The Truth About Ukraine Should Be Known

On February 24, Ukrainians awoke to their country being bombed and invaded. They fled their homes and sought shelter from the most vicious European conflict since World War II.  

• War chronicles
• How the war started
• History of the conflict
• Ukrainians need your help

War Chronicles: June 8, 2023

On the night of June 6, the Russian military carried out an internal explosion of the Kakhovka dam, which threatened an ecological disaster for Southern Ukraine and Europe.

Almost 6,000 people have been evacuated from both banks of the Dnipro River, according to officials. Ukrainian authorities reported that 30 settlements were flooded, 10 of which were under Russian control. 

The exact number of victims remains unknown, although the officials report that 41 victims were hospitalized, 7 people were missing, and 5 drowned in the area of Nova Kakhovka.

Over 300 animals died in the wholly flooded Kazkova Dibrova Zoo in Nova Kakhovka.

On the morning of June 8, 600 km² of the Kherson region were underwater - 32% of them - on the right bank and 68% - on the left bank. The average level of flooding was 5.61 m.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is under threat. If the water level in the reservoir drops below 12.7 m, it will not be able to download water from it and cool the generators.

During the evacuation of people from Kherson on June 8, the Russian military shelled the coastal areas and the central part of the city. It also hinders the population evacuation from the territories under its control. 

Three people were killed, including an 11-year-old child, and another 16 were injured in a night rocket attack on Kyiv on June 1. According to the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 10 missiles of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system were used in the attack.

In the period from May 1 to May 31, 2023, the Russian military attacked the capital of Ukraine 17 times. Most of the attacks were at night, and people were forced to sleep in shelters.

Ukrainians need your help!

War Chronicles: April 28, 2023

After a break of more than 50 days, on the night of April 28, 2023, the Russians carried out another massive missile attack on Ukraine. At 4 a.m., the enemy launched 23 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS bombers, of which 21 were shot down. In three regions, rockets and debris hit residential buildings. 

In Uman rockets damaged three residential buildings, 17 people died including three children - two of them ten years old. 18 people were injured. The search and rescue operation continues. The city authorities have announced a three-day mourning. 

In Dnipro a private house was destroyed. A 2-year-old girl and a 31-year-old woman died. Three people were injured and are in hospital.

In Ukrainka, the Kyiv region two civilians were injured due to debris hitting a high-rise building, including a 13-year-old girl.

In total, in Cherkasy, Kyiv, and Dnipro regions, 19 people were killed and more than 20 wounded.

War Chronicles: February 24, 2023 – Anniversary of Russian Full-Scale Invasion

A year ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia started a full-scale war in Ukraine. This year was marked by massive missile attacks, thousands of civilian victims, and the cities and villages erased from the face of Earth. 

Over 8 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Europe as of February 15, 2023, according to the UNHCR. This is 18% of Ukraine’s population. 5.3 million Ukrainians are displaced within Ukraine, reported the International Organization for Migration. 

16,207 Ukrainian children were deported to Russia from temporarily occupied territories, reports Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. The actual number of deported children may reach as much as 150,000.

$138 billion is the total estimated loss due to damages to infrastructure in Ukraine by Russian hostilities. $54 billion is an estimated loss from damages to residential buildings, and $35.6 billion are recorded as direct losses from damages to infrastructure objects. 

16,207 air raid sirens have been issued for the past year in Ukraine. An average of about 920 hours children have been forced to spend underground for safety reasons, reported Save the Children organization. 

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi shared the key facts to summarize the year of a big war.

• The Ukrainian Defense Forces have liberated 28% of all Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, which is almost 40 thousand square kilometers.
• 3,786 km is the total length area along which Ukraine continues to hold the enemy, including the active front line of 1,500 km.
• 17 European countries are conducting training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and general military units.
• More than 20 thousand servicemen were trained in 2022 in cooperation with partner countries.
• More than 600 thousand civilians were evacuated from the areas of hostilities.
• Over 1893 air targets have been destroyed by the Ukrainian Air Force since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian people endured months of rolling blackouts, water supply shortages, Internet and cell connection issues, and countless deaths. But Ukraine is still standing. Stand with Ukraine!

Ukrainians need your help!

War Chronicles: January 20, 2023

46 people were killed, including 5 children, 9 unidentified and 9 people are missing after the Russian missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro. 22 wounded remain in hospitals, including 3 children. The search and rescue operation lasted almost three days. 39 people were saved. According to rough estimates, 236 apartments are beyond repair.

14 people died, including a child, as a result of a helicopter crash in Brovary, Kyiv region. Top officials of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs were on board at the time of the incident. All of them died.

The key hotspots with ongoing heavy fighting are Soledar and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Russian troops continue their offensive in the surrounding areas of these towns. ISW believes that Ukrainian forces are likely not holding positions in the town of Soledar itself.

Joint flight and tactical training exercises of Russian and Belarusian military aviation have begun in Belarus. They are expected to run from January 16 to February 1. The Belarusian Ministry of Defense reported that all airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus were involved in the training.

War Chronicles: January 6, 2023

3 people died after the Russian missile and drone attack on December, 31. At least 22 got injured. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said that during the massive shelling, Russia launched more than 20 cruise missiles at civilian objects. Most of them targeted Kyiv, the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions.

877 children got injured and 452 died as a result of Russian aggression since February, 24. The largest number of children (429) were hurt in the Donetsk region.

Putin has ordered to cease fire along the entire contact line in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January, 7. The peacetime should last 36 hours starting from 12 pm, January 6.

NATO Secretary General sees signs of Russia preparing for a new major offensive. Russia has mobilized significant forces and is training them, which indicates the Kremlin's unwillingness to end the war now, as well as possible attempts of a new offensive. Ukraine claims that its army is ready for any scenario and will stop the enemy on the border. 

335 foreign companies have left Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war, according to Statista. About 500 companies temporarily stopped doing business with the aggressor but left open opportunities to return to the Russian market. 

War Chronicles: December 19, 2022

Families and friends around the globe are uniting to enjoy the holiday season, fairs, Christmas trees, and shiny decorations. During the festive season, the FIFA World Cup 2022 has brought people together from all over the world in the rush of football triumphs and victories.

