Putin has always demonstrated his desire to stay in power. One of his first acts as president in his first term of office was advocating strong force in Chechnya. During his second term, he began terminating human rights. Anyone who criticized Putin or the government, including journalists, were arrested, or even killed. Even now in Ukraine, Putin wants to prevent it from developing democratically or economically. By limiting its ties to the EU and NATO, he’s stopped any hope of it developing a better government system and economy. Additionally, he’s threatened many countries who hoped to join NATO in the past, such as Sweden and Finland. Obviously, he doesn’t want anything in the way of his corrupt and authoritarian way of ruling. Moreover, Russia believes the United States is one of its greatest threats. Both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama failed to find a way to cooperate with Putin. Will the next president be able to?

In an NBC News interview, Putin stated “Our relations are, regretfully, in a pretty frozen state, and I think it’s not our fault,” when asked about the potential presidency of Hillary Clinton. Neither Trump, nor Clinton seem to know how to approach the situation, as it is being nicknamed the “second edition of the Cold War.” Trump made a comment about how Putin is a “strong leader…a powerful leader.” Clinton, on the other hand, has compared him to Hitler, referring to the crisis in Ukraine. No one can turn their back on Putin, and there is only one way to approach the situation, and that is to face him. He has been refusing to follow the United States’s basic requests for human rights, and using his power over countries far beyond Russia. For instance, he has restricted the internet, as well as freedom of speech, and many counties, such as the former Soviet states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, feel more threatened than ever because of the crisis in Ukraine. It is crucial for the next president to come up with a policy that will be in the best interest of the United States, but will still take Russia’s international goals into account. Neither candidate has provided any clear policies on how he/she hopes to approach U.S.-Russia relations. It’s important to know that tensions will remain high, especially this year with the current election, and that the next U.S. president will be a determining factor in the relations between the United States and Russia.

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When the USSR ceased to exist, Ukraine was given assistance from other countries. The money never reached the people because each president who held office took it all for himself. According to Global Security, after the dissolution of the USSR, as crime rates increased, crime detection rates decreased, and only 10% of detected crimes were put to trial. That means 90% of crimes turned into injustices by the government. BBC News stated that after the dissolution, Poland and Ukraine had similarly weak economies in 1992, but now Poland’s is double the size of Ukraine’s. Ukraine’s industries were dependent upon Russia’s gas supply, but with the current situation, the economy is suffering. A 2013 article by BBC titled, “Ukraine Economy: How Bad Is The Mess and Can It Be Fixed?,” states that Ukraine was “ranked 144 out of 177 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.” For instance, it is known that during Yanukovych’s presidency, he stole billions of dollars from the government. There has been a very recent anti-corruption bill which was passed on March 15, 2016. Corruption, however, has obviously been occurring for years prior to the crisis. These economic issues have severely affected the people of Ukraine.

In a recent 2015 statistic, it was stated by the U.N. that 80% of Ukrainians live below the poverty line. This means that people can barely afford things that are essential to survival. This is a large majority and is frightening. The U.N. also states that the average wage of a Ukrainian person right now is $50 per month. In the United States, a person can make approximately that much in one day working for minimum wage. Although one cannot compare Ukraine and the U.S. in terms of economy, we are still people. We all need money. Money gets us things we need and if we’re lucky, things we want.

In the midst of war, Ukraine is in desperate need for money and supplies. As the economy continues to worsen, so do the living conditions of the people. Think you can’t help? Well, you can. By donating to the UAOH, you will be supporting an effort to aid Ukrainians in need. I strongly urge you to donate any amount because it is unlikely that the conflict will end soon. Every day, something unexpected happens. In the past week, there has been news of the new air defense missiles that Russia sent out. Donate for the people, the ones who are stuck in fear, anxiety, and hunger, as they await for every new coming challenge.

