Today has been a terrible day in the World history.
I woke up to hear the news about the Russian invasion in Ukraine. But people in Ukraine wole up to the sound of explosions and sirens.
The situation has been bad for a long a while, but it really shocked me to watch the violent military actions that Putin has commanded.
The Ukrainian President Zalenskyy quotes: “Russia treacherously attacked our state in the morning, as Nazi Germany did in #2WW years. As of today, our countries are on different sides of world history. Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself & won’t give up its freedom no matter what Moscow thinks.”
—And this is so important, to keep fighting for freedom! —
I consider freedom and independence as a human right, unfortunately we take it for granted when we have it - but there are people out there fighting just to keep their own independent state.
And.. there are people right at this moment, who are escaping from military attacks, missils and armed solidiers.
We need to support these civilians, whose home and country are being bombed and ruined. Kids, elders, families who can’t be safe in their own home.
This is the Ukraine National Embled and the Ukraine Flag in different editions.
These are the first 2 items I made exclusive, because I want to donate the money I get from it to the Ukraine people, who at the moment are refugees, forced to seek safety beyond borders. Every single penny will be donated and I will put in one dollar myself for each donation.
If you just want to support Ukraine, and show that you care about the Ukraine People, please just share this post so as many as possible will be aware of the horrible situation.
All my thoughts are with the Ukraine, I support you, I stand with you
The Polish borders are open and the government has stated that as many refugees as possible will be able to come to Poland.
Below, some links that might be useful. I apologize in advance that the list is very Poland-centered, but these are the sources that I was able to verify as a Polish person.
You are more than welcome to add more verified information and links!
⬆️ The website of the Polish government with all the information regarding crossing the Polish border and help for the refugees. As of now, the website is available in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and English.
⬆️ Blank forms that will help you cross the border with your pet. There is also legal background information in Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian. The documents have been prepared by a legal professional. In order to cross the border with your pet, the pet needs to be mocrochipped and vaccinated against rabies. These are the only requirements as of now, you don’t need a passport for your pet.
⬆️ You can send them an e-mail if you’re pregnant or have just given birth, they will provide help and support free of charge (consultations are held in English or in Polish).
I will hopefully be adding more links.
To everyone else:
If you have the means to do so, please consider giving your financial support.
⬆️ A verified fundraising campaign by the Polish Humanitarian Action. The money will be used to buy food, sanitary products and other supplies for those in need.
Feel free to add more verified links and information!
CORRECTION: your pet doesn’t have to be vaccinated or microchipped, it can be done at the Polish border!
polish government has opened a website for ukrainians seeking safety and trying to cross the ukrainian-polish border:
ua.gov.pl
as of 13:10 polish time, it has been said as many people as possible will be let through the borders. they are also supposed to let through children who do not have passports, as to not divide families.
If you are looking for an emergency exit from Ukraine, Poland will open EIGHT safety points on the border with Ukraine (you will get warm food, medical help and from there you will be guided to safety) in two of our voivodeships: lubelskie and podkarpackie. It is confirmed by the Polish Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Paweł Szefernaker.
A friend of mine told me yesterday that he didn’t realise how much Ukraine meant to him until now. I posted yesterday about the time we spent there, and we’re all getting super pre-occupied about the invasion. As I said in that post, I can’t get our waitress out of my head. I can sort of remember what she looked like now. She had an undercut. I think maybe her hair might have been blue? But - I will never know if she lives through this, and it’s driving me very slightly mad.
So naturally, my husband spent all day yesterday obsessively researching everything he could about it with the help of his journalist friends, as a way to help me process it.
This post is me putting it all in order, as a way to try and process my own emotional response as much as anything else (I freely admit there is an element of self-indulgence here). Please don’t take me as the spokesperson for Ukraine right now, nor as a solid reliable news source. But, I haven’t seen this stuff except in bits and pieces on Tumblr, so here we go.
(This is also not about whythe invasion has happened. This post is solely about whathas happened, and how the invasion is going.)
So, Putin and the rest of the world believed that this invasion would take 1-4 days. The plan was to push through fast, take Kyiv, and force Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, to surrender. Given Russia’s military might, it really looked likely.
Here is the conclusion of all that’s happened so far:
Ukraine is absolutely nailing this??? Actually???
They managed to defend every single city overnight, including Kyiv. They started rolling out and using these WW2-style anti-tank thingies that look a bit like angry gabbions, look, here’s a picture of one being delivered:
A bunch of spare iron girders turned into a hefty octopus of Russian misery, basically.