In the wake of this major football event in Qatar, President Zelensky has addressed the fans all over the world with a speech to hold the Global Peace Formula Summit this winter “to unite all nations of the world around the cause of global peace.”

(Source: The Times and The Sunday Times)

In the meantime, Ukraine regularly suffers massive attacks on its power utilities, leaving citizens without electricity, heating, and water for hours.

On December 19, Russia attacked Ukraine with 35 kamikaze drones, the majority was taken down by the Ukrainian air defense. Still, the Russians managed to cause damage to critical infrastructure facilities.

Up to 2 million people were deported by Russia, including about 200,000 children, reported President Zelensky in an interview with French TV channels TF1 and LCI.

Institute for the Study of War suggests another full-scale offensive in the North of Ukraine, including Kyiv, the following year. ISW evaluates the chances of this scenario implementation as low but possible. Putin’s visit to Belarus may mean his intentions to involve the Belarusian army in the new phase of the war.

War Chronicles: October 28, 2022

More than 250 Iranian-made drones were shot down by the Ukrainian military forces. Earlier this week the US after studying the wreckages confirmed kamikaze drones used by Russians in Ukraine were manufactured in Iran. National security is concerned about the possibility of Iran sending advanced missiles to Russia.

28 prisoner swaps with Russia were conducted since February, reports Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. 978 Ukrainians were released, including 99 civilians. The bodies of 579 soldiers were also returned. 

Russia proceeds to attack the power infrastructure in the Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukraine is forced to implement lengthy scheduled blackouts in the previously mentioned regions along with the Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Zhytomyr regions.

7 people were killed and 3 injured during the Russian offensive towards the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. The cities are located in the Donetsk region, which has been a center of intense fighting for months and is claimed to be annexed by Russia.

$750 billion is the estimated price for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, says the Ukrainian Prime Minister, as Germany has proposed a Marshall Fund for Ukraine. 

Russians completed the evacuation of civilians in Kherson to the left bank of the Dnipro. Russian officials claim these are the protective measures against the Ukrainian counter-offensive. 

War Chronicles: October 21, 2022

30% of Ukrainian power plants have been destroyed by Russia in the past 10 days causing massive blackouts across the country. Ukrainians are now urged to turn off appliances. Some regions are imposed to short-term electricity outages.

108 Ukrainian female prisoners of war were released in exchange for 110 Russian soldiers. 

Kyiv accuses Russia of planning to destroy Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and causing a large-scale disaster. As Russians are withdrawing from the Kherson region, they mined the water dam across the Dnipro river, thus putting 80 settlements at risk of rapid flooding.

Russia has ordered about 2,400 Iranian kamikaze drones Shahed-136. They are widely used for the recent attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. According to Ukrainian officials, 85% of drones already used by Russia were shot down. The White House reports that the Iranian tech support was directly involved in launching Shaheds in Crimea.

Around 5 million people from the Ukraine territories claimed as annexed left for Russia, reported Russian officials.

Kharkiv, Nikopol, and Zaporizhzhia citizens are under extreme pressure of everyday shellings of both critical infrastructure and residential buildings. Every strike takes the lives of civilians or injures them.

War Chronicles: October 14, 2022

Russians launched at least 83 missiles on Monday, October 10, all over Ukraine targeting critical infrastructure, power facilities, and civilian objects. About 45 missiles were shot down by air defense forces. This makes it the largest rocket attack since February 24. As a result, 19 people died and at least 108 got injured. 301 cities and towns were cut off power after the attack.

18 people died, and 87 got injured, including 10 children in Zaporizhzhia. Russians continue to terrorize the city and surrounding settlements with rocket attacks every other day causing the deaths of civilians and the destruction of residential buildings and private houses. 

On October 8 the Crimean Bridge, bounding Crimea and Russia, got exploded. As a result, the road spans partially collapsed and the railway part of the bridge caught on fire, causing a reduction in the transport capacity. Four people died in an incident. The possible cause of the explosion has been announced as the explosion of a track. Later on, BBC revealed that the explosion was caused by a maritime drone, according to an aerial drone video. According to Ukrainian officials, the attack was carried on by the Security Service of Ukraine. The bridge is an important supply line for the Russian military in Crimea and in the South of Ukraine.

540 objects of cultural heritage, cultural institutions, and religious buildings were damaged or destroyed since February 24, reported President Zelenskyy.

More than 90% of Ukrainians have one or more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to Ukraine's Health Ministry. Only 3 of 100 people are getting professional support. 

War Chronicles: October 7, 2022

Russian forces launched multiple missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia. The rockets hit several residential buildings in the center of the city killing 11 people and injuring 13. At least 15 people are considered missing, and 21 were saved from the rubble.

In September, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated approximately 10,608 sq km of Ukrainian territory. This means that the occupiers currently occupy approximately 17.72% of Ukraine's territory. This is 1.76% less than at the end of August.

Ukrainian armed forces liberated 1,534 settlements in September. The front line moved up to 20km deep in the Kherson region, and the Kharkiv region is almost completely liberated. At the same time, began the liberation of the Luhansk region by retaking several settlements.

Ukrainians retook the strategic city of Lyman the day after president Putin declared the annexation of the surrounding region. Russians left the city under the threat of being surrounded. Retaking this city is an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to proceed in liberating the Donetsk region. 

Ukraine captured at least 440 Russian tanks and 650 other armored vehicles since February 24, according to UK Intelligence. This makes up about half of the functioning Ukrainian tank fleet.

Ukraine applied for NATO membership following the annexation of its territories by Russia. NATO will unlikely accept Ukraine as its member while the country is in a state of war.

War Chronicles: September 30, 2022

Russians killed at least 25 civilians and injured 50 people in a missile strike on a convoy heading to the occupied territories from Zaporizhzhia. In total, 16 missiles were fired at Zaporizhzhia.

Russia prepares to annex four regions this week after staged referendums. People voted under threats and sometimes gunpoint of soldiers who escorted the election officials, which makes referendums illegitimate. 

