Ukrainians unite across social media and European cities to express gratitude to friends of Ukraine

In honor of Ukrainian Independence Day, the Ukrainian Institute is launching a major campaign called "The Smallest Support." The aim is to show appreciation from the Ukrainian people for the support of European countries and citizens.

The Strichka community joined the campaign.

The initiative covers:

• rallies on the streets of European cities,
• flash mobs in social networks,
• publication of unique newspapers that honor those who remain with Ukraine in the most challenging times.

To highlight the significance of small gestures of assistance, the Ukrainian Institute produced miniature newspapers featuring posts from friends of Ukraine on the front cover.

Kiosks with miniature editions have already been placed in Europe, both by Ukrainian companies that moved after the start of the full-scale invasion and local entrepreneurs who openly express support for Ukraine.

An additional aspect of our campaign is that the posts made by Ukrainian supporters will be visible to thousands of people in European airports. This effort will be continued in cities such as Munich, Dusseldorf, Rome, Milan, Prague, Riga, Tallinn, and many other cities.

Strichka is an online community of Ukrainians living abroad. It recently launched a series of challenges to show appreciation to people from other countries who have shown strong support for Ukraine. One can find these tasks on the community's mobile application.

In the Strichka quests, participants are urged to:

• show personal appreciation to foreigners, no matter how small the support, on their social media pages;
• share instances of solidarity with Ukraine seen on the streets of European cities, such as displaying the Ukrainian flag or writing messages;
• share personal stories of gratitude for crucial assistance from foreigners in a time of need;
• and most importantly, join in rallies or events for Ukrainian Independence Day in their cities, carrying signs of gratitude.

For successfully completing quests, participants receive points and "talent" units in the application, and the most active participants will be given gifts by the community, its partners, and ambassadors, such as:

• paramedic and volunteer Yulia "Tayra" Paevska,
• vocalist of the band "TNMK – Dance on the Congo Square" and volunteer Fozzie,
• and director and producer Oles Sanin.

 "In recent years, Ukrainians have felt the support of people from all over the world. We believe that even the smallest gesture of support, such as a post on social networks or a comment, is significant to us. That is why we joined the initiative of the Ukrainian Institute and prepared a series of tasks on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day; Ukrainians abroad had the opportunity to thank everyone who supported us in these difficult times. We are proud that Strichka has become a place where caring people gather, united by their love for Ukraine and the desire to help our country," Dmytro Sholomko, co-founder of Strichka, says.

Ukrainians living in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Munich in Germany, Oslo in Norway, Stockholm in Sweden, Warsaw in Poland, Brno in the Czech Republic, Bologna, and Senegal in Italy, as well as Nantes in France, Los Angeles, and New York in the USA, have already confirmed their participation in the campaign. They will come together during rallies on Ukrainian Independence Day, displaying posters with words of gratitude.

For reference:

Independence Day of Ukraine is an annual holiday in Ukraine, celebrated on August 24, the anniversary of the adoption of the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine in 1991. This document, adopted by an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada [parliament—ed.] of the Ukrainian SSR, proclaimed the creation of an independent Ukrainian state.

Moreover, the National Bank has issued updated national currency banknotes for the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's independence, supplementing their designs with the slogan "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!"

In addition, "Ukrposhta" presented the stamp "Everything will be UA!" dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's independence.