But it’s not just tanks they’re taking down, oh no. Ukraine successfully shot down a transport plane 20km from Kyiv. That is, I shit you not, the single biggest hit to the Russian military since the Second Chechen War. Volunteers from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Azerbaijan and Israel are all entering Ukraine to help fight and bolster the anti-Russian forces, which is probably illustrative of how Eurovision voting is going to run for the next decade. Most countries have banned Russian planes from their air space. To help stop the Russian advance, Ukraine has made and installed new road signs, like this one:
I can only say a handful of sentences in Ukrainian, Tumblrs, but as I understand it, from top to bottom, it says:
“Fuck off”
“Fuck off again”
“Fuck off Russia”
Meanwhile, it turns out the Russian military might we feared is… possibly not quite as advertised?
They’re underfunded and badly trained. Ukraine captured 200 soldiers in one go, and most of them were confused 19 year olds with no training. The equipment is shite. The tanks keep running out of fuel. Russian soldiers keep abandoning their tanks and handing them over to the Ukrainian army. Putin’s plan was to take Kyiv fast and move on, and he didn’t have a plan B - hence these kids, playing soldier. Here is an image of a Russian tank receiving roadside assistance from Russia’s finest, an old Lada.
No one expected Zelenskyy to survive the night; but he did. America offered him asylum in the White House.
But he said no.
Zelenskyy remains in Kyiv, with his people.
And Putin, in his desperation to be adored, has turned Zelenskyy into a global icon and hero.
Here is something you may not know about Volodymyr Zelenskyy - he used to be a standup comedian. Was he any good? No idea - but what he IS good at is producing funny short videos he can put on Twitter and that, which are absolutely fantastic for Ukrainian morale. And morale is vital in an invasion like this, and Ukraine are smashing it out of the park there.
They are utilising the internet to its fullest extent. In addition to Zelenskyy’s videos, they’ve made sure that the final words of the Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island are known and now echoed around the world: “Russian warship, go fuck yourselves.” A video has gone viral of Ukrainians mocking a group of Russian soldiers whose tank had broken down and who didn’t know the way to Kyiv anyway, presumably because of all the new road signs. They have created a website that lists every single Russian death they can identify, partly so Russian mothers can have closure (thus also painting themselves as the defenders of decency and humanity), and partly for the enormous morale boost of the world knowing, categorically, that they’ve already killed 3700 Russian soldiers (over 100 of which were from that transport plane.) Not one word has leaked of Ukrainian casualties. I’m sure they’re devastating, but for morale purposes, they’re being kept quiet until the dust settles. Ukrainians have started setting up fake Tindr profiles to catfish Russian soldiers for intel, and they’re all 19 and lost, so it’s working. Plus, they’re using Grindr to actually track where the soldiers are, because it turns out Putin was not entirely correct about there being no gays in Russia.
So, Russia wants to cut their internet access. Can the Ukrainian Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, shame a billionaire into providing aid?
This is crucial, remember. Atrocities happen best in the dark, and the world is watching - because of the internet. Morale is vital to maintain. Can they convince Elon Musk to help?
Yep.
Ukraine now has the fastest internet service in the world. The fastest, most stable internet service in human history, in fact. Russia cannot now disable it. The world watches.
Which is just as well, because then Anonymous decided to get involved, and have leaked the website database of the Russian Ministry of Defence. Lol. Also this happens:
And then the Russian propaganda channels started broadcasting the truth of what is happening in Ukraine. Double lol.
So what is the political response?
Well, in addition to closing airspace to Russian planes, loads of countries are sending weapons to Ukraine. Those that can’t are offering asylum. They’re also offering asylum to any Russian soldiers who surrender or defect, which is startlingly good tactics, and there are rumours of around 5000 Russian soldiers who have done just that. Germany, of course, has long had a block on lethal weapons transfer; but Germany recognise this shit for what it is. They’ve lifted the block, thus allowing the Netherlands to send weapons. Efforts are now underway to fast-track Ukraine into the EU. I presume they will consider the lack of pint glasses with crowns on to be a worthwhile price to pay.
So what about Russia’s supporters?
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenka helped Russia with this invasion. Now, this has happened:
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was actually elected president, but some wild nonsense kept her out of power. She’s now running a government in exile. I have literally no idea what this means or will mean! But my god. She has a spine of steel, and this is not a good time to be happening for Putin.
And it’s really, really not, because then intel on a meeting of Putin and assembled Oligarchs LEAKS (hello Anonymous, probably). The highlights:
This war is costing Russia $15bn a day
He expected it to take ONE TO FOUR DAYS TO WIN
It’s been two days and he is losing very badly, currently
They will run out of rockets by day 4, maybe sooner
After that they will be down to rifles and ammo
It will take 3-4 months to make more significant weapons, except they need raw materials, and the countries that can provide them… have cut supply lines
If the war lasts 10 days, Russia will have completely run out of money and weapons
It’s only day 2, and Russian soldiers are knocking the doors of random Ukrainian homes begging for food and water because they’ve already run out
So, out of desperation, Putin turns to his greatest, closest and most trusted ally for help: Kazakhstan.