2 children and 2 adults were killed in the residential area of the city of Dnipro as a result of the Russian missile attack. 5 more people got injured. Several houses are destroyed, and 60 are damaged.

At least 3 people were killed and 5 wounded in Mykolaiv after Russians hit the 9-story residential building with a cruise missile. Earlier this week, a cluster rocket exploded near the public transport station killing 3 people and injuring 12.

Nearly 180,000 Russians fled the country in the past week, trying to flee from mobilization. 100,000 of them crossed the Kazakhstan border. At least 10,000 people a day enter Georgia, according to the officials. Around 8,000 Russians crossed the Finland border. Other popular destinations are Mongolia and Armenia. 

At least 5 times Russia attacked the Odesa region with the Iranian drones Shahed-136. Two of them hit military targets.

War Chronicles: September 23, 2022

215 imprisoned Ukrainian defenders, including 108 Azov Battalion members and 10 foreigners, were returned to Ukraine as a result of exchange for 55 Russians and a Ukrainian tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk.

Russian President Putin called for the mobilization of 300,000 Russians to fight in Ukraine. This is called “partial mobilization” for people with military experience but the decree allows for a wider mobilization than was stated in Putin’s speech.

In his speech, Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons in case Russian "territorial integrity" is endangered. The West views this as “nuclear blackmail.”

Anti-war protests were held in 38 Russian cities following the released mobilization decree. 1,300 people were detained by police forces. Russian authorities warn that organizing or participating in protests can lead to 15 years in prison.

Male Russians try to escape their country to avoid mobilization. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will not issue humanitarian visas for fleeing russians. Finland is looking for ways to tighten its visa policy. While Germany expressed readiness to take in the Russian deserters. 

Sham referendums on Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine started on September 23 and will last till September 27. The citizens will vote for the regions to become a part of Russia. This may escalate the war as Russia can claim its territories being attacked by Western weapons.

Russia continues to terrorize Zaporizhzhia and its citizens with missile strikes. Some of the weapons hit the surroundings of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

War Chronicles: September 16, 2022

Ukraine has retaken 8,000 sq km (3,088 sq mi) of its territory since September 6 during the counteroffensive campaign. The Ukrainian military forces took control over almost all of the Kharkiv region. Russians retreated hastily abandoning ammunition, armored vehicles, and hardware, which were claimed by the Ukrainian army.

440 graves, including those of children, have been found near the recaptured town of Izium. The exhumations have shown that some people were shot, and some – were killed by artillery or airstrikes. Many bodies remain unidentified.

Russia fired 8 missiles at a hydraulic structure on the Inhulets River in Kryvyi Rih. The attack resulted in a large water flow and rising water levels up to 2 meters. With street and household flooding, the situation is under control now.

Russia hit two thermal power stations in the Kharkiv region causing a major fire in one of them. The attack was followed by blackouts in the Kharkiv region and the neighboring Sumy and Poltava regions. Parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions were also having trouble with electricity, leaving civilians without water and power supply. 

Ukrainian volunteer medic Yuliia Paievska, known as Taira, described her tortures as a "torment of hell" as she spoke to lawmakers with the Helsinki Commission. Taira has been captured by Russians in Mariupol and endured three months of torture.

Russia ceased to be a member of the European Convention on Human Rights due to violations of the Convention. 

Approximately 15.7% of Ukraine’s grain storage facilities were damaged, destroyed, or seized by Russians during the full-scale war. Under international law, such destructions can be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity.

War Chronicles: September 8, 2022

The US approved a new $675 million in military aid as a part of long-term support of Ukraine in battling the Russian invasion. This package will include anti-tank systems, humvees, and ammunition.

2.5 million Ukrainian citizens, including 38,000 children, have been deported to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war, as reported by Ukrainian officials. 

Russia has launched around 3,500 missiles at Ukraine since February 24. The strikes have damaged infrastructure, homes, and the environment. Approximately 200,000 sq km need to be cleared of mines. 

Russia will not be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism – announced President Joe Biden. The White House explains that this label of Russia will negatively influence Ukraine if the negotiations between the two countries resume. Moreover, it would rupture US-Russia relations. 

Ukraine recaptured several settlements in the Kharkiv region. An unexpected counter-offensive operation in the north-east Kharkiv region near the Russian-occupied city of Izium stretched Russian forces fighting Ukrainian attacks in the South.

War Chronicles: September 2, 2022

The Ukrainian military started counter-offensive operations in the South of Ukraine to retake the occupied land. Weeks before the announcement of offensive actions Ukrainians used long-range weapons provided by the West to damage Russian supply lines.

At least 4 people were killed and 11 injured in Kharkiv after the Russians shelled the recreational areas and residential buildings in the city center.

The U.N. experts visited the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, the physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times. Five IAEA experts will remain at the territory of the facility till September 3 to conduct further investigations. 

3,500 Ukrainian schools out of 12,900 reopened in full-time mode on September 1, the first school day in Ukraine. 4,500 schools will have a mixed type of studying, the rest will educate children online. 269 schools across Ukraine were destroyed and 2,400 were damaged.

The EU will send 5 million tablets of potassium iodide to protect Ukrainian citizens from possible radiation exposures.

War Chronicles: August 26, 2022

The Russia-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid for the first time in its history due to the nearby fires. Later on, the connection was restored. Previously, the power plant has been reported to be used as a Russian military base.

189 air raid alerts were announced during Independence Day in Ukraine on August 24. In different regions, they lasted from 3 to 14 hours. The Ukrainian government banned mass gatherings on August 22-25 as a part of safety precautions. On this day, Ukraine marked 6 months since the February 24 Russian invasion. 

25 civilians, including 2 children, died as a result of a missile attack on the railway station in Chaplyne, Dnipropetrovsk region on August 24. Russia has achieved the goal to bring more terror during Independence Day of Ukraine and marked it with more rocket hits and killing civilians.

Nearly 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since February 24, reported the head of Ukraine's armed forces. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that about 1 million people are defending Ukraine in military or other services.

The US announced $3 billion of military assistance to Ukraine. It’s the largest security package to date. In total, the US support will be $13.6 billion since the full-scale Russian invasion.

