by Ihor Kowal
“Life will win over death, and light will win over darkness.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the European Parliament on March 1, 2022, one week after Russian invaded Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022 Russia staged an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and believed that it would topple the Ukrainian government within a week. Seeing the 40km-long armored column outside of Kyiv and listening to the western “experts” on TV, I also thought that although Ukraine would continue to fight a guerilla war, it would be quickly overrun. Thankfully this did not come to pass. Ukrainians turned back Russian soldiers at the outskirts of Kyiv in early April – who left a wake of pillage and brutal torture, killings, and rape of civilians.
Nearly one year after the initial invasion, Russia is no closer to achieving its initial goal. The Ukrainians, under President Zelensky, have fought courageously against, supposedly, the second most powerful army in the world. In September, the Ukrainian army, with the aid of western weapons, retook considerable tracts of Ukrainian land from the Russian forces.
Due to these military setbacks, Russia has resorted to daily mass attacks by missiles, drone, and bombs aimed primarily at the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. As a result, millions of civilians have faced extended periods without heat and power in the depth of winter. More than 6 million Ukrainians have been displaced internally, with an additional 8 million taking shelter in neighboring countries.
I am immensely proud of what the Ukrainians have done under Zelensky’s leadership.
In today’s war Ukraine stands for democracy, freedom and liberty — in stark contrast to Russian autocracy, dictatorship and subservience. This war to preserve Ukrainian independence defends democracy world wide. The riots against the U.S. Congress showed how fragile democracy is, even here in America.
“Kyiv stands, and Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” President Biden said during his recent visit with Zelensky. “The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.”
Here at home, Concord for Ukraine is embarking on a new project to supply Ukrainians with solar powered lanterns that have USB ports for phone charging. This will be a huge help as constant Russian missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure cause widespread blackouts. The cost of each lantern is $25, which includes shipment to Ukraine. We hope to send 1,000 units. Your donations can help us reach this goal.
The Ukrainian National Anthem — written 175 years ago — has a refrain that translates, “We will lay down our soul and body for our freedom.” This is what Ukrainians have been doing for the last year and will continue to do going forward.
Ihor Kowal, a Ukrainian American, has lived in Concord since 1986. His parents were Ukrainian refugees after World War II, and he spent 12 years in Kyiv as the CEO of a major Western company. Ihor still has first cousins living in Ukraine and is in constant contact with them.
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