I know the last thing I should or will be doing is attempting to join a foreign war or any war while 7 years deep into addiction but my whole maternal grandmothers side of the family is of Ukrainian decent and I've always felt like if there was ever a war to support a side in, this is the one. At least for me. But I haven't been able to get my shit together my entire adult life or do anything other than be a fuckin loser basically while guys my age and much younger have fought and died in Ukraine already and more will still.
And income/common comforts and life luxuries are not even the slightest source of inspiration to do something useful for once in my life. Cause ain't shit guaranteed in life but death, so the typical goals and aspirations of most my peers like a nice car or house or money to spend when they retire has no value to me. Idk if I will ever get off this shit or if it will kill me before I do but maybe just maybe I can make even the smallest difference in this world that isn't self serving or just selfishly feeding my own wants and perceived needs.
I mainly wrote this to ask about the eligibility requirements if I ever was in a stable and healthy enough spot in my life to think about actually coming there to help. And the main one I have questions about is the no history of prosecution or criminal charges, but I have several misdemeanor charges from different states over drug offences and driving offences but nothing violent or anything like that and no felonies, so would that still be a deal breaker for someone wanting to come fight as an American in Ukraine or no?
So few of you may know i have been trying to learn more about Ukrainian history with Russia's violence against them.
So I was seeing if anyone mor educated then me can provide official policies/documents that reflect what Imperial Russia/the Czar were doing before the Soviets expanded upon it and began doing more horrific stuff in comparison.
Since right now I am talking to a friend and was telling him Russias long history of genocide against Ukraine and i would like to back it up since I already addressed the Soviet Era.
Any help would be great since I am trying to show him why ive become so anti-Russia when it comes to their actions.
Steve Witkoff to Putin: You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again.
Ukrainian grain ships are under attack. Could Europe do more to protect them? 🇺🇦
Hey everyone! 👋 We're EUobserver, and we've been following the recent attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea.
For Ukrainian farmers, exporters and sailors, these routes are essential. But repeated drone attacks are making an already difficult situation even more dangerous.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called for a European naval mission to protect merchant ships, although such a mission appears unlikely for now.
How do people in Ukraine see this? What kind of European support would make the biggest difference to keeping these routes safe?
This post is for all my American friends who ask how we are holding up here.
If I were an American, I would be a Republican.
My wife and I have been married for 9 years. We were married in a church, we are raising two children, and we share right-center, conservative values. We believe in building, earning, and creating through hard work rather than redistributing what others have earned. So yes, I’m pretty sure I’d be a Republican.
But I am Ukrainian.
In 1994, when I was 12 years old, my country gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal: roughly 1,900 strategic nuclear warheads, up to 4,000 tactical nuclear weapons, 11 strategic bombers, 575 cruise missiles, nearly 200 intercontinental ballistic missiles, and vast amounts of heavy weaponry.
The United States and Russia convinced us to surrender all of it to Russia in exchange for security assurances signed by both nations. Ukraine kept its word.
Twenty years later, Russia invaded us for the first time, trampling on its guarantees. Meanwhile, the U.S. was in no rush to fully honor its commitments either.
But I am Ukrainian, and in 2014 I voluntarily went to the frontlines to defend my country, where I was wounded.
While recovering from my injuries, I started a small knife-manufacturing business because the Ukrainian Armed Forces didn't issue combat knives to soldiers. Later, after my father passed away, I inherited his farm - a plot of land with an apple orchard and a vineyard. I started making cider. I crafted my last batch in the fall of 2021, right before the full-scale invasion, and it was a cider that could easily rival the best Norman ciders in France.
I honestly couldn’t believe Russia would launch a full-scale war. But they did. From the very first hours, I took up arms again. My farm was occupied; later, I participated in liberating it. Today, that land is littered with landmines. I don’t even know if agriculture will ever be possible there again. My orchard is gone.
Yet despite everything, we hold the line. We have carried the fighting to the enemy's territory, striking key military targets with our drones. Of course, drone strikes can't fully compare to the devastation caused by Russia's ballistic missiles - but it’s a massive step forward, wouldn't you agree? When a nation without a major navy destroys the Russian Black Sea Fleet, that says something about our resolve.
Now, put yourself in my shoes. I’ve walked the path of this war from a simple volunteer assault troop to an officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I am a civilian forced to be a soldier to defend my homeland. My children have been growing up without their father for years.
And then I hear:
“Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much.”
Just the other day in Kharkiv region, a Russian missile killed a young mother and her baby in a stroller while they were walking in a park.
Oh, how many precious lives we could have saved - the lives of my countrymen, my friends, my relatives who perished under Russian strikes - if we hadn’t trusted those promises back in 1994 and kept our weapons.
I am a Christian with conservative values. My worldview is built on faith in Jesus Christ. My principles dictate keeping one's word. My actions mean daily hard work and protecting my family and country.
And I am convinced that those who pray in public, posture as conservatives, yet turn a blind eye to children being murdered are hypocrites desperately clinging to political power.
I am not an American, and I am not a Republican. But if I were, I would be ashamed to vote for politicians who betray their allies, abandon America's word, and compromise their own professed ideals.
But I am Ukrainian, it’s not my place to tell you how to vote. But I ask you: vote for leaders who possess the moral clarity and strength to GIVE US THE DAMN WEAPONS TO DEFEND OURSELVES!
We are not fighting for glory or someone’s political ambitions.
We are fighting for the sheer survival of the Ukrainian nation.
The russian orcs used a drone to strike the central park of Novaya Vodolaga in the Kharkiv region when there were many people there, including families with children, the Ministry of Internal Affairs says.
Two women and a baby died as a result of the impact.
At least 14 people were injured, including seven children.
