The Russia-Ukraine War Has Not Been Forgotten

On February 24th, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv­—nearly a year later, the war still rages. Roughly 8 million Ukrainians have fled to safer neighboring countries, hoping to find refuge amongst the heartbreak of leaving their homes and abandoning all they know. Another 6.5 million Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes and seek safety within other regions of the country.

However, the media coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war in this past year has declined and continues to other exciting topics. But, the public has not forgotten. We have not forgotten the Ukrainian citizens’ struggles, nor have we forgotten the victims of Russian war crimes.

In December 2022, the United Nations documented hundreds of attacks on schools, homes, and hospitals; leading to victims suffering from torture, rape, forced public striping, and many other horrendous attacks reported in Russian-controlled Ukrainian towns—as a result of being deemed to be connected to the Ukrainian government and military.

Now, dozens of refugees speak out about their personal stories and recount the moments they knew they had to flee nearly a year later. European countries such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, and Slovakia have taken in millions of refugees seeking safe asylum.

Those same Ukrainian refugees are explaining their journey to the neighboring countries—waiting hours at train stations with hundreds of others; traveling hours or even days to get to their safe havens; meeting groups from organizations at a country’s border offering food, blankets, and water; and experiencing the same fear and sadness as all the other fleeing Ukrainians.

Many refugees explain the waiting game they encountered. Waiting to hear back from loved ones to determine whether their families were safe or waiting to return to their homes since they could only take what they could carry.

Yet, Kyiv remains strong—with the latest reports from the mayor claiming the city is “gradually resuming electric public transit operations in the wake of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.” The capital’s military forces also shot down six Russian balloons flying over the city on February 15th, 2023. Kyiv’s military administrative claims that these supposed balloons are used to distract their air defense but disguised as meteorological devices.

While progress is small, it gives Kyiv’s citizens hope as their military struggles against the Russian forces elsewhere. In the eastern Luhansk region of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry overthrew Ukrainian troops, forcing them to leave behind equipment and fellow fallen soldiers.

The pain of each Ukrainian is heard across Europe and the world—their stories will not be forgotten for their homeland’s grief and their families that have been torn apart. The suffering is unimaginable, with many aspects of the war not being reported and with the media just skimming the surface of refugees’ hardships.

To help Ukrainian refugee families and children, please consider donating to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to help their teams deliver aid and supplies to those suffering.