The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has overwhelmed news outlets with heartbreaking updates and statistics for over nine months. Ukraine, in defense of its sovereign right, has fought valiantly to expel Russia and end its plans of domination. According to the Brookings Institute, nearly one-third of 44.8 million Ukrainians have been displaced, and up to 13,000 soldiers and 6,700 civilians have died because of the conflict. The economic and geopolitical effect has been staggering– from increased gas prices over the summer to a looming food crisis, as Ukraine and Russia together produce one-third of the world’s wheat and barley supply and over 70% of its sunflower oil, according to the USDA.

These facts weigh heavy in the hearts of Ukrainian Americans, myself included. Fresh in the mind of my grandparents’ generation is the destruction caused by the Holodomor, a man-made famine designed by the USSR between 1932-1933 that resulted in 6 million Ukrainian deaths, and this recent assault is yet another reminder of Russia’s relentless obsession with dominating Ukraine physically and societally.

There is a misconception surrounding Ukraine and Russia’s relationship, and whether the two countries are truly separate entities. One of Putin’s core rationales for invading Ukraine is that Russia and Ukraine share the same history and culture and therefore must be united. However, from a political, social, and cultural standpoint, the two countries are very much different. Furthermore, an intertwined history does not validate a hostile invasion to absorb a democratic nation.

The war in Ukraine affects everyone, and as citizens of a free and democratic state, we should be educated about the events in Ukraine - a violent assault on the sovereign democratic process. As the conflict continues, a great concern is the biting Ukrainian winter, bringing frigid temperatures and harsh weather along with it. Russian assaults on Ukrainian cities, housing, and infrastructure, notably heat sources, have left Ukrainians without reliable heating and vulnerable to hypothermia and illness. Along with the destruction of housing, increasingly recurrent Russian bombings of electrical infrastructure and thermal power plants are leaving families without electricity and without alternate heating sources such as space heaters. Many towns have rallied to collect and stockpile firewood and secure broken windows and walls to conserve heat. “Heating hubs” are being prepared in relative secrecy to provide those without heating with safe and warming tents. The Ukrainian government and humanitarian organizations both brace for a long and strenuous winter ahead. In President Zelensky’s daily video chat update, he urges, “We must do everything we can to survive this winter, no matter how harsh it is.” Ukraine’s enduring strength and stamina are shown in Zelensky’s words. The people of Ukraine are not willing to give up, and their survival as a people is contingent on individuals’ survival through this winter.

If you’re wondering what you and your family can do to help Ukrainians, donations to humanitarian aid are highly impactful and can provide funds for supplies, emergency aid, and repairs to infrastructure for Ukrainians. Organizations supporting Ukraine include UNICEF, Mercy Corps, the Ukrainian Red Cross, GlobalGiving, and many more.