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Tatiana and Roman. The first time I met them was on December 6, 2015. I remember that day  clearly. It was when I had just begun researching the Ukrainian crisis in depth. The news of my newly acquired “project” had spread among our closest friends and family. We received a phone call weeks before from our friend. Her weak, quavering voice alarmed us, and we gave our sincerest apologies when she informed us of a sick Ukrainian man who she knew was hospitalized. He was in pain and his wife was struggling. That night, I had a thought. Perhaps the man’s wife would be willing to share about her own experiences in Ukraine. She could represent the Ukrainian people, and inform Americans of the unfortunate situation. My only concern was her sensitivity. After all, her husband was in critical condition. Why would she possibly want to explain everything to me, or to anyone else for that matter? Soon, I decided to call our family friend. Surprisingly, she thought it was a brilliant idea. In a few weeks, I got into the car with my dad and we drove over to Yale-New Haven Hospital. If he was staying in one of the nation’s best hospitals, I knew right away that his condition required intensive care.

We walked into the building and found our way to the ICU. It was a completely different world. The bright, artificial lights gleamed into my eyes, and an aroma of sanitizer and clean blankets lurked in the halls. Finally, we reached our destination. It was nothing out of the ordinary for a hospital room, except to enter, I had to wear a bright yellow gown, as well as lather my hands with soap and water, and after, put on a pair of gloves. After completing the necessary prerequisites,  I took a deep breath and entered.

A ghost? An unwatered flower, maybe? No it was a human. A suffering human. Roman was asleep and in pain. Tatiana was there, and although our Slavic languages were similar, we couldn’t quite understand each other. I could speak Russian, but she was superior at Ukrainian. My dad served as an interpreter and helped us understand each other. We spoke in the room, and later went to a lounge and spoke there. She didn’t seem to mind being interviewed, but she was fragile and frail. After I finished up asking questions and turned off the camera, she broke into tears. My heart yearned to help her, so I hugged her tightly. I didn’t know what would happen to her husband, but I knew that her kids were waiting for her back home.

From speaking with Tatiana, I learned that Ukraine was falling apart. They lived in Lutsk, a city in northwestern Ukraine. Roman volunteered to fight separatists and was wounded twice, but the second time created long-term damage. She told me that she was extremely worried about her children who were being taken care of by her parents. She informed me that civilians were dying, but were doing it as an act of patriotism, and for the love of their country (Documentary link with included interview here: https://youtu.be/NkANIRe0Rjk )

Roman fought for his country, and on March 19, 2016 passed away. During his stay at Yale-New Haven Hospital, two other Ukrainian soldiers were hospitalized at Bridgeport Hospital, as well. Although these events took place in the very recent past, many people have forgotten about Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine has been discarded by the media, as if it was no more than a piece of garbage, irrelevant and old compared to newer issues. In fact, Ukraine needs the media to show what’s happening. I don’t know how many people read my posts, but regardless of who you are, I propose to start the #UkraineMatters hashtag. Perhaps hashtag it in the next picture you post on Instagram or a tweet you send out. It doesn’t even have to be through social media. You can speak to anyone about it – maybe bring it up the next time someone talks about a presidential candidate you can’t stand!  I challenge you, but if you’re not up to a challenge, a donation is always welcome, and needed, to continue helping Ukrainians who are fighting for their survival from Russian encroachment.

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Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States once said “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.” I completely agree. War is needed when there is a cause worth fighting for, but people should remember that it’s not a good thing. The war in Ukraine is happening right now. You, yes you, the reader, may not be able to stop it, but know that the money you donate is a life improved, or even saved.

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I used to be confused about the actual situation in Ukraine. I could hardly understand the politics, Putin’s reasoning, and what former President Yanukovych did. I dedicated months of research this year to have a deeper understanding of these things. I concluded that the geopolitical, economical, and historical importance of the country made it appeal to Putin. He wanted to stop Ukraine from joining the EU and NATO, fearing the expansion of U.S. military bases, but what price was he willing to pay? The people were furious, especially those in the West who felt strongly about joining the EU and NATO. The result was thousands of Euromaidan protests, and even worse, a war. It’s a shame that people are now suffering all throughout Ukraine. My stomach hurts at the thought of the wounded, and the children whose parents died, and are now in orphanages. The conditions are still terrible, and the news doesn’t seem to be capturing any of it.

For now, my priority is to spread awareness of this very real and current issue. If it is possible for there to be a positive of the dreadful situation in Ukraine, it is that I have a better understanding of my roots and what it means when my father proudly claims his heritage.  Ukraine’s predicament is absolutely terrible and isn’t being addressed in the Western media as much as I think it should be. For now, the most important thing is to work together and aid Ukraine. Even a small donation will make a difference.

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