’ve heard these phrases since 2014 and 2022, and I wanted to write about them now, since it seems they still need some explaining 😐

“Giving them aid won’t really do anything. They aren’t going to beat Russia.” — This whole “oh-the-war-is-already-settled” mentality is what Russia wants you to believe. They want you to think that this is all one and done, so they can take over without really having to put up a fight. It’s called “reflexive control” and what Russia does is invade your news and social media feed with lies about how powerful they are (+ other lies) so that way people feel defeated before any resistance.

Important Note: Russian bots will portray themselves as Americans. They stir the pot in all sorts of issues and play both sides to build an illusion. They influence everyone from the President to your friends. They spread lies and say terrible things. That’s not to say that there’s Americans who don’t support Ukraine or are pro-Russian. It’s just that bots are everywhere now, especially during election years.

“Ukraine should just make peace with Russia.” — What happens when Russia pushes further? That’s not a hypothetical. *explains the Russian invasion of Donbas and Crimea to people who first heard of Ukraine in 2022* *proceeds to explain the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008 and how they continue to encroach on their territory* *mentions the crippling Russian cyberattack of Estonia in 2007*

“Zelenskyy is so stubborn, he should just accept Trump/Putin’s deal.” — Yeah, I’d be stubborn too if everyone I loved was being murdered (and much worse) and it felt like some people were just standing by and watching, or worse—trying to gaslight me into giving in or making “deals”.

“Russia has a powerful army.” — They sent their soldiers in with broken and expired gear from the last century. Then they had to use prisoners as soldiers. Then they had to beg North Korea for soldiers.

“Ukraine is like [insert conflict/country].” — No. You can’t compare countries and conflicts because they are two different states with different histories, different geography, and different time periods. Ukraine is not like Taiwan. Ukraine is not like the Bosnian War. Sure, there might be slight similarities that you are biased to pick out, but it’s much more nuanced than that. Saying this phrase is an insult to both parties. You’re missing out on reality.

“I don’t think what the Ukraine is going through is as serious as a genocide.” — How do you define a genocide? is the next question I ask as calmly as possible. Ukrainians are being specifically targeted by Russia for total annihilation in this brutal war. There’s a bunch of photos, videos, and stories about this in the news. By the way, Wikipedia has a list of genocides and explanations. The most recent listed are Palestinians, Armenians, Uyghurs, Rohingya, and Ukrainians since 2014.

*And then I explain about the history of the Holodomor and about Crimean Tatars and why they shouldn’t say “the” Ukraine.*

“This is Putin’s war.” - Putin’s war and his generals’ war and the thousands who committed war crimes, oligarchs, every one of his citizens, and others who agree with Stalin that genocide is the answer. Putin and many others are responsible for war crimes as the International Criminal Court and monitoring groups have already stated. It is not just Putin who needs to be held accountable.

“Trump said he’d end the war in 24hrs.” - ...

“I feel bad for Ukrainians and I feel bad for the innocent Russians too.” — Being “uninvolved” in politics doesn’t make a person innocent. That country that arbitrarily invades another was imbued with a culture, politics, and hatred that made that decision somehow acceptable 👀

“It’s sad because the Russian people didn’t want this.” — Polls have read that 50-70% of them approve of the war. If they really didn’t want it, what are they doing to stop it? How are they showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people? . . .

“Oh, they can’t fight back against Putin” - Yes, yes they can.

“Ukraine and Russia are like brothers.” - the myth of friendship between Slavs was invented so Russia could dominate as the “big brother”. Please read a history book of Ukraine written by a reputable scholar without AI and absorb the information. Learn about how the Russian Federation is a continuation of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union.

Again, saying this overlooks the Crimean Tatars who are also victims of Russian aggression.