And Kazakhstan
SAYS NO
And then Ukraine shoots down a second Russian plane.
Anyway, I’m going to finish off with a final point. Morale is vital in this situation, so here is the message from the Ukrainian government at the minute, to everyone watching around the world:
Be VERY SUSPICIOUS of any negative news about Ukraine. Russia uses misinformation and propaganda. They will want to damage Ukrainian morale.
Use your social media to spread news of Ukrainian victories.
Don’t give oxygen to negative stories. Especially since they might not be true.
That’s genuinely something we can do to help. Every victory of Ukraine, blast it far and wide. So on that note, I’ll leave you with this:
Congrats to Natalia Antonova’s cousin’s son.
Those WW2 anti-tank thingies are known as Czech hedgehogs. They were widely used by the Soviet Union in WW2 to defend against German tanks invading Russia. To the point where there is a memorial in Russia that comprises of three giant Czech hedgehogs.
I consider it a marvellous piece of irony that they’re now being used to stop Russian tanks invading Ukraine.
I have been running this blog since 2015. It is about the beauty of nature, elves and magic. For me, it’s a peaceful place to take my mind off reality. There has never been politics here. But now I feel the need to speak. It hurts to see posts where foreigners talk about the situation in Ukraine, knowing nothing about the real state of affairs. You’re not right.
I will ask those who have just remembered about pacifism: “Where were you all the time when the war was going on in Donbass?”
I was born and raised in Donbass. Of course you don’t know what it is. This is a region of the former Russian Empire, settled at the end of the 18th century, under Peter the Great, when coal deposits were discovered. After the collapse of the USSR, the region became part of Ukraine. Its economy is based on heavy industry. Its population came from different parts of the Russian Empire, different nationalities. Among my ancestors there were several Don Cossacks (who have nothing to do with the Zaporizhian Cossacks). We speak Russian. By nature, the people of Donbass are harsh, strong, hardworking and proud. We are different from the population of central Ukraine. We are not close to the Ukrainian “national idea”, which was actively propagated, it has always been something alien.
The split between east and west of Ukraine became especially sharp in 2005, when one part of the country supported the pro-Russian presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych, and the other part supported the pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko. Yanukovych, who was prime minister at the time, won the election with a 3% advantage. Yushchenko organized mass protests (“Orange Revolution”), after which, bypassing the law, another election was held, which gave him victory. In the Western regions of Ukraine, 80-90% of the population voted for Yushchenko, in the East and South, 80-90% supported Yanukovych.
Yushchenko’s rule was not successful. In 2010, Yanukovych was elected president. I personally voted for him and fully supported him. In 2014 a new protest action was organized in Kyiv, like “Orange Revolution”, but this time more aggressive. Confrontations with the military began, there were casualties. The “Maidan” participants demanded the president’s resignation and new elections. Yanukovych acted softly and hesitantly, he did not want to show aggression towards the protesters. When the situation finally got out of hand, he fled. Power in Ukraine was seized.
The population of those areas that generally supported the president was dissatisfied and frightened. We were not close to nationalist slogans; we did not want to obey a government that we did not elect, which voices goals that are unacceptable to us. Crimea and Donbass refused to recognize the new government. Crimea as part of Ukraine had the status of an autonomous republic, its authorities acted within the law when they held a referendum and the inhabitants unanimously voted in favor of joining Russia. I was there, believe me, it was not coercion. People were happy. Donbass (Donetsk and Lugansk regions) also declared its independence. Ukraine reacted with military aggression; people were declared separatists and terrorists. A military conflict began, which lasted almost 8 years and ended only thanks to Putin (actually, didn`t fully ended, but will soon I hope).
The whole world was silent when the Ukrainian troops bombed the houses of civilians, when we hid in basements and every day we were afraid not to wake up in the morning. Over time, you get used to everything, and already the explosions do not seem to be something unusual. Many residents of Donbass left, abandoned their homes. They were accepted in Russia. Many stayed. After the Minsk Agreements, the offensive of the Ukrainian army on the DPR/LPR stopped, but they did not stop shelling cities and villages. They often placed their equipment among residential buildings, using people as human shields. Zelensky said that Ukrainians do not hate the people of Donbass and want peace, but we have seen hatred and aggression, pleasure in killing and looting. Ukrainian punishers brutally destroyed civilians. You may watch Ukraine on Fire by Oliver Stone, or some documentaries by BBC from 2014 (about Azov etc.), or maybe this series of documentaries, the most bloody and detailed. There is a lot of information, and it has always been available on the Internet. You just didn’t want to see it.