War Chronicles: August 19, 2022

Ukrainians crowdfund a $17M radar satellite for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The radar can see through clouds and will provide high-quality pictures for the military. 

Russians attacked a dormitory in Kharkiv at night, killing 17 people and injuring 20. Hearing impaired people and children are known to live in the building. 

A total of 25 vessels have left the Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the Russia-Ukraine grain agreement has been signed. Most of the ships were loaded with corn. Four more vessels with the grain will ship in the days ahead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned people to stay away from Russian military objects in Crimea and in the South of Ukraine. Still, Ukraine hasn’t claimed responsibility for recent explosions in the Russian ammunition depots and a military airfield in Crimea. However, these explosions may mark the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive operation in southern Ukraine.

Over 2,000 people were evacuated from the Donetsk region. Though evacuation is mandatory, some civilians refuse to leave their homes and continue to live under the threat of shelling. Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine announced that the mandatory evacuation will possibly take place in several more areas, including Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions.

War Chronicles: August 11, 2022

Ukraine is starting to resume grain export. The first foreign-flagged ship since February entered the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk to be loaded with grain. Several other ships previously blockaded by Russia departed from the Black Sea ports.

Russians damaged a reactor and radiation monitoring sensors at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after two rounds of missile attacks. One worker got injured. There’s a high risk of radiation leakage and fires, as reported by Enerhoatom.

Russia launched 120 rockets targeting residential areas of the town of Marhanets in two massive rocket attacks this week. 50 houses, 20 residential buildings, and 2 schools were damaged, 13 people killed and 13 injured. The town is situated across the river from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

9 Russian warplanes were destroyed in Crimea on Saky base in a series of blasts. Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the attack. Russian officials report that the explosions were caused by improper aviation ammunition storage. 

More than 600 bedridden people have been evacuated from the fighting areas in the East of Ukraine by a group of volunteers for the past five months.

War Chronicles: August 5, 2022

Russia launched an artillery strike on a prison where Ukrainian POWs were held in Olenivka, Donetsk region, killing 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Ukrainian Armed Forces claim that it was a deliberate attack aimed at hiding the evidence of inhumane crime against Azovstal defenders.

Three ships with 57,000 tons of corn finally departed from Odesa after months of Russia’s blockage of Ukrainian ports. The corn is transported to Turkey, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

8 people were killed and 4 injured after an artillery strike against Toretsk, Bakhmut district in the Donetsk region. More Ukrainians get hurt and killed by the Russian army due to continuous shelling in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Over 300,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Russia’s military officials.

More than 140,000 residential buildings in Ukraine are destroyed since the full-scale invasion. At least 3.5 million Ukrainians are now homeless.

Russia has made 17,300 strikes on civilian facilities and 300 strikes on military ones, according to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. This suggests civilians are targeted 60 times more often.

War Chronicles: July 28, 2022

Russia attacked the Black Sea port of Odesa with 4 missiles hours after signing the agreement on the 20m tons of blockaded grain export. Ukrainian military forces brought down 2 of the missiles. The other two hit the infrastructure of the port. The grain storage remained safe, so the agreement was not affected.

23,894 Russian war crimes are currently under investigation as per the Ukrainian authorities’ reports. For the past 5 months of the full-scale invasion, more than 5,110 civilians have been killed, including 358 children. About 900 medical facilities were damaged or destroyed during this time.

The Ukrainian military shelled the Antonivskyi bridge with U.S.-supplied HIMARS – the only bridge across the Dnipro in the Kherson region. It has been used by Russian forces as the main supply line.

Russian forces advanced in the Donetsk region, claiming to seize the Vuhlehirsk Power Plant and nearby settlements. At the time, Ukrainian forces are gathering in the Kherson region for counter-offensive operations.

War Chronicles: July 22, 2022

The frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war is 2,450km long as of today. It is equivalent to the distance of a car ride from Warsaw to Barcelona.

5 people died, and at least 21 got injured this week in Kharkiv after the Russians shelled the city. One of the missiles hit a public transport stop killing a 13-year-old teenager. 

The city of Dnipro was hit by 6 missiles. Russians have destroyed the industrial facility. A nearby busy street was also hit by missiles. As a result, at least 3 people got killed and 15 injured.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is used as storage for Russian weapons. The largest nuclear plant in Europe has been controlled by over 10,000 Russian soldiers since the first weeks of the full-scale invasion. They use the territory of the plant to shell Nikopol and Dnipro.

The U.N. Refugee Agency reveals that more than 5.6 million refugees from Ukraine were registered in Europe since February 24. More than 2.5 million of them returned home.

The Ukrainian army destroyed at least 6 Russian ammunition depots and several command posts using the weapon provided by the USA and EU. As a result, the intensity of Russian shellings was lowered in Donetsk and Kherson regions.

War Chronicles: July 15, 2022

Russians shelled the center of Vinnytsia targeting business and cultural centers. At least 23 people dead, including 3 children, 15 people were reported missing, and about 90 were injured, 50 of them are in serious condition. The Ukrainian government declared this attack an act of terrorism.

48 people were found dead under the debris of a residential building in the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region. Nine people were rescued. It took five days for the rescuers to clear the rubble after the Russian missile attack.

Russia attacked two major universities in Mykolaiv with at least ten missiles. It happened the day after they destroyed two schools and a stadium in the Southern part of the city. 

Kharkiv continues to suffer from missile strikes which happen every day. The latest targets were residential buildings and a school. Several people are injured. Along with it, the Russian army attacks Kryvyi Rih and the communities of the Zaporizhzhia region. Artillery strikes in the Donetsk region do not stop.

Over 4,480 civilian people including 349 children got killed since the beginning of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, according to OCHA Ukraine. The real numbers might be higher, but they already exceed the number of victims of the 8-year war in the East of Ukraine.

War Chronicles: July 8, 2022

44 children who were kidnapped by the Russian military have now returned to Ukraine. Previously, the children were taken to Russia from temporarily occupied territories. Most of them are orphans or children deprived of parental care.

