NUMEROUS WAYS TO ADVOCATE FOR UKRAINE

There are several ways you can advocate for Ukraine. Many require very little of your time but may have a considerable impact. In October of 2023 and April of 2024, Robert participated in the American Coalition for Ukraine's "Ukraine Action Summit," which was critical in finally unlocking frozen funds from the U.S. to help replenish military supplies to Ukrainian forces protecting freedom and democracy. It is incredibly fulfilling to have such an impact. What better way to feel the tangible power of democracy than by advocating for those who are sacrificing so much to save it?

1) CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES 

TAKE ACTION POLITICALLY: Please tell our politicians to continue to support Ukraine. You can visit this link for an easy way to do this. It takes less than two-minutes and is very effective (and needed). Visit Voter Voice 

WHO IS YOUR REPRESENTATIVE? You can type in your address and and find out HERE

SIGN UP FOR RAZOM UKRAINE'S NEXT UKRAINE ACTION SUMMIT: There are numerous ways to advocate with Razom including participating in their Action Summits twice a year in Washington DC where you can meet personally with your elected representatives and advocate on behalf of Ukraine. Find out more HERE

READ OUR ADVOCACY BLOG: Please read our latest Advocacy Blog on our latest efforts and ways that YOU can help advocate for Ukraine by calling or writing to your elected representatives, showing support at rallies and demonstrations, writing letters to the editor of your local media outlets, and much more.

2) SHOW UP TO DEMONSTRATIONS 

Almost every major city in the USA has some kind of Ukrainian community. Scour social media to find meet-up groups and get involved, grab a sign and get active to help keep the issue of Ukraine in the public consciousness. 

3) CONTACT THE MEDIA 

Writing letters to the editor of your local media are a great way to influence public opinion. It's not difficult with the help of organizations like Community for Ukraine who have put together this excellent resource to get you started 

4) KNOW THE BASIC FACTS 

Russian disinformation and propaganda have found a ripe home in the United States and across Western Europe, with numerous politicians, pundits, media personalities, and regular folks irresponsibly passing on Putin's propaganda. Look no further than our Hall of Shame for just a few examples.

Once these false narratives take hold, they are tough to contain, no matter how illogical they sound initially. This is having real world consequences for not only Ukraine but for the free world in general, including the United States.

It is imperative that we counter Russian disinformation and propaganda with credible facts and that we use those facts to inform U.S. political decisions about supporting Ukraine. To learn more, please visit our EDUCATE section.  

FACTS

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

- Ukrainian Civilian Casualties = 10,058 (+98.7%)*

- Russian Civilian Casualties = 123

*of these, dozens have been confirmed killed by firearms at close range.

CIVILIAN KIDNAPPINGS

- Ukrainian Children Kidnapped by Russia = 20,000 to 30,000 (100%)

- Russian Children Kidnapped by Ukraine = 0

LAND OCCUPIED

- Ukrainian land currently occupied by Russia Since 2022 – 11%

- Occupied Ukrainian land recaptured from Russia since Feb. 2022 – 54%

- Total Ukrainian land currently occupied by Russia since 2014 – 18%

- Russian land occupied by Ukraine = 0%

DISPLACEMENT

- Ukraine: 9.6 million displaced or 22% of Ukrainian pre-invasion population

• Internally displaced: 3.7 million.

• International refugees: 5.9 million.

- Russia: 800,000 emigrated for economic or political reasons, or 0.6% of Russian population.

ECONOMIC TOLL

• Ukraine: Minus 25% GDP since 2022 (through Dec. 2023)
• Russia: Plus 1.2% GDP Since 2022 (through Dec. 2023)

SOURCES:

Harvard Kennedy School – RussiaMatters.org Russia Ukraine War Report Card Jan 2. 2024
Center for Preventative Action: Global Conflict Tracker – War in Ukraine 2023
Kyiv Independent Sept. 19, 2023 -  Russian soldiers deliberately, systematically kill Ukrainian children 

This is not to mention the...

- Psychological and physical toll of the mightly terrorism and trauma inflicted upon Ukrainians in cities and towns nightly, with many Ukrainians unable to sleep

- Trauma of having loved ones separated as refugees or serving in the war.

- The trauma inflicted upon children, which will take decades to heal.

- Missed educational opportunities for millions of Ukrainian children.

- Tens of thousands of amputees in Ukraine (reportedly more amputees in Ukraine now than in all of World War One)

- Ukrainian Infrastructure destroyed.

WHY RUSSIA IS UNTRUSTWORTHY

From the x/twitter account of Hendrik Kindstedt

"Here is a short list of the results of negotiations with Russia that it never respected:

1. The Budapest Memorandum of 1994. Russia agreed to “respect independence, sovereignty, and the existing borders of Ukraine” as well as “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine”. Breached by Russia invading Crimea in 2014.

2. The Russian-Ukrainian Friendship Treaty of 1997. Russia agreed to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and “reaffirmed the inviolability of the borders” between the two countries. Russia breached it in 2014.

3. The OSCE Istanbul Summit in 1999. Russia committed to withdrawing its troops from Moldova’s Transdniestrian region and Georgia until the end of 2002. That never happened.

4. The 2008 Georgia ceasefire agreement following Russian aggression against the country. Russia agreed that “Russian military forces must withdraw to the lines prior to the start of hostilities”. That never happened.

5. The Ilovaysk “Green Corridor” in August 2014 and other “humanitarian” death corridors. Russia pledged to let Ukrainian forces leave the encircled town of Ilovaysk in the east of Ukraine, but instead opened fire and killed 366 Ukrainian troops. In the following years, Russia attacked numerous humanitarian corridors in Syria.

6. The “Minsk” agreements of 2014 and 2015. Russia agreed to cease the fire in the east of Ukraine. There had been 200 rounds of talks and 20 attempts to enforce a ceasefire, all of which the Russian side promptly violated. On February 24th, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

7. The 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russia pledged to “provide maximum assurances regarding a safe and secure environment for all vessels engaged in this initiative." It then hindered the initiative's operation for months before withdrawing unilaterally a year later.

Above is only focused on deals made with Russia to address specific issues and conflicts. Not mentioning almost 400 international treaties that Russia has breached since 2014.

There are no conclusions to be drawn here, except that no one can seriously use the words "Russia" and "negotiations" in the same phrase. Putin is a habitual liar who promised international leaders that he would not attack Ukraine days before his invasion in February 2022.

Russia's tactic has remained consistent in its many wars over the last three decades: kill, grab, lie, and deny.

Why would anyone genuinely believe that Russia in 2023 is any different from Russia in 1994, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2014, 2015, and 2022?"

- Short List is reposted from the X (Twitter) account of Hendrik Kindstedt