Atlantic Council published an article, written by the Razom Advocacy Team, on the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert blog. Razom has always stressed that narrative and framing is important, that information about Ukraine needs to be reported accurately. Millions of lives depend on it. We thank our Advocacy Team for the important work they do every day in sharing the truth about Ukraine with the world.
“by Razom Advocacy Team
Russia fired more than 80 missiles and launched at least 24 kamikaze drones at civilian targets across Ukraine on October 10. The latest reports suggest that 19 Ukrainians were killed in the attacks with more than 100 injured. The strikes left large swathes of the country without electricity, water, and internet access. The following day, Russian airstrikes continued with around 30 missiles and 15 drones targeting civilian infrastructure.
This wave of attacks began just two days after an explosion on the Crimean Bridge, which links the occupied Ukrainian peninsula with the Russian Federation. In an address on October 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow’s dramatic air war escalation was a direct response to the suspected Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge.
Many international media outlets appeared to take Putin at his word and framed their coverage of the Russian missile blitz as retaliation for the earlier bridge attack. These attempts to create a single news narrative from two separate events are factually incorrect, not to mention pernicious.
The scale of Russia’s aerial attacks on October 10-11 indicates weeks if not months of planning and preparations. Dozens of targets in towns and cities across Ukraine had to be identified and confirmed; missiles, bombers, warships, and drones had to deployed and prepared for action. These are not tasks that could realistically be accomplished in the two-day window between the Crimean Bridge attack and the launch of Russia’s airstrike escalation.
In addition to these obvious practical issues, the retaliation narrative also risks creating false equivalency between Russian international aggression and Ukraine’s justifiable efforts to defend itself. The Crimean Bridge was constructed by Russia to strengthen Moscow’s illegal occupation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Furthermore, it has since been used as a key artery for the transportation of troops and military equipment from the Russian Federation to Crimea and Russian-occupied regions of southern Ukraine. In other words, the bridge plays a vital logistical role in the Russian invasion. As such, it clearly qualifies as a legitimate military target…”
Razom for Ukraine co-organized a three-day event in Washington DC called the “Ukraine Action Summit”. During the Summit, Razom and other pro-Ukrainian organizations, all participants of the newly minted American Coalition for Ukraine, met with American legislators on the Hill, where they spoke about Ukrainian issues currently of the greatest concern to their constituents.
On the first day of the Ukraine Action Summit, advocates from all over the US gathered in the afternoon at Georgetown University for an advocacy workshop. During the workshop, they strengthened their advocacy skills and prepared for two days of Congressional meetings. About 40% of attendees were first-time advocates! Participants received advice from former Ambassador Steven Pifer, former Ambassador Michael McFaul, Robert McConnell and Emily Channel Justice on engaging with current administration staffers and gave more context on current American foreign policy.
In total, over 150 meetings were held with constituents, with most occurring between September 18-20. Over 30 states and 110 Congressional districts were represented. A further 24 meetings with principals and experts who joined the Summit to offer their expert opinions and timely research. Advocates spoke with their representatives and elected officials about expedited military aid to Ukraine, increased financial aid, and more robust sanctions against russia. Using the advocacy handbook that was prepared by the Razom Advocacy’s Research Team, advocates also discussed specific pieces of legislation currently before the House and Senate that would help Ukraine win the war.
The Summit concluded with a reception at the Rayburn House Office Building. The event was kicked off by renditions of the American, sung by Summit participant and US veteran Mark Lindqvist, and Ukrainian, sung by Eurovision winner and Ukrainian music star Ruslana, national anthems. Speakers included Representatives Marcy Kaptur, Tom Malinowski, and Peter Meijer, as well as Zaher Sahloul of MedGlobal and the Syrian-American community. Attendees also heard Ukrainian songs performed by Duet Malvy on the Bandura and Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar music performed by the Kobzarska Sich chorus.
Razom is honored to have stood with all of the advocates and organizations in the American Coalition For Ukraine, speakers, and performers who participated the Ukraine Action Summit! Bringing so many people together to fight for a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine has been incredible, and we cannot wait to hold a summit like this one again. We look forward to continuing this important work together – #Razom.
To learn more about the Ukraine Action Summit and the American Coalition for Ukraine, you can check out AmericanCoalitionForUkraine.org or check out the hashtags #UkraineActionSummit and #AmericanCoalitionForUkraine on social media. And don’t forget to add your voice to advocacy for Ukraine by writing or calling your Representatives!