21 people were killed in Serhiivka, Odesa region, after the Russian missile attack on a residential building and a recreation center. Ukrainian authorities assume it was an act of revenge after the Russians had to withdraw their forces from Snake Island.

More than 10,000 Mariupol residents are held in prisons in the so-called “DPR.” They live there under terrible conditions without having enough water and food. 

Ukrainian forces made a decision to withdraw from Lysychansk to save the lives of the soldiers. After this, Russia claimed control over the whole Luhansk region. Lysychansk was the last stronghold in the region. 

Turkey detained the Russian ship loaded with Ukrainian grain. After an investigation, the vessel sailed out of the Turkish port several days later.

The EU may finish working on the seventh package of sanctions against Russia by the end of July. It will close loopholes from previous sanctions and impose an embargo on Russian gold.

War Chronicles: June 30, 2022

Russian missile hit a mall center in Kremenchuk. There were around 1000 people inside at the moment of the strike. As of now, Ukraine officials report more than 20 killed, 59 injured, and about 40 missing people.

A residential building in the center of Kyiv is damaged by a missile strike. The top three floors are partially destroyed. One man died, his 7-year-old daughter and a wife were taken to the hospital. On that morning, Russia fired 14 missiles at Kyiv and its region.

Russia continues to terrorize civilians. As a result of Kharkiv shelling, 9 people died, and 29 were injured (including 5 children). In Mykolaiv, a missile hit an apartment building, killing 5 people.

144 Ukrainian soldiers were released from Russian captivity in prison exchange. In particular, 95 Azovstal defenders are among them. The oldest fighter is 65, and the youngest is 19.

Ukrainian forces recaptured the Snake (Zmiinyi) Island after hitting it with rocket and artillery strikes. Russians left the island reporting their evacuation as “the act of goodwill” to give Ukraine the opportunity to export grain and avoid a food crisis in the world.

War Chronicles: June 24, 2022

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine obtained technical documents on the Crimean (Kerch) Bridge. The information contains details about the whole structure of the bridge complex. This is the number one priority goal for the Ukrainian military.

Ukrainian forces withdraw from Severodonetsk. The city suffered months of heavy fighting and shelling, being the main focus of the Russians in the Luhansk region. It is reported that 90% of the city is damaged, and 80% of residential buildings will have to be demolished - they are not subject to restoration.

More than 1,500 Ukrainian civilians are illegally held captive in Russian prisons. By international law, civilians do not have a special status to be exchanged.

The water crisis in Mariupol. Citizens have to get non-potable water from puddles. The city occupants boast of the restored water supply, but civilians still experience a major shortage.

Ukraine has been granted candidate status to join the European Union. This is the first official step to joining the organization.

War Chronicles: June 16, 2022

The Russian army has been intensively shelling the Sumy region. The enemy is burning the territory of the Luhansk region, and fighting continues in the Donetsk region along the entire front line.

Heavy fighting continues in the Izium direction in the Kharkiv region. In the Kherson region, houses are destroyed, people get killed and wounded, infrastructure and the river bank are mined, and looting and kidnapping of residents continue. 

The casualties of the Ukrainian military on average range from 200 to 500, not to mention the significant number of wounded.

318 Ukrainian children have been killed and more than 581 injured according to official information from juvenile prosecutors.

The third meeting took place in the Rammstein format. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine stressed that the partners will continue to support Ukraine. As a result of the meeting, it was agreed that Ukraine will receive more weapons. In particular, helicopters, artillery, MLRS, 155-mm guns, HIMARS, Harpoons, and more.

By the end of 2022, 10,000 Mariupol residents may die from infectious diseases, as reported by the Mariupol City Council.

Russian occupiers intend to open a new theatre season at the bombed-out Drama Theater in Mariupol in September. Let’s remember that on March 16, the occupying forces dropped a heavy bomb on this theater. As a result, about 600 people died inside and outside the building.

Numerous wheat fields and forests are on fire all over Ukraine due to enemy shelling.

War Chronicles: June 9, 2022

Russian aggressors continue to actively shell the east and south of Ukraine, resulting in casualties in Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions.

The most difficult situation remains in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. Here, Russian invaders continue to shell the region and look for weaknesses in the defense of Severodonetsk, one of the key strategic cities in the east. As a result, civilians get killed and there are numerous destructions.

Large-scale fires broke out, killing two people and injuring four after the enemy shelling of Kharkiv and the region on the evening of June 8 and June 9.

The Russian military is actively mining the occupied territory of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

There has been a medical collapse in occupied Mariupol, and the city is short of drugs and doctors.

Russian occupants began to export grain from the occupied Melitopol by trains.

The United States has sent another batch of M777 trailed howitzers as part of a military aid package to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.

War Chronicles: June 2, 2022

About 20% of Ukraine's territory is now under the control of the Russian occupiers, they control 2,603 ​​settlements, and 1,017 settlements have already been liberated by Ukraine.

The Russians are constantly firing missiles all over Ukraine. Dozens of newly damaged infrastructure facilities are in Lviv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and other regions. Most of the Russian military is shelling the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.

The worst situation is in the Luhansk region - shelling from various types of weapons continues everywhere. Severodonetsk, a strategic city in this region, is 80% under Russian occupation.

Some of the defenders of Mariupol from Azovstal, who surrendered to the Russian military, were placed in pre-trial detention centers in Russia. Some fighters were brought to an "improvised filtration center" in the village of Olenivka in the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic. They are awaiting trial.

According to Zelenskyy, around 60-100 Ukrainian servicemen die at the front every day, and another 500 are wounded.

The Kremlin says it is not yet possible to hold "referendums" in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Washington will send Ukraine a new military aid package that includes HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. This was announced on June 1 by US President Joe Biden.

War Chronicles: May 26, 2022

The Ukraine-Russia war has been going on for three months now. During this time, at least 22 thousand residents of Mariupol died.

The international human rights organization Amnesty International called on Russia to respect the rights of Ukrainian prisoners, defenders of Azovstal, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. While defending Mariupol, these Ukrainian prisoners were dehumanized by the Russian media and portrayed as "neo-Nazis". Such circumstances cause serious concern about the fate of Ukrainian combatants as prisoners in the temporarily occupied territories.

