Especially for the Ukrainian people still going through this difficult time of war and uncertainty
Ukraine has now been at war for just over a year now. It began on a Thursday. The date of February 24th, 2022 will go down in history as Ukraine's peaceful country, with no threat of conflict or hostility, was struck and invaded by Russian forces from the North, East, and South. A year has passed, and it seems a lot has changed between the tone and attitude towards the war.
Disclaimer
I don't intend any of my blogs to become anyway political or contain such dark controversial matters but I do feel that this is a topic I have a lot to say about after seeing many different coverages on the topic and want to express my response to them.
Most of what will be covered in this blog will contain dark themes (Death, War, Etc) which some people may find distressing. Also, this will include many of my personal opinions which some people may or may not agree with. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion just keep all comments and remarks respectful to all.
The War
Russia is still continuing with its illegal invasion of Ukraine with the latter still putting out an almighty resistance. With many supplies and equipment being aided to Ukraine from its ally countries with many sanctions being sent against Russia's economy, the world has definitely changed both financially and politically.
It's hard to follow what's happening all the time. Russia had momentum at the start them Ukraine landed on its feet, but at the time of writing, it seems the Russians are allegedly advancing once more. If the worst was to happen and the capital Kyiv, were to fall, it seems Poland would be the next target shortly after an alignment (which is near to certain) Between Russia and Belarus would be made.
This is all hypothetical, but if Poland, a Nato country, were to be invaded this would mean the launch of a full-scale war with many countries and the world would be hurled into war for a third time. I am not writing this to worry people or strike, I am not a fearmonger. but I do believe it is essential to know these things and not be ignorant about such matters.
Nuclear war is often dismissed as almost an impossibility and while such a war is, at the time of writing, not a guarantee or seen to be the way the war is going, it is not something that should be dismissed so easily. It only has to happen once.
"I know not what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones" - Albert Einstein
Refugees
I remember back when the war started, the outcry of support for Ukraine and her people was overwhelming. The photos and footage being shown daily were horrifying and sickening. Donations and tributes being sent were phenomenal. Some people even hoped Ireland would take in some Ukrainians would be taken into the country, which would be the case, with mixed results.
I of course recognise the terrible problem we have in this country between the homeless and the housing crisis. The government hasn't done any noteworthy work between the homeless, refugees, and the housing crisis. It's a disgrace that we haven't our homeless people homed before this war anyway and I do have much sympathy towards those without so much as a sleeping bag, but it's still not the fault of the Ukrainians who have no choice in the matter. The truth is it's just a bad situation all around.
Also, I just want to make the point that Asylum Seekers and Refugees are two very different situations. Whatever your opinion on Asylum Seekers may be, I don't like people mixing the two together be it accidental or on purpose, and referring to them as "them foreigners" That being said I've heard them being referred to as worse, which is a disgrace.
Some people have also made the claims that some refugees have committed violent acts toward others and while yes it has been the case with some in certain areas, I'm not sure it is totally fair to blame an entire community for the actions of some.
From my own experience, the Ukrainian people who I have met were very pleasant people. I remember Christmas Day 2022 while down at Banna Beach for the charity Christmas swim in aid of the Banna Sea Rescue, I saw many Ukrainians together or video chatting with loved ones watching and taking part in the yearly tradition. Some of them even volunteered with the refreshments in the Banna Rescue Boathouse, with many homemade dishes from their home country
Along with a special sampling of Ukrainian Vodka which I was told was, strong, to say the least, and would definitely warm you up after that blast of the cold seawater.
The Actulalitity
The problems caused by this war are not the fault of the Ukrainian people, or even the government (to a certain extent) but of the deranged decisions made by the mad dictatorship of Vladimir Putin. I'm curious to know how many people even thought of that man while reading this blog. To many he was most likely one of the first that came to mind, however, I purposely left out his name till now because I know that this will be the first point of reading they think of him.
Whys that? Because some people have become so blinded by hate toward the Ukrainian refugees that they have totally forgotten why they are here in the first place. Many people have lost their entire homes their families lay dead many miles away and everything they have worked to achieve is gone, so it makes me sick to see people actually protesting against them, saying such horrible things. Don't believe me? Look it up for yourself, many videos exist on social media to back up what I've said. It takes many good people to build something great, it takes a single tyrant to destroy that.
Conclusion
I don't know how this conflict will end, if I could tell the future I'd be buying a lottery ticket every other day. I do know there is much to be done both in the conflict overseas along with the struggles and rising tensions in this country. At the end of the day, are we not all human. We all have the right to live in this world peacefully and while we can't say for certain the outcome of this bloody war, each and every one of us are capable of being decent to each other despite who we are or where we come from. If we put half the effort into showing compassion as we do bickering, we'd live in quite the utopia.
As for the war itself, I refer to the quote from the classic 1605 novel, Don Quixote, "For neither good nor evil can last forever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be at hand"