This week, the Razom Advocacy Team completed 40 (!) meetings with different Congressional offices on the Hill!
The meetings centered around the offices of the Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee to make sure Ukraine has the support it needs from Congress to win the war. Members of the Razom Advocacy Team spent a total of four days meeting with offices back-to-back and speaking with staffers about House Resolution 1205 on condemning russia’s action in Ukraine as genocide, discussing further legislation for Ukraine in terms of military and humanitarian aid, offering updates on Razom’s work on the ground, and building relationships for continued support of Ukraine through Congress.
We thanked each office for their tireless work in support of Ukraine over the past five months – and you should too! Don’t forget to call and write to your representatives in Congress to thank them for their support of Ukraine and also let them know that you wish for that support to continue. Consider also inviting your representatives to the Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations in your community on August 24th! Congress will be on recess and most Members will be in their districts. Has your representative ever tried Borshch before? Call them and ask! Let’s help Ukraine – together, #Razom.
On February 24 at around 5:00 a.m. Kyiv time, Russia began to invade Ukraine on multiple fronts. Most intelligence estimates at the time claimed that Kyiv would fall in 96 hours. Experts openly speculated about the future of Ukraine as a country.
June 3rd marks the 100th day of war. In that time, Ukraine has been able to hold on, winning the Battle of Kyiv, performing above expectations in other areas of combat and retaining its sovereignty.
Despite these successes, it would be foolish to celebrate the milestone of 100 days of war.
For the people of Ukraine, these past hundred days have been filled with suffering with no end in sight. Analysts are uncertain of where the war will go next. The news out of the Donbas region, where fighting remains intense, is incredibly grim. Russia continues to occupy much of Southern Ukraine. The Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea has taken the world hostage in hunger. The stories emerging from settlements liberated from Russian control by Ukrainian armed forces are horrific; the very names Bucha and Irpin have already become synonymous with mass death and destruction. Recent reports have stated that Russia is committing genocide against the people of Ukraine. It is not clear what the next hundred days will bring, but the only certainty is that the unjust suffering of the Ukrainian people will continue.
In these past 100 days, the United States has stepped up its support for its fellow democratic nation. It has sent financial aid and provided Ukraine with weapons to defend itself, most recently HIMARS systems. Along with government assistance, individuals have come together to assist Ukrainians through the war. In the early days of war, Americans rented out AirBNBs from Ukrainian hosts in order to provide them with some quick cash. A fundraiser in Louisiana raised over $8000, allowing for residents of a nursing home in the Donbas to be evacuated to safety. At Razom, we have raised money from childrens’ lemonade stands and tattoo parlors, from unique menu items at restaurants to Ukrainian dance classes. We have used the proceeds to purchase medical supplies, assist in evacuations, support local partners, and otherwise provide help.
The war is not yet over, however. Neither should our support for Ukraine be.
In the next 100 days, we as ordinary Americans can and should continue to provide assistance. We can continue to hold fundraisers or support already existing ones to help financially. We can call our representatives on Capitol Hill when there is legislation on Ukraine, letting them know that the will of the American people is to continue standing with Ukraine. We can refuse to give into the narrative of appeasement that has appeared in some publications, and instead listen to the voices of Ukrainians. Most importantly, we cannot allow for fatigue at the news to set in. The Ukrainians currently suffering in their country do not have a choice to turn off the TV or focus on anything else. We can share information about what is going on and continue keeping the narrative with them.
The people of Ukraine are refusing to give up the fight for their existence. The least we can do is refuse to give up on them.
Russia’s unjustified and brutal war against Ukraine has centered the importance of good journalism. And the New York Times newsroom has provided excellent coverage for the duration of the war. On May 19, the newsroom released more footage of an execution in Bucha, providing much-needed evidence of Russian war crimes.
This makes the recent piece released by the New York Times Editorial Board questioning the United States’ readiness to support a Ukrainian victory all the more pronounced. It seems that, again, the New York Times Editorial Board has undermined its own newsroom’s critical reporting with an irresponsible, out-of-touch, and poorly reasoned editorial demonstrating anything but expertise on Ukraine and on Russia’s colonial violence in the region.
