I am Ukrainian: My thoughts About Russian Invasion.

I made a long list of topics I would write about, when I finally got around to writing consistently. Writing about Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine was not on the list. Just a few days ago this seemed inconceivable.

I was born and lived a good chunk of my childhood in Zhytomyrshchyna. Growing up I remember struggling in my foreign language class when learning Russian because the language felt so different. In conversing with Russians, I found that they looked down on us because, according to them, our language and customs were not seen as language and culture in their own right, but rather a perversion of the correct, Russian ways. Soon, I discovered that this is not just my experience, but there is a historical precedent for it.

Please forgive my oversimplification of history for the sake of brevity; Moscow was founded by someone who left Kyiv (Ruthenia/Ukraine) and traveled to frontiers of the wild east. Over the centuries, due to geographical distance, the language diverged so much that when the king of Muscovy met a representative from Ruthenia, they needed a translator.

Due to heavy redaction of history by tyrants and despots who needed to justify their iron clad rule over non-Russian people, the Russians came to believe that languages and cultures related to Russian, are not peoples and cultures in their own right, but a perversion of their one and true Russian language by rogue Russians. This mentality allows them to claim Kyiv as their historical heritage, while denying the right to exist to us, Ukrainians/Ruthenians whose predecessors lived in Kyiv when Moscow was not in existence yet. So, when Putin claims that Ukraine has no right to exist, he is not saying anything new. Almost every century Ukrainians have faced ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Russians, who viewed themselves as superior and wanted to teach us, their ways and language by force.

Ukrainian language, which is closer to Polish than Russian, has been banned by Russians many times through history. At times, the punishment for breaching this ban was a death penalty. Russia views our ability to have our own language as a threat because as separate people with long, proud history and love for freedom, it always leads us to self-determination, something they can’t stand. It is like an abusive relationship where they want us close due to association with a once powerful Grand Dutchy of Ruthenia, but when we are close, they want to kill us.

In 2014 the Ukrainian people stood up for themselves and reasserted their right to speak their language and choose their own path. Unsurprisingly, Russia resorted to calling us Nazis and claiming our culture and language which is only a perversion of their historical culture and language has no right to exist. Historically, these kinds of words they almost always follow up with brutal genocides, and I believe this invasion of Ukraine is Vladimir Putin trying to make good on his promise that we should not exist and must be denazified.

We have a democratically elected president of Jewish origin. We also recognize and respect minorities in our land. So, do we really need denazification?

As Ukrainians, we have no choice but to fight. Once again, it is a matter of existence. The sanctions are a little too late. We need REAL help. I am shocked that while Ukrainians sleep, work, give births in bunkers and bomb shelters, other countries are offering platitudes. The west ignored our pleas for a no-fly zone. We are willing to do the hard work, but we need help. Please sign this petition to at least encourage western governments to continue supplying us the weapons we desperately need.

Please comment, reshare, ask questions, and let me know if you want to hear more.

Petition · Help Ukraine Close the Airspace · Change.org

Please also donate to Raise Funds for Ukraine’s Armed Forces (bank.gov.ua)