The Koru, Willow I, said:
Three years ago, Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine- an unjustifiable escalation that it had days earlier denied was going to happen. I remember hearing Putin’s announcement very early in the morning, speaking to some Ukrainians who were reasonably scared, Ukrainians who had done nothing other than have their own sovereign identities.
Little would any of us know, the war still wages on three years on. The United Nations reports that the war has cost over 11,520 Ukrainian civilian lives, has injured 23,600 Ukrainian civilians and has displaced over 6,900,000 Ukrainian civilians. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has recorded over 146,900 war crimes committed by Russia.
Three years of reports about Russia’s horrific acts has left a lot of people being desensitised. Some Ukrainians themselves have found themselves desensitised to the regular sirens wailing across cities, just another day.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, leaders say that a deal can be reached- even daring to go behind Ukraine’s back in order to negotiate a deal with Russia. To this I have said, and will say again, that Ukraine and nobody else will decide their future. The world must stand by Ukraine and any decision it makes about its nation- whether that’s to continue resisting Russia, to make a deal with Russia or absolutely anything else.
However, we must also remind ourselves that this war did not begin in 2022. It began 11 years and 4 days ago on the 20th February 2014, with Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Ukrainians have shown courage and true patriotism in the face of tyranny, and I stand firmly with President Zelenskyy’s aspirations for a future with Ukraine as a member of the European Union and as a member of NATO. Ukraine being a member of NATO could be the only thing that makes Russia think twice before launching another invasion. Europe must continue to support Ukraine militarily and must commit to ensuring that any deal made with Russia is on Ukraine’s terms and Ukraine’s terms only.
Hokoria stands with Ukraine. Слава Україні!
The Chief Advisor, Christopher Slant, said:
It has been three years since the start of the Russian invasion into Ukraine. Three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “Special Military Operation” after months of denial that Russia would attack. Three years since the Russian Army illegitimately entered the sovereign territory of Ukraine, three years since the oppression of the Ukrainian people under Russian control.
Every day, we see reports of war crimes, torturing, displacement, and some even allege genocide. It has stopped becoming a sensation to us: it’s so common we have been desensitised. It’s just numbers and statistics to us. Yet, when we war watching from far away, in the comforts of our own homes, many Ukrainians face the danger of bombing, incarceration, losing their loved ones, and even brutal torture.
Anyone that supports Russia on this matter cannot be viewed as a sane human being. This is clearly an act of aggression, and inaction only signifies support for the aggressor. The recent news of foreign leaders discussing a peace treaty without Ukrainian participation dangerously echoes a certain moment in history, where one thought aggression can be stopped by concessions. This has been proven to be impossible, and peace can only be achieved on Ukraine’s terms without any form of compromise.
Crimea. Donetsk. Luhansk. Zaporizhzhia. Kherson. Kharkiv. Mykolaiv. All of these regions belong to Ukraine, and it’s time the Ukrainian people retook control of their own state. I firmly believe President Voldymyr Zelenskyy will eventually lead Ukraine to an inevitable victory for Ukraine, and for the world.
Hokoria stands with Ukraine. Слава Україні!