Russian Invasion of Ukraine: How Can You Help as a Foreigner?

Hello! My name is Diana. I was born and raised in the capital of Ukraine – Kyiv. Now I live in Switzerland and study at Luzern University of Applied Science and Arts. On Tuesday 22nd of February, our Professor presented a course assignment that included a content campaign on any topic. I wanted to write about Ukraine in the light of increasing tensions on its borders with Russia. On Wednesday 23rd of February, I made a draft of topics for the articles. I planned to write about the differences between Ukraine and Russia, hoping to explain why our culture, language, past, present and future are different. I was convinced that we, democratic society in 2022, should never let any wars happen. Then on the 24th of February, I woke up to tens of messages from my friends and family. They told me the war in my country has begun…

I started writing this article on the 1st of March. The first five days of war were blurry, and everything seemed surreal. Do you know Salvador Dali’s painting called “Persistence of Memory”? The melting watch is a close representation of how I experience time right now. These past days I spent constantly and anxiously texting my family and friends, reading news, crying, going to demonstrations and taking short naps while holding my phone. But while I am in the safest country in the world, everything and everyone I love and care about are being attacked.

I wasn’t sure if I should even consider writing anything right now. But since I have this opportunity to be potentially heard, I want to make myself useful. And I want to start by answering a few questions I have received from my friends in Switzerland and other European countries.

Firstly, I want to give the most important disclaimer: this article is not about hate. I won’t lie and say that my heart is full of love to every single person in the world right now, but you won’t see it here. My goal is to share my perspective, give you information and support Ukraine and Ukrainians in this critical moment. In turn, I would appreciate it if you could also avoid showing hate. If your opinion is different from mine, I hope you can find another place to share it.

Before listing a few ways you could help Ukraine and Ukrainians, I want to explain why you should consider it if you have doubts. Thousands of innocent civilians are dying from the Russian invasion; houses, hospitals, orphanages are bombed. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 1,500 residential buildings, 202 schools and 34 hospitals have been shelled across the country since the invasion began (from 24th of February until 11th of March). Here is the full Sky News article with some pictures and details of bombed hospitals, houses, museums etc.

Below is Kharkiv City Hall after the heavy shelling of the Russian army. It is located on Freedom Square – the second biggest square in Europe.

The picture below is from Kyiv after Russians attacked a TV tower to cause panic with a media blackout. This bomb also hit the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial, a burial site for 30,000 Jewish people killed by the Nazis during Second World War.

One of the most heartbreaking attacks is the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol. Here Russians targeted doctors, pregnant women and newborn kids. I tried to find the least disturbing image of the hospital, but you can read more on it here.

I could talk about the atrocities and insanities that the Russian army is doing to my homeland forever. However, I would like to shift the focus to potential ways of helping Ukraine, the Ukrainian Army and the Ukrainian people.

Because the first and most asked question that I got is “How can I help as a foreigner?”. There are a few (peaceful and quite noble) options for you to do so:

You can join peaceful demonstrations in your city, which are happening almost every day in all countries. At the demonstrations, you could ask your government to support Ukraine. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about lethal weapons, you could ask your government to send humanitarian help to Ukraine (medicine, clothes, food etc.). Or you could encourage your country to provide asylum to Ukrainian refugees. The most important thing you could do at the demonstrations is showing support to the Ukrainians. Trust me, seeing Swiss, Italians, French, Germans, Poles and people from all over the world is very important. Knowing that it’s not only us who care about the safety and freedom of Ukraine is very encouraging. On this website, you can see the list of all approved demonstrations all over the world (and it is being constantly updated): https://www.stopputin.net

If you can’t go to the demonstrations or you did go and feel like you could do more, I would suggest you donate money to help Ukrainians. Even 5-10 Euros could buy food for families and kids who have been hiding in bomb shelters since the 24th of February.  Here are the organisations that accept donations:

1. The Red Cross organises emergency aid to the Ukrainians in need. 
2. Razom for Ukraine is a volunteer organisation that helps with medical aid (purchasing medical supplies for critical situations like blood loss and other tactical medicine items).
3. The National Bank of Ukraine opened a fundraising account for humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians affected by the Russian aggression. The collected money will be used to provide shelter, food, clothes and medicine to the Ukrainians in need.
4. Last but not least, if you wish to support the Ukrainian army, which has been fighting for the country’s freedom and people’s lives, you can do it via the National Bank of Ukraine too. 

An important disclaimer: this article (and all others that I have written) represent solely my opinion, which does not equal the university’s opinion. These articles aim to spread awareness about the war in Ukraine, provide useful resources for donations and highlight my own opinion from the standpoint of a person whose family is in danger in Ukraine. Please do consider this. I do not encourage the spread of hate or bullying; there is already enough pain that people have to go through.