This conflict was not initiated by Russia. Not Russia destroyed our civilians. But it was Russia that helped us with humanitarian aid all this time. Now that Russia has finally stood up for us, this is real happiness. The people of Donetsk were crying and hugging. We only want peace for our land. We couldn’t just give up, we would be destroyed, Ukraine doesn’t need people of Donbass with our position. Yes, what Russia is doing now is an invasion. And I understand that many Ukrainians are afraid for their lives. But this is not what we endured for these 8 years. Russian troops do not touch civilians and act as carefully and precisely as possible in order to destroy military equipment. It’s true, there are a lot of videos on the net from Ukrainians who calmly film and comment while tanks drive by. The less resistance, the less victims. It is a crime to call on your citizens to fight and give their lives, knowing that there is no chance. The Ukrainian authorities should not have placed weapons among residential buildings if they did not want victims. What do they want to achieve by distributing weapons to the civilian population? Why not evacuate them outside of the fighting? It seems that pro-American power in Ukraine specifically want to create the appearance of Russian aggression and get as much victims, destruction as possible.
Unfortunately, sometimes it takes war to achieve peace. Now I understand it. We really want peace now and in the future. It is impossible as long as people with militaristic position are at the head of Ukraine. And the US supports them. Putin for a long time was asking to stop the war in the Donbass, there were many negotiations. But the position of Zelenskiy was to continue the conflict.
I understand that this story will be unpleasant for many of you. I don’t mind if you unfollow. So it goes.
So while we definitely should be talking about everything else that is happening in Ukraine, we should also be talking about the fact that black immigrants and students (who are also Ukrainians.) are being prevented from entering Poland in order to escape from the war that is happening, and it is disgusting that nobody else but black people and black blogs are talking about this and bringing this up. I had to find out about this shit on a black blog. Which isn’t surprising at all.
Y’all better talk about this, and now. Especially when Ukraine, as does every other white country, has a history of white nationalism/nazism, which is only getting worse because they see black people as disposable.
White people will always be quick to be silent when black people need help.
Black Ukrainians are also Ukrainians. Remember that.
~ Pinkie.
This is disgusting.
This is fake news.
Lots of Nigerian students got stuck in Ukraine when the war broke out and they are all accepted in Poland at the borders.
Stop spreading the misinformation. Poland is helping as much as we can. Trying to belittle that is simply wrong.
You have to understand we expect even four million refugees. That’s a lot. There are sometimes problems with transport. People in Lviv wait for long hours on the train stations. It’s not about what passport you have.
I’ve also just done my research and I think it’s true that Nigerian students can only stay in Poland for 15 days but it’s because they are Nigerian. They are Nigerian students, therefore they are not Black Ukrainians. Anyone with Ukrainian passport is a refugee. But they are not Ukrainians. They are still welcome to run away from war and hide here. Nigerian embassy is in touch with Poland.
Honestly I didn’t want to make any posts about the whole situation because I’m too stressed and heartbroken already but this is too much. I can’t stay silent when people are trying to insult my country at the moment.
Remember that the Russian propaganda team is alive and well
Stop helping Putin with your idiot propaganda, get down from your American pedestal AND WATCH SOME FUCKING NEWS. Russian troll is all that you are @metalheadsforblacklivesmatter
in these times people still choose to be ignorant and annoying, maybe do your research before attacking a whole ass country who is helping out a lot. you can’t just go and pick ans choose what you like and dislike in war
Слава Україні!
Yesterday Ukraine received military aid from Poland. We are openly receiving all refugees from Ukraine, welcoming them with whatever help we can get. We have been partners since two thousand FUCKING five. There is not one class, university group or work team where I would not have Ukrainian friends, classmates or colleagues. YOU DO NOT GET TO STAND HERE, wrapped in your fucking blanket of internet anonymity, AND SPEW LIES.
Help Ukraine. Spread the word. If you don’t have anything truthful to say, shut the fuck up or go lick Putin’s ass since you obviously so want to.
NOW LET’S HEAR SOME FUCKING FACTS:
Polish government has opened a website for ukrainians seeking safety and trying to cross the ukrainian-polish border:
AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WILL BE LET THROUGH THE BORDERS. Children do not need to have passports so as not to separate families.
ALL CONDITIONS ON THE BASIS WHICH YOU CAN ENTER POLAND AND WHAT TO DO BEFORE LEAVING THE COUNTRY ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE POLISH GOVERNMENT IN THREE LANGUAGES:
The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, is illuminated in blue and yellow in solidarity with the people and heritage institutions of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian flag is displayed between the American and District of Columbia flags outside the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
