Ukraine is often branded as a place of corruption and gangsters, and Hollywood doesn’t help when it makes the villains Ukrainian. After living in Kyiv for years, I’ve experienced something very different. The country I know is filled with talented, hardworking, and warm people who possess an incredible sense of humor. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, oo many people think Ukraine is nothing but a war zone.

I recently heard Mstyslav Chernov, the director of the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” say that Americans often ask, “Is there more to Ukraine than the war?” I’ve had similar frustrating conversations abroad, with people asking, “Is that war still going on?”

https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-theres-more-to-ukraine-than-hollywood-gangster-tropes-and-war/

Ukraine is watching the US presidential election very closely. There is a real fear that if Donald Trump wins, he will throw Ukraine under the bus.

The world will lose out if Ukraine ceases to exist. The city I call home, Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, is an undiscovered gem. If Russia takes over Ukraine the world will be robbed of a great treasure.

What many people don’t seem to understand is that if Russia does win the war and takes over Ukraine, they will kill everyone, physically, spiritually, or both. Just look at the occupied territories.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2024-10-28-we-are-ukraine-a-love-letter-to-magical-kyiv/

This is an incredible speech. I have listened to it a couple of times. It is totally compelling, articulate and powerful.

“Ask yourselves: what side of history do you want to be on?”

“Your rage does not exist in a vacuum.”

“We will become collateral damage to your rage.”

But I am convinced Trump is going to win, and it makes my stomach turn.

Assuming Trump does win, then where does it leave the world. Where does it leave all those folk that still believe in the value of values, because if Trump does indeed win, real values are a thing of the past.

In my view, the thing that seems to be valued the most is money. Greed is why Trump will win this election. Simple as that. We don’t need to look further than the rich VC’s, who always spoke of changing the world. Seems like all they want to do is grow their bank balances. And Trump is all about the rich getting richer. Elon Musk is a case in point.

The blame game has begun. Robert Reich does make a good point. The reason that Trump has a strong chance of winning is simple: greed.

Last week Monday I was at the train station in Kyiv and I saw something that made me cry. There was a little boy saying goodbye to his dad on the platform. The boy’s mom had her arms around her son and they were all crouched down, and I saw tears rolling down the boy’s cheeks. The mom and dad looked strong and calm, but this boy looked so sad. I imagine he was a bit older than Bunster, maybe 5 or 6. At that age I assume they know. Yes, that little boy knew something is not right. When will he see his dad again … ?

It is all so hard on the soul and it is horrible. What kind of a world are we living in?! The Russian war in Ukraine is insane, and it is pure evil. And from my perspective, the world just watches, and doesn’t do nearly enough to try help Ukraine. Endless lip service.

The scenario at the train station has been in my thoughts all of this week. It is not something new to me, but this little boy’s face looked so much like Bunster and it affected me more than other times when I have experienced this painful scene. Life goes on in Kyiv, but the pain and trauma is everywhere. I have so many male friends that are stressed about the mobilization. They all want to help their country but not everyone is born to be a solider. And of course, the thought of dying on the front line is very very scary.

You don’t read about these things in the mainstream news. But this war that Russia started is tearing families apart. Divorce rates in Ukraine are through the roof and so many people are exhausted and traumatized. That Monday Kyiv was attacked by big freakin’ missiles and it didn’t make the news. If this was any other big city in the world, there would be a response like we could not believe. But the world does very little when it comes to Ukraine. As you keep hearing in Kyiv: this is the new normal. But of course, it is not normal at all.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”

Russia is like a cancer – it will keep spreading, until it is stopped. I was reading one journalist’s update online recently, and he said that 90% of the world’s terrorism has Russia’s fingerprints all over it. If Russia is allowed to get away with this nightmare then they will keep pushing things, until one day, everyone will feel it directly. The dictators of the world are not stupid, and they are all conspiring while the West is sleeping.

There are so many foreigners in Kyiv that are trying to do good things. One such inspired soul is Sebastian, and his NGO Repower – it is an incredible vision. A psychological rehabilitation project for active Ukrainian front line medics and doctors, aiming to prevent difficult mental illness. Groups of hundred participants travel to Sweden to regain their strength and to keep saving thousands of lives back on the battlefield.

People are dying in the war. Every day. Good people. On the front lines, and in cities all over Ukraine. The trauma and pain is going to be there for generations to come. If you can help Ukraine, please try. Ukraine is a peaceful nation and is not into war. Russia started this, but the world must help to end it. And not by telling Ukraine to give up – that is never going to happen.

In less than 3 weeks from now the Americans will be voting on their president. This has a bearing on Ukraine, and on most of the free world. Please God some sense prevails and please God Ukraine is not abandoned by the US.

“Although we take Ukrainian resistance for granted, it has been the major sign of democratic resilience in the 2020s. Ukrainian resistance makes our normality (or whatever this is) possible. Had Ukraine failed, the world would be a far darker place. Thanks to Ukrainians, who are handling a titanic crisis essentially on their own, Americans have been able to recover from economic collapse and a global pandemic, and hold an election.”