The editorial rightly states that “it is the Ukrainians who must make the hard decisions.” Unfortunately, the authors then undercut this call for self-determination by outlining what those decisions should be: concessions of territory to Russia in order to end the war. This is an idea based on the false premise that Russia will honor any sort of ceasefire or security guarantees, and halt atrocities on the territories it controls. Thus, the Editorial Board accepts the horrific, criminal, and genocidal treatment of Ukrainians that will take place on Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, all in the name of a “negotiated peace.” With Russia’s flagrant violations of the Minsk Agreements as precedent, this “peace” would in fact condemn Ukraine to a permanent state of war. The Board claims to support the message that, no matter how long it takes, Ukraine will be free. But if all of Ukraine is not free, Ukraine is not free.
In the face of an equivocating dictator with no regard for diplomatic efforts—and an army that continues to slaughter, terrorize, and rape civilians of all ages—Ukrainians have made the “difficult decision” to fight and defend their homeland and the values we in the West hold as our birthright. It remains unclear on what grounds the Editorial Board envisions a negotiated settlement with a despot, war criminal, fascist, and “butcher” (in the words of the editorial itself)—who regularly calls Ukraine statehood a fiction. The repeated insinuations that Ukraine will have to make “hard decisions” and make the “painful territorial” concessions that these would demand are head-scratching, not least because the Board, in the very same piece, (aptly) identifies Putin as an “aggrieved, volatile despot who has shown little inclination toward a negotiated settlement.”
And so, if we heed the paternalistic calls of the Board to “shake off the euphoria” and stop “chasing” a win, what does that look like for the millions of Ukrainians who are and will be living under a brutal Russian occupation with genocidal intent?
The editorial itself is rife with poor reasoning and contradictions. But the insidious insinuations are of particular concern and damage. Continued support of Ukraine allegedly carries “extraordinary costs and serious dangers,” and yet the dangers enumerated—a threatful Russia grasping at straws—persist and endanger more without Western resolve to help Ukraine defend itself. Any attempt of appeasement, by that or any other name, bears “extraordinary costs and serious dangers” when the receiving end is a fascist regime by every possible metric. We have, unfortunately, amassed a large “dataset” specific to what that may look like, what happens when the West bargains with Putin’s aggression. In each instance, we embalm a war. In each instance, we get a more serious, more brazen instance of violence and war that follows.
The Board presents itself as a group of journalists whose views are informed by expertise. But Ukrainians are all too familiar with people who claim expertise on Ukraine based on years in Moscow bureaus and degrees in Russian studies. Too many experts on Russia, many of whom have rebranded themselves as Ukraine experts, see Ukraine as a subsection of their fields, claiming to know Ukraine because they know Russia. This is the root of the problem. You cannot see Ukraine from Moscow.
In characterizing a Ukrainian victory as unrealistic and the amassing Ukrainian successes as “stunning,” the Board shows its own misguided character. For those who keep their eye on Moscow and have only seen Ukraine on the periphery, Ukrainian resolve, victory in an entire theater of war, and continuing successes at pushing back an invasion on a scale not seen since the Second World War have, no doubt, been surprising and unbelievable. But—to Ukrainians, to those Western analysts that forewent colonial and imperial frameworks for understanding Eastern Europe and those formerly under Soviet domination, to those of us that see Ukraine as a truly independent and dignified people and not a mere vector of Russian power projections—Ukrainian successes do not come as a surprise. And we know that, with the necessary support from the United States, Europe, and the international community, Ukraine will win this war.
Ukraine has made the “hard decision” to oppose the extermination of its people in Russian-occupied territories and to fight for all its freedom and all its people. US support, whether extended or not, will not prevent Ukraine from negotiating a peace if it ever became an option. But it will determine whether Ukraine has what it needs to keep fighting for what Ukrainians deserve and what we believe in. It’s now up to us to make sure we support them in this.
Representatives of different U.S.-based ethnic organizations call on Congress to support additional financial aid to Ukraine, in the form of the 33 billion dollar emergency supplemental request announced by President Joe Biden on April 28, 2022. A corresponding call to action was made by activists during a press conference in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 5, 2022.
The organizers of the event were local Ukrainian-American community organizations Razom for Ukraine and United Help Ukraine. Other US ethnic, religious, and human rights associations participated in the press conference. In particular, leaders of Polish, Baltic, Syrian, Afghan, and religious organizations were present.
“We, Poles and Polish-Americans, know very well the horrors of war–we’ve lived through this ourselves. And we also understand that the Ukrainians’ fight today is not only about their fight for their own country and their own freedom and sovereignty–which is very important–but also the fight for the freedom of all of Europe,”said Klara Wiśniewska, the spokeswoman for the Polish American Congress, in an interview with the Voice of America correspondent. She added “I am very happy to report that our organization has collected a quarter of a million dollars for displaced Ukrainians.”