The offensive of the invaders is mostly concentrated in the Luhansk region. The hottest spots are Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. The shelling of Severodonetsk is not stopping for a week and a half, the housing stock there is 90% damaged. Due to enemy shelling, the Luhansk region was left without a gas supply.

Russia launched missile strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Dnipro, and Kharkiv regions. The head of the Kharkiv regional military administration said that the Russian invaders are preparing to resume the offensive in the Kharkiv region.

The satellite recorded the movement of cargo ships in the occupied port of Mariupol, where the occupiers can take out metal and grain.

Almost 2,000 children have gone missing in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Most requests are from Donetsk (including Mariupol), Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.

War Chronicles: May 20, 2022

The Russian occupiers dropped 714 tons of air bombs at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol during the last month.

Starting May 16, 959 Ukrainian soldiers defending the Azovstal plant in Mariupol have surrendered to Russian captivity. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 1,730 Azov fighters, including 80 wounded, have left Azovstal for today. Ukraine hopes to return all military personnel taken from Mariupol in the process of exchange.

After several days of relative calm, the Russian occupiers resumed devastating shelling in Kharkiv and settlements in the region.

Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been under constant attacks. The city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region has been hit by air missiles. There is significant destruction of civilian infrastructure.

According to official data from juvenile prosecutors, at least 232 children were killed and 427 wounded as a result of Russia's full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine.

The Russian Senator hints that the occupied territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions may become part of Russia. 

Ukrainians continue to return home - in the past 24 hours 41,000 people have crossed the country's western border. However, millions of Ukrainian refugees have to stay abroad, as lots of them lost their homes, worked, or lived in the occupied territory or where the war attacks continue.

War Chronicles: May 12, 2022

Ukrainians who flee from the occupied territories are forced to pass through “filtration camps” organized by Russia, which involve strip search, detention, harsh questioning, and other abuse.

Around 10,800 Ukrainian refugees are forcibly taken to Russia and sent to remote camps in a network of former Soviet sanatoriums in the Far East regions including Siberia, the Caucasus, and the Arctic Circle. Being over 5,500 miles away from their home, the lack of money and documents makes it almost impossible for these people to return.

On May 8, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) together with the international community made a statement on Ukraine and pledged further economic isolation of Russia in support of the Ukrainian people and their resistance to this ongoing war.

On May 9, Joe Biden signs The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 aimed at supplying Ukraine with military equipment required to fight against Russia.

The Ukrainian army continues to push back the Russian troops in the Kharkiv region and liberate more villages in suburbs from the so-called “Russian world”. The situation in the southeast is still intense as the Russian troops continue to destroy the cities.

War Chronicles: May 5, 2022

Massive air strikes cause new destructions across the entire country in the main cities of Odesa, Kiyv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk. The situation in the Donbas intensifies as Ukrainian forces strengthen their defense.

The UN and ICRC have coordinated a safe passage operation and successfully evacuated 101 civilians from the Azov steel plant in Mariupol. Nearly 200 are still trapped under the plant, and about 100,000 civilians remain without help in the city. Russians intend to turn Azovstal into ashes with more and more severe attacks.

Russian troops continue using phosphorus ammunition to shell the Donetsk region even though the chemical weapon is banned and considered inhumane by the Geneva Convention.

Russian soldiers steal about 400,000 tonnes of grain from occupied territories in the south of Ukraine, as reported by Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister. Further stealing will put millions of people at risk of poverty and famine.

World economists predict higher prices on basic food items as the war in Ukraine continues. Ukraine is one of the largest suppliers of vegetable oil and grain. The crops and export are at risk this year, which might cause a major food shortage crisis.

EU negotiates a plan to ban the import of Russian oil by the end of 2022 in terms of a new round of sanctions against the aggressor.

War Chronicles: April 28, 2022

The southeast regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia are under continuous shelling. More missiles are fired at Odesa, Kremenchuk, Vinnytsia, Lviv, and other parts of Ukraine causing more deaths and injuries to civilians.

Russia plans to force the mobilization of Ukrainian men in the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in order to send them to the frontline to fight against their own army.

The Azovstal plant in Mariupol is being bombarded despite Putin’s official statement of canceling the attack provided on April 21. Hundreds of civilians await evacuation but the Russians won’t release them. Humanitarian corridors are canceled due to shelling.

Russia openly states that Transnistria is the next step in their so-called “special operation”. Transnistria is an unrecognized Moscow-backed region in Moldova that borders the southwest part of Ukraine. Several explosions cause the destabilization of the territory.

EU adopts the sixth round of sanctions on Russia. 75% of foreign companies limited their operations in Russia. About 750 businesses have publicly announced their withdrawal from the Russian market.

War Chronicles: April 21, 2022

Ukraine continues to fight back against Russian forces in the most heated southeast regions. Russia severely shells and attacks the Donbas. However, Ukrainian forces managed to repel their attempts to advance on the control line on the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The situation in the city of Mariupol is critical. According to the estimates, 5,000 to 20,000 people have died in this area so far. Azov battalion defending the area continues to resist heavy attacks from Russia. Most of these attacks are aimed at the Azovstal metallurgical plant, which has become a shelter for hundreds of civilians, including children. It is a strategically important object on the battlefield, which is still under the control of Ukraine forces.

As the tension in the southeast increases, Russia makes new attacks by air firing missiles at other areas of Ukraine, including the city of Lviv on the West, where over a million Ukrainians have sought asylum. The fighting in the Kharkiv area also intensifies. The civilians who were still staying in the region are asked to evacuate.

The US and Europe continue supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons and military aid. Russia faces a new stage of imposed sanctions. More companies are drawing out of the market.

War Chronicles: April 14, 2022

On April 7, the United Nations General Assembly suspended Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council over the number of violations and abuses of human rights reported in Ukraine. In response, Russia starts threatening the UN with “consequences” via anonymous notes sent to the UN members.

