Stand with Ukrainians

I had a different article all queued up to post today. Ironically enough, the topic was “invasive species.”  But it doesn’t feel right at this moment to be taking up public space on subjects – however important (and superficially relevant!) – that don’t involve Russia’s war in Ukraine. So today I’m putting aside routine Bees’ Knees content to share a few thoughts on Ukrainians.

You didn’t subscribe to this newsletter to receive geopolitical musings and I don’t want to abuse the privilege of your support. So you’re of course welcome to skip this post if it doesn’t interest you. Meanwhile, be assured that I fully intend to return to Bees’-Kneesy topics soon.

For those readers who don’t know me personally, in my previous life I studied the politics of Eurasia and worked on supporting democracy activists in the region, for much of that time with the National Democratic Institute. I traveled fairly regularly to Ukraine in those capacities.

If I learned anything over those 40 or so years, it’s that one should never underestimate Ukrainians. Ukraine has rarely had the leadership it deserves, yet time and again its citizens have demonstrated what it means to be genuinely patriotic, fearless, determined and democratic. I can only hope that if my time came, I could summon a fraction of their courage.

Below are just a few of many, many examples that could be cited.

Following a blatantly rigged presidential election in November 2004, millions of Ukrainians held daily peaceful protests in Kyiv and other cities for almost two months. In the depths of winter, and in a region and country known for brutal crackdowns on dissent, this was no small feat of bravery and persistence. At the time I thought it was an admirable but doomed gesture. However, in a stunning twist, the demonstrations led to a decision to rerun the elections, and the rerun results reflected the will of the voters. These events, called the “Orange Revolution,” were a watershed for the country and the region. They marked independent Ukraine’s first successful democratic uprising. Authoritarian and oligarchic roots unfortunately run deep among the leadership class, so Ukraine’s political trajectory was far from linear after this point. Nevertheless, Ukrainian citizens took to heart the lesson of their collective “people power.”

They returned to the streets in November 2013 to protest significant democratic backsliding under then-President Viktor Yanukovych. Building on the example of the Orange Revolution, they created an entire tent city on Kyiv’s Independence Square and in other urban centers, with sleeping quarters, soup kitchens, medical stations, legal services, and cultural and educational activities – a living example of a democratic civil society. They demanded a “Revolution of Dignity” to restore democracy and public integrity. In January, the government deployed deadly violence to disperse the crowds, only amplifying the protesters’ resolve. Just when the situation seemed to be at its most bleak, the Yanukovych government abruptly collapsed. A new president and parliament were elected. Once again, Ukrainians had taken a situation that appeared hopeless and, through relentless determination and ingenuity, turned it around.

When the Putin regime illegally annexed Crimea and occupied parts of the Donbass region in 2014, the Ukrainian military was unprepared and vastly under-resourced. Yet thousands of volunteers, many of them young women, made their way to the front to fight. Some hitched rides to get there, wearing only the t-shirts, jeans and running shoes they had on when they made the decision. They were unarmed and untrained, but made themselves useful. Eight years later, many are still defending their country as full-fledged soldiers. In addition, women now make up more than 15 percent of the total personnel of the Ukrainian army.

In 2014 and 2019 I joined teams of international observers assessing the quality of presidential and parliamentary elections held in those years. In both cases, Ukraine was facing Russian military aggression and territorial occupation, severe economic disruption, information warfare, domestic corruption, and toxic election campaigning. I clearly recall the gloom we felt as the election days approached: all signs pointed toward falsifications, disputed results, potential violence, and subsequent democratic backsliding. Yet thanks to the resolve of ordinary Ukrainians – primarily poll workers and voters who, despite the failings of many of their leaders, stepped up to fulfill their civic responsibilities – the elections were ultimately clean and fair expressions of the voters’ will.

In the course of these experiences, people learned new skills, solved problems, created organizations, established networks, built trust, and forged a strong national identity. They also reinforced their collective commitment to sovereignty, democracy and integration with Europe.

We’re seeing jaw-dropping examples of Ukrainian patriotism and grit today. There’s the great-grandmother in Mariupol learning to use an AK-47 during civilian combat training. The woman in Kherson telling heavily-armed Russian soldiers to put sunflower seeds in their pockets “so at least sunflowers will grow” when they die. The women and children weaving camouflage nets in Khmelnitsky. The teachers, lawyers and stay-at-home moms in Dnipro assembling Molotov cocktails. The 37,000 individuals who have joined civilian territorial defense units. The border guards on Snake Island in the Black Sea who received an order from a Russian naval ship to surrender. Knowing full well what the consequences would be, the guards retorted, “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.” All 13 were killed. [After posting this I saw reports the guards had been taken captive, not killed. The point stands.]

These are not isolated incidents. This is who Ukrainians are. And who they are is in part a product of their “people power” experiences since 2004.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is being hailed for his leadership during this invasion, and rightly so. He has risen to the moment with spectacular badassery. I’d suggest, though, that much of his confidence stems from the knowledge that he has the full weight of the Ukrainian population, including his political opposition, behind him. Without that backing, his swagger would be hollow. But the combination of presidential plus public determination? Well, that’s what national unity looks like.

It’s a cold, hard fact that the U.S. and NATO cannot entertain direct military engagement with Russia without risking a global nuclear conflict. This means, tragically, that Ukraine is having to fight the Russian army largely on its own. None of us knows how this war will end. There are undoubtedly very dark days ahead. But we need to understand that, for the Kremlin, attacking Ukraine is merely a means to the end of dividing and ultimately destroying the transatlantic community of democracies. So Ukrainians are defending not just their own country. They’re also defending European and U.S. security, as well as the values of democracy and human rights that so many of us now take for granted. Those Ukrainians deserve every ounce of financial, technical, material, humanitarian and diplomatic support we can muster. They’d deserve it no matter what, but they’ve also damn well earned it.

Several people have asked how they can help. A respected Ukrainian nonprofit called Razom has compiled this list of worthy initiatives, including local organizations accepting donations. You may also donate to international and multilateral organizations such as these. As I’ve just tried to convey, though, Ukrainians know how to get stuff done. So all else being equal, I’d recommend directing your support to the local groups on the ground.

Slava Ukraini!

#StandWithUkraine

Young demonstrators during the Revolution of Dignity. "Kyiv, Euro Maidan 2013" by Oleksii Leonov is licensed under CC BY 2.0