Klara Wiśniewska, the spokeswoman for the Polish American CongressHurunnessa Fariad, Director of Outreach at Multi-faith Neighbors NetworkYaro Hetman, Senior Director of Innovation at Compassion International
According to the activists, most of the ethnic groups represented were forced to flee dictatorship and war in their own countries one time or another, so today they would like to unite in support of Ukraine.
“The Syrian community, Muslim community, and all beleivers are with you. This is a “just war” – you are defending your country and your dignity. I’ve been to Lviv twice since the war began. Together with a team of doctors from my organization MedGlobal, we trained doctors and nurses in Ukraine. When Ukrainian doctors, officers, and representatives of the Ministry of Health learned that I had delivered medical aid in Syria, above all else they asked for us to prepare them for the probable use of chemical weapons,” commented Dr. Zaher Sahloul, representative of the American Coalition of Syria and President of MedGlobal (an international non-profit organization that provides medical services to the world’s most vulnerable groups).
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, representative of the American Coalition of Syria and President of MedGlobal Director of Ops at Human First Coalition and AfghanEvac
During the press conference, organizers of the event announced the creation of an “American Coalition in Support of Ukraine,” which would unite different community groups in the U.S. Additionally, they announced the opening of Razom for Ukraine’s representative office in Washington, D.C. “We have daily meetings with representatives, with politicians, so now we have official representation here in Washington – this is our first piece of news. The second – the creation of an American coalition in support of Ukraine. We want to unite all these people, communities, organizations, and institutions which already support Ukraine – so that we can cooperate together and have coordinated messaging, so that we can utilize all our channels to further the support of Ukraine,” announced Maryna Prykhodko, a Razom for Ukraine board member.
Організаторами події виступили місцеві американсько-українські громадські організації Razom for Ukraine та United Help Ukraine. До заяви також долучились етнічні, релігійні та правозахисні спільноти в США. Зокрема лідери польських, балтійських, сирійських, афганських та релігійних об’єднань.
“Ми, поляки та американські поляки, дуже добре знаємо жахи війни, ми самі це пережили. І ми також розуміємо, що нинішня боротьба українців – це не лише боротьба за свою країну за свою свободу та суверенітет, що дуже важливо, але це також боротьба за свободу усієї Європи, – розповідає кореспондентці Голосу Америки Клара Вишневська, представниця Польсько-американського конгресу у США і також додає, – Я рада повідомити, що наша організація зібрала чверть мільйона доларів для українських переселенців”.
За словами активістів, більшість етнічних груп у США були змушені тікати від диктатури, та війни у власних державах, тому сьогодні вони хочуть об’єднатись на підтримку України.
“Сирійська громада, мусульманська громада та усі віруючі люди – з вами. Це “справедлива війна”, – ви захищаєте свою країну і свою гідність. Я був у Львові двічі від початку війни. Разом із командою лікарів моєї організації MedGlobal ми навчали лікарів та медсестер в Україні. Коли українські лікарі, офіцери та представники Міністерства охорони здоров’я дізнались, що я надавав медичну допомогу в Сирії, вони зокрема просили підготувати їх до ймовірного застосування хімічної зброї”, – коментує Голосу Америки доктор Захер Салул, представник американської коаліції Сирії та президент медичної організації MedGlobal (міжнародна некомерційної організації, яка надає медичні послуги найбільш уразливим групам населення світу)
Під час акції організатори події оголосили про створення “Американської коаліції на підтримку України”, яка об’єднає різні національні групи в США. А також повідомили про відкриття представництва “Razom for Ukraine” у столиці США, Вашингтоні.”Ми маємо щоденні зустрічі із представниками, із політиками тож тепер ми маємо офіційне представництво тут, у Вашингтоні, – це наша перша новина і друга це – створення американської коаліції на підтримку України. Ми хочемо б’єднати усіх цих людей, громади, організації, інституції, які вже й так підтримують Україну. Для того, щоб ми спільно співпрацювали і мали однакові меседжі, щоб ми використовували усі наші канали для подальшої підтримки України”, – повідомила Голосу Америки Марина Приходько, членкиня ради директорів ГО Razom For Ukraine.