The Russian military has redeployed to the east of Ukraine forcing civilians in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to evacuate. More than 600,000 Ukrainians were evacuated to Russia against their will. Air shelling and rocket attacks continue in different parts of Ukraine, destroying entire infrastructure and houses of cities and villages.

The US senate anonymously approves a Lend-Lease for Ukraine that once helped to beat Hitler in WWII. This program will provide Ukraine’s military with the necessary equipment to help fend off Russian troops without time-consuming procedures.

52 civilians were killed and over 100 received injuries as a result of a “Tochka-U” missile hit at the railroad station in Kramatorsk, the city in the Donetsk region. Russian military officials deny the claim stating that their army didn’t have any firing tasks.

Estimated 20,000 civilians are killed in Mariupol. The city is almost entirely destroyed. Russians are covering their tracks and massive killing of civilians in Mariupol by burning the dead in mobile crematoria. Azov battalion defending the area reports that Russians used chemical weapons from the air in Mariupol causing a great number of civilian casualties. Proceeding with this attack, Russian invaders also blew up tanks with nitric acid in Donetsk.

War Chronicles: April 5, 2022

As Russian forces pull out of Bucha and Irpin, more evidence of their war crimes appear. The mayor of Bucha, Anatoliy Fedoruk, reported that 410 civilians were killed. Fifty-seven people are buried in a mass grave. Dead civilians lie scattered over the streets with their hands tied. These people wore no uniforms. They were civilians with bikes, their hands still gripping bags with products, some of them were killed right in front of the doors of their houses.

Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the UN security council meeting and says that Russian troops are ‘no different from terrorists’. The United Nations human rights office spokesperson, Liz Throssell, agrees that Russians appear to have directly killed and targeted civilians in Bucha.

European Union proposes new sanctions including the Russian coal ban, blocking Russian ships from European ports, and further isolating Russian oligarchs. France, Italy, Germany, and other countries expelled 149 Russian diplomats.

Russian military keeps moving its troops to the East of Ukraine to support their goal of establishing control of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russian shellings of Kharkiv, Mykolayiv, and Zaporizhzhia continue.

War Chronicles: March 31, 2022

Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have brought the first signs of progress since the beginning of the invasion. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul, on March, 29 to discuss peace opportunities. Russia says it will significantly cut back operations in the north of the country, near Kyiv and the city of Chernihiv.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky doubts Russia’s promise to withdraw the troops. Some Russian troops have moved away from the area, however, he says it's not a withdrawal, but rather “a consequence of the work of our defenders.”

Ukraine and Russia will resume online negotiations on April,1st.

War Chronicles: March 22, 2022

According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces have lost more than 15,300 soldiers, 99 aircrafts, 123 helicopters, 509 tanks, and other artillery since the beginning of the invasion.

Russian military keeps attacking civilians in Ukrainian cities. At least 4 people have been killed after a shelling attack on a residential area and a shopping center in Kyiv. The Russian forces dropped cluster bombs on a hotel, park, and a hospital in the center of Mykolayiv. Three private houses were destroyed and ten more were damaged as a result of the shelling in the Zhytomyr region.

A 96-year-old man who survived in Nazi concentration camps in Bergen-Belsen and Buchenwald was killed by an explosion during the Russian military attack in Kharkiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists on direct talks with Vladimir Putin. He says he is ready for the meeting in any format as it’s the only way to stop the war.

950 trucks with goods for Belarus and Russia have been blocked by Ukrainian and Polish volunteers.

Germany and Qatar have agreed upon a long-term energy partnership that will help to end dependency on Russian gas.

War Chronicles: March 17, 2022

On March 16, Russian forces dropped a bomb on a theater in Mariupol despite satellite images showing a huge word “Children” written on the ground. Hundreds of people had been sheltering there. Sergiy Taruta, the local MP, has recently announced that people survived and are successfully coming out of the shelter.

The United Nations’ International Court of Justice has ordered Russia to halt military actions in Ukraine immediately. They have not found any evidence that Ukraine was committing genocide against Russian-speakers in the Eastern part of the country. Only Chinese and Russian judges voted against the order.

Joe Biden has denounced Vladimir Putin as a war criminal after Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky spoke to Congress on March 16, 2022. He keeps asking the U.S. to provide a no-fly zone, to escalate sanctions and other penalties on Russia.

German leaders state that NATO will not risk the escalation in Ukraine by intervening with military force and sending fighter jets. They will send humanitarian, financial aid as well as military goods, according to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Ukrainian city Chernihiv is suffering great losses. There have been continuous artillery and air strikes, more than 50 people have been found dead.

War Chronicles: March 11, 2022

The Ukrainian army valiantly resists Russian occupiers. Russian forces have lost more than 12,500 soldiers, 57 aircrafts, 83 helicopters, 353 tanks and other artillery according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Vladimir Putin approved bringing “volunteer” fighters from the Middle East to Ukraine. More than 16,000 can be involved according to the speech of Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu at the meeting of Russia’s Security Council.

Ukrainian officials warned that Russia and Belarus are preparing a provocation in order to push Lukashenko to participate in war. At 14:40 Russian aviation has attacted Belarus from the Ukrainian side.

Dozens of major companies suspended their business in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. However, there are still large international firms that continue operating in the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine suggests consumers from all over the world boycotting such companies and their products as the taxes they pay support Russia’s military aggression.

War Chronicles: March 10, 2022

The maternity and the children’s hospitals in Mariupol were destroyed by a Russian airstrike. At least three people have died and seventeen were injured, including pregnant women and children, according to Ukrainian officials.

Chernobyl nuclear station is at risk and can be a threat to the whole world. It was disconnected from the power grid because of the military actions of Russian occupiers. Emergency diesel generators will be working only for 48 hours. Unless Russia ceases fire and allows repairs, the cooling systems of the storage facility will stop, making radiation leaks imminent.

U.S. officials warn Russia could use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine after Russia accused Ukraine of developing chemical and bioweapon without any evidence and planning a false-flag chemical weapon attack.

U.S. House passes $13 bn Ukrainian aid bill which includes $6.8 bn to provide economic aid and to care for refugees and $6.5 bn to send weapons and troops to Eastern Europe.

