Say No To Putin: how the Ukrainian diaspora around the world supports the Motherland
Russia remains unpredictable and aggressive. The world is trying to fix it. And Ukrainians abroad talk about what our country has faced and how important unity has become in the fight against the aggressor.
Rubryka decided to find out how the Ukrainian diaspora around the world supports their homeland.
What is the problem?
Not just "conflict"
Since 2014, about 14,000 Ukrainians, including civilians, have died in the Russian aggression in Donbas. Part of our territories is occupied. As a result, about one and a half million people lost their homes.
Despite all this, there are still people in other countries who don't know or don't understand that Russia has started a war in Ukraine. Now that Putin has decided to bring an unprecedented amount of military equipment to Ukraine's borders, involving Belarus, Russian aggression is becoming increasingly apparent to the world, and even to those who aren't interested in politics.
The Ukrainian diaspora is also contributing to this, actively participating in the rallies, collecting humanitarian aid for the national military, and openly declaring that Putin is a dictator.
What is the solution?
Congress in Canada and talks with politicians
The Ukrainian diaspora in Canada is the largest among other Ukrainians. In addition, it actively supports its compatriots who remain in the homeland.
- Ukrainians in Canada have already set up a Humanitarian Rescue Committee to support Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion. The association will focus on collecting humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukrainian IDPs.
- The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is also trying to find common ground with politicians. In particular, in January, representatives of Congress spoke with Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand and discussed with her the measures to help restrain Russian aggression.
- A similar meeting was held with the Canadian Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan and they talked about increasing pressure from Russia.
#SayNoToPutin from Ukrainians from all over the world
Since the beginning of the transfer of Russian military equipment to the border with Ukraine around the world, Ukrainians have begun to protest against the policies of Vladimir Putin.
At the end of January, the Ukrainian community in Dublin marched to the Irish Parliament building with blue and yellow flags and posters with the slogans #SayNoToPutin and #StandWithUkraine. The Ukrainian protesters were also supported by members of parliament and representatives of communities from Georgia, Lithuania, and Belarus.
Meanwhile, several rallies took place in Washington. First, Ukrainian diasporas came to the Russian embassy in Washington, lining up along the road near the building. The main call was to prevent a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine.
Within days, the protest took place near the White House. The diaspora thus thanked US President Joe Biden for his support for Ukraine and his involvement in negotiations with Russia.
In Georgia, the rally took place near the Embassy of Ukraine; it was aimed at supporting our people. As Deputy Head of Mission and Adviser Andrii Kasianov said in his speech, solidarity and international support were especially important for Ukraine now.
In Spain, people with #SayNoToPutin posters have gone to the streets in Barcelona, Valencia, Santander, Murcia, and Madrid.
Actions in support of Ukraine also took place in German cities, including Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, and others. They called them "War has no borders."
In addition to rallies, the diaspora in America, Ireland, and the United Kingdom sometimes donates humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the East. They do this with the support of Ukrainian volunteers who go to the front.
How does it work?
The voice of society is the actions of the government
Peaceful protests and rallies are an effective way of contact between politicians and their constituents in democracies. In this way, people proclaim their position and point out to officials what decisions are expected of them.
Ukraine has already attracted the support of various countries at the political level. For example, only among the news from abroad in the last week, we have the following:
- Poland has decided to transfer lethal defense weapons to Ukraine;
- the Dutch parliament called for the provision of defense weapons to Ukraine;
- The United Kingdom is considering a large-scale deployment of NATO forces in response to Russia's actions;
In addition, several other countries have already provided arms and financial support to Ukraine, and some more are preparing to do so shortly. According to the results of 2021, Ukraine has already risen three positions in the ranking of the strongest armies in the world, taking 22nd place out of 140. Now our defense capability has grown even more.
Even more useful solutions!
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How else can you support Ukraine, no matter where you live?
- make a charitable contribution to the Return Alive Foundation, which meets the needs of soldiers in eastern Ukraine;
- not to forget that Ukraine is also fighting the coronavirus and to donate to the Svoi Foundation, which supplies oxygen to patients with covid-19;
- to support the Caritas International Foundation, which operates in Ukraine in particular and implements numerous humanitarian missions throughout the country, including the front line.