Maryna Baydyuk, Assistant Research Professor at Huang Lab; Assistant Research Professor at Georgetown UniversityAlex Kuzma, Executive Director at Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation
However, this is not enough for Ukraine to sustain itself in total war. Ukraine needs security and economic assistance to defeat russian aggression and provide basic commodities to people impacted by the war and russia’s incessant attacks on civilian areas.
As President Joe Biden announced in his May 9 statement, shortly after signing the groundbreaking Lend Lease Act for Ukraine, “I have nearly exhausted the resources given to me by a bipartisan majority in Congress to support Ukraine’s fighters. This aid has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield.”
The U.S. Congress is responsible for approving the spending of the U.S. Government, and the U.S. Administration may ask for additional money beyond approved budgets and spending schedules when the need for funds is too urgent to be postponed until the next regular annual appropriations act.
In light of this, U.S. President Joe Biden has requested the U.S. Congress to promptly pass the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act in the amount of $39 billion. This Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act is an emergency supplemental budget; many similar bills have been proposed and passed before, providing necessary funding for U.S. initiatives, both domestic and international.
In order to keep Ukraine in the fight for democracy and freedom, Ukraine needs about $10 billion a year in assistance from its strategic partners, according to conservative estimates. However, a $39 billion supplemental budget for Ukraine would be a gamechanger, and, according to President Biden’s May 9 statement, the amount includes “military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine,” adding that “the plan was substantial in size, because the need is substantial: we must stand by Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression.”
But there’s also good news on the horizon. On May 10, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act passed the House. The next step is to have the Senate pass the bill.
What can you do to help the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act pass?
First, find your Senators. It is important that Senators hear from their constituents – the people that they represent, so please enter the zip code where you’re registered to vote.
Second, call your Senator. Yes, calling is important. Someone from the Senator’s office may pick up and write down your message, or you may have to leave a voice message. This is normal and part of the process. Click here for more detailed instructions and a sample text.
Third, in your message to your Senator, state your name and your zip code. Thank your Senator for their continued support of Ukraine and convey that their support of Ukraine is of utmost importance to you. Feel free to list a few reasons why you support Ukraine, i.e. you’re a Ukrainian-American, you believe in Ukraine’s fight for freedom and against tyranny, or you know someone currently in Ukraine who is affected by the war.
Fourth, urge your Senator to do everything they can to pass the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act as soon as possible.
That’s it! Thank you for being an advocate for Ukraine and using your democratic right to voice your concerns and priorities to the U.S. Government to help save lives and defend democracy.
On May 4th, Ukrainians were joined by the Wall Street “Fearless Girl” to call for more transparency on companies continuing to do business in russia. Razom organized a silent “Save the Children!” Protest, whose message is simple – by continuing to do business in russia, companies are feeding the war machine and killing more Ukrainian children. Protestors held the signs like “Stop funding putin’s war!”, “Boycott Business With russia” as well as QR codes with links to websites tracking russia “remainders”, such as Yale russia list, Boycott russia, Stop Business With russia (SBWr), Squeezing putin, Don’t Fund War and Exit russia.
Photos by George de Castro-Day/@aperture.delta
Razom business advocacy team has been collaborating with some of these initiatives to bring attention to the companies still paying their tax dollars stained by blood. The protests are happening in different corners of the US and the world. Stop Business With russia activists have written more than 300 emails to company CEOs, investor relations and shareholders urging them to get out of russia. Ukrainian financial analysts are pouring over quarterly earnings reports to see that the companies are following their public announcements and are indeed leaving russia. The pressure is on!
Razom is proud to be part of the effort for more transparency – we joined the Ukrainian American Bar Association, and Natalie Jaresko (former Minister of Finance of Ukraine) in submitting The Russia Disclosure rulemaking petition to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requiring US public companies to disclose their business with/within russia and Belarus. The petition 4-784 is now available on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website. Our proposal, if adopted, will provide critical information for investors, who may prefer to distance themselves from the financing of war crimes entirely, and also evaluate the risks of further sanctions, boycotts, reputational/ESG risks, and increased costs stemming from continued operation in russia.
CALL TO ACTION: You can help make this common-sense disclosure a reality with ~10 minutes of your time:
1. SEND A LETTER TO THE SEC: Email a note explaining why you support the proposed Russia Disclosure to rule-comments@sec.gov. The subject line of your message MUST include the 4-784 file number for the petition. Ok to attach a PDF.