Evacuation is in progress, however, authorities struggle to get people away from war zones. More than 40,000 civilians were evacuated. However, people in Mariupol still can’t leave the city and are being shelled by Russian troops.

Russian and Ukrainian Ministers of foreign affairs failed to make progress on ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine on negotiations in Antalya. It was the first time top diplomats met since the beginning of the invasion.

Ukraine and millions of people all over the world keep asking NATO to close the sky as it’s the only way to protect civilians under Russian shelling.

Image source:Yeva.hart

War Chronicles: March 9, 2022

Ukrainian resistance is so powerful that it continues to impress Russia and the whole world. Their army valiantly resists occupying forces and stages counter-attacks against Russian troops. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Mariupol are constantly being attacked, however, Russian invaders still failed to advance further into the cities.

As of March 9, 2022, Russia has lost more than 12,000 soldiers due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces reports. More than 1,000 Ukrainians, including 50 children, were killed or injured at the hands of Russian occupiers.

The Russian military seizes Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, uses weapons with wide-area effects in populated urban areas. Because of shelling many people are cut off from food, water, heat and medical supplies which causes a humanitarian crisis.

The third round of negotiations ended up with the agreement to open the humanitarian corridors. However, the evacuation was under the threat in several cities when Russian troops opened fire. There are casualties among the civilian population - families and children, who were shot during the evacuation. Nevertheless, after several failed attempts to create humanitarian corridors, the evacuation of people from the hot spots has already started.

Russia has become the world’s most sanctioned country, dwarfing Iran and North Korea. It has been disconnected from SWIFT, which made international currency transactions impossible. European countries closed their airspace for Russian airlines. The world’s leading companies have temporarily suspended their business operations in Russia. Among them are Apple, Ikea, Microsoft, McDonald's, Shell, Visa, Mastercard, and many others.

The war has already influenced the financial sector as well - the ruble drops to historic low in international trading.

While Russia is being banned, Ukraine gets support from all over the world. Foreign military and doctors arrive in the country, arms supplies and humanitarian aid are being provided. However, until NATO provides a no-fly zone over Ukraine, new strikes and casualties are inevitable. Ukraine and its leaders keep asking NATO to close the sky. Today Kyiv Classic Orchestra plays a concert on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in support of the appeal to world leaders to provide a no-fly zone.

How the War Started

Ukraine is a sovereign nation that chose democracy after freeing itself from the former Soviet Union’s 70-year domination.  Putin wishes to re-absorb all or part of Ukraine. Ukrainians want to remain free and in a state of self-determination.  

The Ukrainians are outnumbered, outgunned, and under-funded.  Despite this, the Ukrainian people have vowed to fight this attack on their sovereignty and freedom.  

Why Does PissedConsumer.com Care About Ukraine?

Most of the PissedConsumer.com team is based in Eastern Ukraine. For the past 15 years, we nurtured democracy and built a website that supports freedom of speech for consumers all over the world.  

PissedConsumer supports Democracy. Ukraine supports Democracy and freedom of speech.  

PissedConsumer community stands firmly alongside Ukraine. It’s the biggest crisis in the heart of Europe since World War II, so it’s a threat not only to Ukraine but to the whole world. Through a joint effort we can help Ukraine win this war and restore the destruction caused by the Russian army.

History of the Conflict

Putin is a former KGB agent who came to power in Russia and has viciously slapped down any attempts to challenge his authority.  He has imprisoned or killed opposition leaders, and speaking out against him will usually land you in jail.  The fall of the USSR promised a new era of freedom and democracy in Eastern Europe, and while that bloomed in much of the former Warsaw Pact, Russia remains in as tight of an authoritarian grip as it was under the Communists.  

At this point, the Russian government has ordered all Russian media to censor information about the war.  Despite this, the word is spreading in Russia as well, and there have been protests against the invasion.  However, those protests were shut down and thousands of peaceful protesters are in jail.  

While Russia has a massive and well-equipped military, the Ukrainian army is strong, disciplined, well-trained, and standing to defend their homeland despite devastating odds.  Ukrainians maintain their faith that their army and civilian support can hold off this Russian aggression.  

The United States and NATO have given Ukraine aid in the past and pledged to defend it.  But now that the time has come, the Ukrainian people stand-alone, as their cities are bombed, their lands invaded, and an occupation force sweeps across the country.  Despite this, the Ukrainian spirit is unbroken.  But they can not hold out against these odds forever, without help.  

Americans, think of your own history.  There was a time when America was an underdog, fighting the greatest military power in the world.  You were outnumbered and poorly supplied.  But, you had the one advantage that you were fighting for your freedom.  You did not do it alone, however.  Friends of your liberty sent aid, and the rest is history.  For hundreds of years after that, America was a beacon of hope for all who wanted freedom.  Americans fought and died in wars not to defend their own freedom, but to defend the freedom of others. 

Ukrainians Need Your Help

Can you really stand by and do nothing?  The US government has taken military intervention off the table.  The US government is not even, at this point, willing to impose the strongest economic sanctions on Russia.  This is the position of the US government, but we believe that this is not the position of the American people.  

Americans, if you care for the people of Ukraine and you care about defending democracies from invasion by authoritarians, at least let your leaders know this.  While Ukrainians are huddled in bomb shelters and fighting against overwhelming odds, could you suffer the tiny inconvenience of making a phone call? 

Just a phone call? 

1. Go to ziplook.house.gov Here you can enter your zip code and find your congressional representative.
2. Call the 202 number listed and ask for your representative’s office.
3. Somebody at your representative’s office will answer. Give them your name and zip code where you live, telling them you’re a constituent. Then share your most passionate thoughts and opinions. These office workers collect constituents’ opinions on various topics, and congressmen use these notes to gauge how they should act and vote.  Be polite.  Be civil.  But be clear that you want your government to represent your feelings – that America must stand with Ukraine and support its struggle against this invasion.  

Ukrainians need your help!

Your voice will help.  

Please share this message to help stop WW3 that may come to your doorstep, too, if Ukraine fails to stop the aggression.

Share the truth and pray for Ukraine.