The war in Ukraine has not been the center of media attention lately, but it is still happening. Although it is not the media’s current spotlight, many in our area stay involved and follow the war closely.
The war began on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched an invasion that caused an escalation of the war. Ukraine launched counteroffensives on August 29, 2022. A stalemate lasted from from November 12, 2022- June 7, 2023. Ukraine launched another counteroffensive on June 8, 2023, and it is continuing.
Eugene Luciw, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s Philadelphia branch, does his part to support Ukraine. “I’m part of a church that has donated a lot to the Ukrainian war. I’m also on the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America organization’s national board. That organization is involved in many aspects of Ukraine’s support,” Luciw said.
The Ukrainian war is not just about one issue. “Our Western form of government specifically and most importantly the United States form of government is democracy, liberty, freedom, freedom of expression, the ability to have personal dignity, to have diversity, and to express yourself’,” Luciw said. “These are the same principles for which the Ukrainians are standing up for.”
Joshua Dearden, sophomore political science major said, “The war in Ukraine is directly in our sphere of influence in Europe and anything that is a Russian interest is not inherently an American interest. And if we just let a democracy fall to authoritarianism, then what does that say about us?”
Letting Ukraine fall to dictatorship will lead to an outcome that will cause a domino effect. Luciw said. “This struggle will define the future of world events. If dictatorship wins in Ukraine, it’s going to win in Asia. The attack on Taiwan will then be imminent,” Luciw said. “We have a crisis that is in large measure fostered and promoted by Putin through his proxy Iran and also his proxy in Syria. This is the big struggle. We’re very fortunate, as Americans and the Ukrainians are willing to fight that struggle.”
Involvement and advocacy for Ukraine
Dearden said he stays involved by following the war through different media outlets. “I get most of my news from independently sourced news from YouTube. Usually mainstream news only covers specific stuff and they don’t cover on the ground.” Dearden said.
Luciw does his part by advocating for Ukraine in Pennsylvania. “The most direct role that I play is in advocacy is meeting with Congresspersons, meeting with senators, meeting with members of the United States administration, meeting with local politicians, and state politicians,” Luciw said.
Luciw’s passion for Ukraine is shown through his advocacy. “Through the Ukrainian Congress Committee, millions of dollars have been raised in terms of humanitarian aid for the populace of Ukraine and for wounded soldiers. I’ve served as a spokesman for most of our organizations in the Philadelphia area.” Luciw said. “I had involvement with two district rotaries and their fundraisers raised hundreds of thousands of dollars We supplied the information, the energy, and knowledge about what is Ukraine and ways to get relief there to facilitate those types of programs.”
Advocating for Ukraine is hard work that is appreciated by many. “It has been exhausting. Those are the things that I have done, that many of my colleagues have done, and many of my friends have done. We are tired, but we continue.” Luciw said.
The more the U.S. supports Ukraine, the higher their of chance of victory and freedom. “The Ukrainian victory will establish that democracy can and always both prevail. It will liberate that part of the world. Tens of millions of people that will live in democracy and no longer be threatened by war.” Luciw said. “We’re no longer going to have to spend assets to defend against the war. Belarus will very quickly become free. Those people want to be free.”
Here are some links to help Ukraine:
https://supportukrainenow.org/
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1082992947/ukraine-support-help
