💙Ukraine's Unique Character💛

This is United Ukraine co-founder Adam with your mid-week update on where your donations have helped the most. Since our last letter to you, we’ve distributed an additional $2,119.39 throughout the country; primarily to individual families and our trusted community partners.

The last few days have been extremely exciting on the ground, as Ukraine’s military has made stunning territorial gains in the Kharkiv region, and is close to seizing crucial railways that could force Russian forces to withdraw. Simultaneously, Ukraine’s efforts to liberate Kherson along the southern front have continued apace; trapping Russian forces in areas where they cannot be resupplied. All told, the last 48 hours may mark a significant turning point in the war. Eight months ago the global consensus was that Russia led the second-most-powerful military in the world. Today, it’s a true testament to the Ukrainian people that Russia seemingly barely has the second-most-powerful military in Ukraine.

We’re proud to report that you and your donations are directly aiding Ukraine’s stunning recent successes. Three weeks ago, we reported that United Ukraine was purchasing mobile and flexible solar panels to power field hospital tents and communications networks near the front. Last week those solar panels were deployed into the field, and the units that received them want to thank you personally.

You heard it from the horse’s mouth: this work is bigger than any one purchase or any one donation. It’s proof of the strength of the civilized world in the face of adversity. It’s not just the panels, it’s what they represent. Those symbols of support matter. Your support matters.

Of course, our biggest impact continues to be on the individual families we interact with every day. This week, that included Juliana and her daughter Ksenia.

Juliana’s family is from Hur’ivka, a village outside of Mykolaiv with less than 1,200 residents. Hur’ivka is so small and separated from standard government services that Juliana's passport is handwritten. In February, when the invasion started, Juliana was six months pregnant. She’s only 23 years old, and being a new mom is scary enough even under the best of circumstances. Navigating the new challenges of parenthood in a war zone is overwhelming.

Her new daughter, Ksenia, now three months old, is one of United Ukraine's "charity babies" - children born during the war to women we supported during pregnancy. Today, the family is happy and healthy with relatives in Nova Odessa. Your donations helped get them to safety, and this week paid for Ksenia's first round of vaccinations. Every child deserves a healthy childhood and basic medical care. Your donations guaranteed that for Ksenia even in a war zone.

We make this happen every week with your support. If you want to help us care for the next Ksenia, the best ways are:

Via Debit, Credit, or Paypal:  At this link
Via Venmo: @UnitedUkraine (under the business tab)

And we accept checks via mail at:
225 Bright Poppy
Irvine, CA 92618

Of course, Juliana and Ksenia aren’t the only young family we worked with in the last few days. Here’s just a sampling of more young families you’ve been supporting.

Elena’s family (left) are refugees from Mariupol. Her husband immediately volunteered for the armed services when the invasion started, leaving her to care for their three children. I really shouldn’t have favorites, but Elena’s son Kiril overpowers my ability to resist. The combination of his Bart Simpson t-shirt, orthodox cross, and THAT facial expression melt my heart. When I told Elena I was smitten, she quickly agreed that “our little bastard” is extremely charming.

Yulia and Dmitiri (right) are also from Mariupol. Their son Josef is only one year old, and Yulia worries that he’ll see never the home she spent so long preparing for him. Yulia is currently pregnant with their second child, and your donations are purchasing bedding and other supplies for their new home in Western Ukraine.

Another Ksenia also wrote to let us know that she’s expecting. She’s a refugee from the city of Kharkiv. Russian rocket attacks in April burned down the apartment building she shared with her husband. Since then, she has been living in refugee centers and temporary housing for the last several months. Now, at 22 weeks pregnant, Ksenia asked for our help to relocate to Poltava where she can be with family to have her baby. Of course we obliged.

In the first weeks of the war, most families we spoke with sought refuge abroad. Recently, families are trying to stay as close to home as possible. Even when the situation near their home is bad, the sense of pride they feel at being Ukrainian keeps them emotionally and physically anchored to a place they’ve come to love. Personally, I think that attitude reflects a tone that was set early on in the war, when President Zelensky famously refused evacuation by declaring, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” In the moment when Zelensky could have ensured his own survival, he publicly declared that he was committed to the idea of independent Ukraine first.

That apparent devotion to Ukraine as an idea is ultimately why Ukrainians voted a comedian into the presidency in the first place. I’ve been periodically re-watching episodes of Zelensky’s television show “Servant of the People” over the last few months, and one episode in particular now feels like it strongly foreshadowed Zelensky’s refusal to opportunistically abandon his country.

In the second season of Servant of the People, Zelensky’s government is making intermittent and halting progress towards integrating Ukraine into the rest of Europe. They experience huge success towards that goal when the European union grants Ukrainian citizens the right of visa-free travel. Zelensky initially celebrates his government’s victory, but wakes up the next morning only to discover that the entire country took immediate advantage of immigration liberalization to leave him completely alone: stranded as the last remaining citizen of Kyiv.

Zelensky is disheartened by his abandonment, but not defeated. He too could simply drive away, but instead opts to stay - playing the role of Tom Hanks in an urban remake of the movie "Castaway.” As President, Zelensky remains committed to making Ukraine the best place it can be at every level. So after a year of isolation, he still gets up early every morning to personally maintain Kyiv’s landscaping.

Zelensky so strongly insists on maintaining law and order, even in isolation, that he continues paying for food in Kyiv’s abandoned grocery stores. At one point, exuberant over a successful phone call with Angela Merkel, he even takes out a loan to purchase an expensive bottle of wine. In Zelensky’s vision, a President is responsible for the well-being of a place; even when no one else is ready to defend it. Leadership is depicted as the ultimate responsibility, rather than an entitlement to power and a life of luxury.

All of this is, of course, a dream sequence. The isolation fantasy reflects Zelensky’s anxieties, and the predictions of the European Union, that Ukrainians would choose to leave the country if given the chance. The next morning, reporters tell Zelensky that 3% of Ukraine’s population is projected to emigrate that year in response to the new visa-free regime. Zelensky focuses on the positive: 97% of Ukrainians will stay home.

In Ukraine’s utopian fantasy of a modern government, a strong society that believes in itself is the draw that inspires people to continually reinvest in the country. That’s the Zelensky Ukraine voted for - a person who believes that Ukraine can be a good place to live even when compared to other, richer countries.

During the war, Zelensky has frequently emphasized the resilience of Ukrainians in public appearances, arguing that what kept the country together is that so many Ukrainians decided to stay and fight when times were bad. Ukraine exists because Ukrainians want it to. Zelensky’s belief that the choice to stay within Ukraine is a positive act of national pride has been right in front of us for years. It just took a dramatic speech during a war for Americans to notice.

We at United Ukraine believe in Ukraine too. And we’re proud to be part of the process of keeping that national dream alive. Nathan and I don’t think of United Ukraine as a “charity,” because ultimately all we’re doing is helping Ukrainians help themselves. We give money directly to families who need it because we trust that they know how to best care for their own needs. And now we’ve had a front row seat to witness how many of them are proud to be part of the group that stayed. Thank you for your support in making all of this happen. We’re so excited to know that you believe in Ukraine too.

Truly, sincerely, I’ll never forget it.

As always, with love,

Adam