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The amount of time I have been asked, “is that thing still going on in Ukraine?” within the last year is staggering. That “thing” has killed at least 10,000 civilians, including roughly 600 children. That “thing” has gotten hundreds of Ukrainian women and children brutally raped and tortured. That “thing” is a global fight for democracy. And that “thing” won’t end until Ukraine has won.

“But why should I care about the war in Ukraine?” “Isn’t it draining our resources?” “Shouldn’t we focus on internal U.S. problems first?” As a Ukrainian American, I’ve heard it all. But at the end of the day, the war in Ukraine is not only a fight for Ukrainian freedom, it is also a global fight for democracy. President Vladimir Putin is a power-hungry dictator and Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism. His actions disregard international norms and are an indication of a scheme bigger than just Ukraine.

I’d ask you all to put yourselves in our shoes – to imagine what it would be like if it was happening to your home, to your family, to your freedom, to your life. I used to think of war as something that happened far from myself on television and in history classes, that was until it rose the textbook pages and barged into my life two years ago. It suddenly became so real for me that I didn’t know what to do with myself.

When the war first broke out, there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t crying. It’s quite difficult to truly articulate what I was feeling. My culture, my upbringing, my life – it was as if none of it mattered. Being Ukrainian is an integral component of who I am and someone was trying to take that away from me. I would cry on the way to classes, in church, on the phone with loved ones and during lectures. And then I would feel bad for crying, for making it about myself when there were innocent people dying each day for my country.

Ukraine has always had a rich history of fighting for freedom and I had naively assumed that fight had ended when we declared our independence in 1991. But that fight would be just one of many battles leading up to Putin’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

It’s important to note that war is not unique to Ukraine and Russia; there are at least 27 ongoing conflicts worldwide. Yet news cycles cover a fraction of them. When was the last time you heard anything about the political instability in Haiti or the confrontation over Taiwan?

It’s not fair to expect everyone to know everything about every global issue, but it is fair to expect the news to try and cover it. We live in a world where only the newest, timeliest things get reported on. So I challenge you all to be critical consumers of media, to understand that so many stories still go untold. Ukraine may have fallen out of the American public’s eye, but just because it’s no longer making headlines, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The war is not over.

We are fighting for something so much bigger than ourselves and it’s crucial for the world not to forget that, even if it’s not making headlines anymore. There are so many ways to stand with Ukraine – every little bit of support makes all the difference. You can use social media as a platform to amplify Ukrainian voices or to discover rallies and fundraisers organized by Ukrainian American communities near you.

You can donate as little as five dollars to trusted Ukrainian organizations or you can contact your local representatives to request more aid for Ukraine. I was personally surprised at how willing they were to listen. And most importantly, you can take it upon yourself to remember that this “thing” is far from over and that Ukraine needs your help and support to win this global fight for democracy.

Anna Salewycz is a junior Broadcast and Digital Journalism major. She can be reached at aasalewy@syr.edu.

Published on March 6, 2024 at 12:58 am

Contact Anna: aasalewy@syr.edu