“Ukrainian and Russian are like the same language, aren’t they?” — No. As a person who studied both languages in university I can tell you that the answer is no. Linguistically, Ukrainian is closer to Polish and Belarusian. *proceeds to explain that the country of Belarus exists 😭* Yes, they are both Slavic languages and use Cyrillic letters, but the alphabets, vocabulary, and grammar are different. A lot of Ukrainians speak Russian, especially in the east, but this is because Russia colonized Ukraine and tried to eradicate the Ukrainian language/culture/history. The Russian Empire and Soviet Union also deported Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, repopulating their homes with Russians, which is a tactic Russia is still using right now!!!!

“But they’re from the same culture, right?” — No, they have different cultures, different art styles, different literatures, different languages, different histories, different lives. Taras Shevchenko is not anywhere near comparable to Pushkin.

“This isn’t any of America’s business. All that aid Congress wants to send should go to Americans. It’s our tax dollars.” - It is America’s business because Clinton and crew made it our business when he encouraged Ukraine to give up their nuclear arsenal to Russia in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994. In exchange, the US promised “security guarantees” to Ukraine, to protect them. There’s more to unpack here, but imma leave at that.

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😮‍💨 More in part two, which I’ll post later.

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Bonus one from 2014:

“Why are they fighting? They should just share [occupied territories] instead of having a war.” - Never said out loud to anyone, but I was a child in 2014 when I first read the news online about the war in Donbas and didn’t know anyone affected by it. Even I believed that Ukraine and Russia were like brothers because that’s what people told me. After Russia shot down MH17, I learned more about what was happening. I stopped believing war and geopolitics were so simple and that I was some big-brained kid who had it all figured out.

"Because they are so mysterious 😭"

"They are anti usa so they are anti imperialism"

"it's putin's war"

"they are not guilty they were born in ruzzia..."

"This is all because of the USA and NATO breaking their promises to russia."

Ukraine was the aggressor (in 2014 and 2022)

Ukraine’s government is unjust because Euromaidan was a CIA operation designed to destroy a democratically elected leader

There were bioweapons factories in Ukraine making weapons that could only kill and target ruzzians (apparently there is a ruzzian… gene?)

"Because they are so mysterious 😭"

"They are anti usa so they are anti imperialism"

"it's putin's war"

"they are not guilty they were born in ruzzia..."

"This is all because of the USA and NATO breaking their promises to russia."

Ukraine was the aggressor (in 2014 and 2022)

Ukraine’s government is unjust because Euromaidan was a CIA operation designed to destroy a democratically elected leader

There were bioweapons factories in Ukraine making weapons that could only kill and target ruzzians (apparently there is a ruzzian… gene?)

"Because they are so mysterious 😭"

"They are anti usa so they are anti imperialism"

"it's putin's war"

"they are not guilty they were born in ruzzia..."

"This is all because of the USA and NATO breaking their promises to russia."

Russia just bombed the Odesa stadium. The Olympics just invited them back by the way.

north korea and iran sending missiles to russia so they can kill us isn't an escalation

russians hunting down civilians with drones in occupation isn't an escalation

russians specifically killing civilians in their beds, in hospitals, at train stations, in schools etc isn't an escalation

russians going into NATO's airspace with missiles every other day isn't an escalation

russians interfering in elections all over the world isn't an escalation

One of russian insults towards Ukrainians is using the Ukrainian word for "independent" as a descriptor, but like an insult.

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Occasionally, I notice that some westerners think THEY know russians BETTER than Ukrainians who have been forced to neighbour russians for BASICALLY FOREVER. A lot of the more subtle things can be untranslatable or hold many small intercultural references, political memes even, or hints at previous events.

People outside of the bubble, who never had to tolerate russian internet spaces, can easily underestimate just how essential this survival for Ukrainians is.

Ukrainians also have russian relatives, used to have russian friends, and other long-lasting bonds that have been tested repeatedly throughout YEARS.

It's not like russians decided to invade Ukraine out of nowhere. People overlook the fact that Ukrainians have been resisting russian influences and fighting for just. basically living.