War in Ukraine (March 9, 2022)

March 23, 2022
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(Editor's note: The below was edited by Khrystyna Dmytryshyn, a foreign exchange student from Ukraine that spent time as a student at Lamar High School in 2019-2020. While attending school in Lamar, she also helped out at the Lamar Democrat.)

Russia has started a full-scale war against Ukraine. Nevertheless, the people's love for the country will help Ukraine defend itself and win.

The Russian president Vladimir Putin thought that his country would invade Ukraine in two days because the Russian army is considered to be the second largest army in the world. What Putin did not take into account is that people in Ukraine are different from the people of Russia. They will never allow anybody to control them. Ukraine has been independent for 30 years and has always fought for its freedom. Ukrainians love their country and support their government and army. According to the Ukrainian news, both the people and the army are struggling together to defeat the enemy. Read some examples below.

In Bukovyna, an elderly man donated 100,000 hryvnias and ten thousand dollars to the army.

Bukovyna is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe. The region is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided between Romania and Ukraine.

Shevchuk Mykola Hryhorovych, a resident of Novodnistrovsk, has always been concerned about the fate of the country and the fate of the community.

This information was announced on Facebook by Novodnistrovsk Mayor Natalia Tsymbalyuk. Novodnistrovsk is a city in Dnistrovskyi rayon (district), Chernivtsi oblast (province) of Ukraine.

"He proved his concern with real deeds! He donated all the money he had accumulated over the years of his life to save our country so that we could defeat the sworn enemy! Mykola Hryhorovych transferred his own 100,000 hryvnias and 10,000 dollars to support the Ukrainian Army", is posted on her Facebook account.

The head of Novodnistrovsk said that these were all the savings that the man had collected during his life. That is, he was born in October 1939.

After the start of active hostilities, this elderly man decided that it was necessary to support the Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting with the Russian enemy now. Therefore, he transferred his funds to the needs of the army. To confirm his action, the man brought the relevant receipts to the city council.

Sailor Vitaliy Skakun blew upthe Henichesky Bridge with himself in order to stop the enemy, reports General Staff.

Henichesk is a port city along the Sea of Azov in Kherson Oblast (province) of southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Henichesk rayon (district). Henichesk hosts the administration of Henichesk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.On 24 February 2022, Henichesk was captured by the Russian Army in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The sailor Vitalii Skakun blew up the Henichesk Bridge withhimself in order to stop the advance of the Russian tanks. According to the Ukrainian news called Ukrinform, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced this information on their Facebook.

"On this difficult day for our country, when theUkrainian people are repelling the Russian occupiers in all directions, one of the most difficult places on the map of Ukraine was the Crimean Isthmus, where a separate battalion of marines was the first one to meet the enemy," the statement said.

Inorder to stop the advance of the tank column, a decision was made to blow up the Henichesk road bridge. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Vitaliy Skakun, an engineer of a separate battalion, volunteered to perform this task. The bridge was mined, but he did not have time to leave. According to the soldiers, Vitaliy got in touch and said that he was blowing up the bridge. An explosion was heard immediately.

"Our brother died. His heroic deed significantly slowed down the advanceof the enemy, which allowed the unit to redeploy and organize the defense, " the General Staff said. The Marine Command will apply to the High Command to award Vitalii Skakun with the state award.

"I love you, Ukrainian soldier": a story about rescuing a little girl from the shelling.

The Ukrainian soldier Yevhen Isayev told that while he was saving a little girl from the war zone she kept repeating how much she loved him, a Ukrainian soldier. The military man says that such words of the child made his heart ache.

Yevhen said that while carrying the girl out of the combat zone in his arms, he felt those words make a lump in his throat, and his heart "clenched so sharply in his chest."

"A little girl, through the tears against the background of shots, explosions, was clutching at me with her small hands, and was repeating like a mantra: "I love you, Ukrainian soldier. I love you very, very much!!!" the soldier wrote on his Facebook.

Both the civilians and the soldiers in Ukraine are fighting together to defeatthe common enemy. In all occupied cities and villages, people protest against the invasion without being afraid of death. People donate everything they have to help the Armed forces. On the other hand, the soldiers fight bravely and defeat the Russian army which is much larger than the Ukrainian one. The Ukrainian victory must come soon.

We will keep you updated on the battle that defines the continent's future.

#StandWithUkraine

Contributing writer: Yaryna Skolozdra; Editor: Khrystyna Dmytryshyn.

Photo by Natalia Tsymbalyuk, a major of Novodnistrovsk. The man donated who donated all his money to the army.

Ukrainian soldier Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Skakun |Twitter/@nnnnnevaeh.

Photo by Victor Zalevskyi. Yevhen Isayev.