Watching viral videos showing the horrors of the war in Ukraine, the atrocities of Russia, right next to the regular content we see everyday is a weird experience.
The contrast between footage of men, women, children and elderly being slaughtered by Russian troops for the next swipe to reveal an aesthetic video of someone making sourdough bread is crazy. No wonder some older people think we “younguns” are out of touch with reality. Though really, we’re being bombarded with it.
War is an experience new generations of youth haven’t had. We don’t want it either. But Russia, led by Russian President Vladmir Putin, took matters into their own hands and forced that experience on Ukraine and the world.
Gestures of non-violent protest have been made from nations all over the world, ranging from statements condemning Russia’s actions to cutting off resources in an attempt to deplete Russia of its materials. Idaho has taken all Russian liquor off the shelves, which won’t help much in the way of cutting off resources but it’s a denouncing statement for sure.
The largest gesture of this nature so far from the U.S. is the Russian oil ban. The invasion crashed global politics and the Biden Administration banned oil imports from Russia on Tuesday. This is a huge move, considering Russia is the world’s largest oil exporter.
While our social media is being increasingly filled with posts from Ukraine, it is even more full of people complaining about high gas prices. The large dent in our paychecks from the sudden inflation of oil prices after the invasion certainly hits closer to home for most of us, but we still need to be doing everything in our power to support Ukraine without launching head-first into World War III.
We can recover from the temporary financial scars caused by inflated gas prices. Those are temporary and much less traumatic than evacuating your home, running through the streets as sirens and explosions sound, living in a bomb shelter or watching your country’s people die in the relentless shellings.
Ukrainians who have lost their loved ones, homes and lives will never recover from that. Their lives are changed forever, if they haven’t been taken.
We stand with Ukraine. Russia’s attack was a violation of peace and the world should be doing what it can to stop it. There are several ways we can help support Ukraine from the sidelines, though we can’t make big moves like the ones we’re waiting on from NATO and other powerful sources of aid.
The first, and easiest, is to educate yourself and spread even more awareness about the situation. No matter how upsetting this is, we all need to be aware of what exactly is happening over there, how it affects global politics and how it affects our own country.
Read the news and stay updated on the situation from sources like the New York Times, which has reporters on the ground in Ukraine and is free for all University of Idaho students online. The Associated Press is also a good resource and free to access.
Social media has been influential in both spreading information about the war and supporting Ukraine. Many people are encouraging those who have the funds to book Airbnbs in Ukraine without ever intending on showing up on the hosts’ doorsteps. Airbnb has waived any extra fees for purchases in Ukraine, making sure that all of the funds being donated are going toward Ukraine’s fight.
Another way to help is to contact our representatives and urge them to send resources to Ukraine. Many of them are focused on censoring library materials and restricting healthcare access, but we can help to make them aware of what the world really needs if enough people reach out (news flash, it’s not restricted education and healthcare).
Among all of this, the whole world is watching as Putin shows his true colors. We need to show ours too, and make sure our colors are the opposite of his.
- Editorial Board