2. WRITE TO YOUR SENATORS / CONGRESS REPS (or better call them) – relevant contacts based on your address available here: https://lnkd.in/dR32pE96. Request/suggest that they: (A) Send a letter to the SEC in support of the Russia Disclosure Petition 4-784, and (B) Support or co-sponsor “H.R.7228 Reveal Risky Russia Business Act” introduced by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on March 24 (https://lnkd.in/dPXjWEaq) or introduce their own bill. As Andrii Galiuk from SBWr initiative explains: “Why is there both an SEC Petition and a Congress Act pursuing similar disclosure requirements? Good question. SEC can introduce a new disclosure requirement independent of Congress, solely based on the Petition, but it may also deny the petition and do nothing. Alternatively, US Congress can require SEC to introduce the disclosure – that’s how Conflict Minerals and Iran Business disclosures came to be. Of course, Congress requiring the disclosure in a bill would be optimal. But for now, both paths are viable and worth pursuing”.
3. SHARE THIS WITH YOUR NETWORK on social media. Tag political and civic leaders, and journalists who can help raise awareness.
The ethnic and religious communities we represent believe in democracy, human rights, and freedom. We call the United States home but share historic experiences of oppression, violence, and war — many times also at the hands of the Russian regime. We wholeheartedly support Ukraine in its fight for these values.
We praise the United States for its support of the Ukrainian people defending their homeland. We applaud the great Ukrainian community in the United States for their efforts to support Ukraine. The United States must continue to support Ukraine militarily, financially, and materially on any and all levels possible. We urge the United States government to do all within its power to continue providing the Ukrainian people with the assistance they need in their fight for freedom, justice, and truth.
Ukraine must prevail as quickly as possible to stop the loss of life and begin rebuilding. We call on Congress to immediately pass the emergency supplemental appropriation for critical security and economic assistance to Ukraine.
Razom has been calling on international leaders and U.S. elected representatives to #CloseTheSky, get #PlanesForUkraine, and #IsolateRussia. To all of you that have come out to a rally, a picket, dialed through a telethon, tweeted up a storm, or engaged your friends and family in discussion on how they can stand with Ukraine, we are immensely grateful. Thanks to our network of volunteers and partner organizations in Ukraine, we promise to continue to keep our ear to the ground to advocate for what will make a difference in healing the humanitarian crisis brought on by russia’s invasion.
As of March 27, there are over 130 children that have been killed as a result of russian bombs and missiles targeting civilians in Ukraine. Let that number sink in. Ukraine is paying a high price in its continued fight for freedom that is a fight for the entire free world. The Mothers’ March took place in New York City over two days the week of March 21 to raise awareness about children being targeted by russian bombs and missiles. Mariupol, a city in southeastern Ukraine, in particular has been a poignant example of this after the Drama Theater (sheltering over 1,000 women and children) was targeted and bombed by russian forces and left without food or water for days due to continued shelling in the area, making rescue operations nearly impossible.
#SaveUkrainianChildren Mothers’ March on March 19 2022#SaveUkrainianChildren Mothers’ March on March 26, 2022
Razom volunteers organized a flashmob at New York’s Grand Central Station during the same week to bring attention to the death toll in the city of Mariupol, a port town similar in population size to Virginia Beach in the U.S. We showed up to deliver our message to #SaveMariupol so that it was carried home across the tristate area by everyone who walked by.
Flashmob at New York’s Grand Central Station on March 23, 2022
That same day on March 23rd, the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams and Ukraine’s General Consul in New York, Oleksii Holubov, joined us for his address to the Ukrainian-American community and friends of Ukraine at the raising of the Ukrainian and American flags at historic Bowling Green in lower Manhattan, a location that holds a lot of historical significance for the United States’ own fight for independence. From Bowling Green, General Washington witnessed the last British troops leave American soil and the American flag raised on its own. Bowling Green later became the first public park in the U.S. It’s the only place in New York City where flags are raised from all over the world, as has been done hundreds of times since 1996.
After a little over a month of this war, don’t let apathy set in. The Ukrainian flag at Bowling Green won’t come down until Ukraine is victorious. And Ukraine will be victorious. Make it happen sooner: keep showing up when it matters.
New York has the largest Ukrainian population outside of Ukraine and we are proud of that energy and spirit. Any conflict that plays out on a global scale, plays out on the streets of New York City… Today we are united, we stand with you, we are part of the Ukrainian people in saying that we will never surrender, never give in.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaking at the raising of Ukrainian & American flags at Bowling Green
