Like many people, I've been somewhat glued to news about Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in the last week.
I start pretty much every morning by reading news articles about the crisis, and my social media feeds have been chock full of news reports and footage from the area. It's hard to avoid or ignore.
Like most Canadians, I'm siding with Ukraine in all of this, and feel that Russia president Vladimir Putin was in the wrong by sending Russian troops to invade their neighbouring country. I imagine a lot of Russians feel the same way, based on the scale of protests that have emerged there.
To educate myself on the matter, I've read what articles I can on Putin's motivations. Like virtually every war, it all feels like a needless conflict to me. Of course, I know it's easy for me to say that as an outsider.
The invasion has made me think about the Ukrainians I have met in my life, and I've met quite a few. I studied abroad in Germany for six months in 2015, and made friends with many fellow international students, including some from Ukraine, as well as Russia. Reading news stories about the war that has erupted in recent days, my heart goes out to them. Not just to my Ukrainian friends, but also my Russian friends, who I imagine are against the actions of their country's leadership.
I think a lot of Canadians have been surprised and impressed by the resolve shown by Ukrainians in the last week. We've seen images of recently married Ukrainian couples who have had to put off their honeymoon plans to join the fight to defend Kyiv. We've seen the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuse an airlift out of Ukraine, choosing instead to take up arms alongside his countrymen. In a quote I believe will go down in history, Zelenskyy said that he doesn't need a ride, he needs ammunition.
Based on the Ukrainians I've met, their behaviour throughout this hasn't surprised me one bit. I believe there's a fierce sense of patriotism in defending their land and culture that comes with being Ukrainian.
When I lived in Germany, one of my Ukrainian friends was a guy of a similar age to me, named Taras. While I haven't spoken to him in probably six years, he is still one of the nicest people I've ever met. I recall Taras spending hours helping me fix a problem I was having with my bicycle. While I tried to insist on buying him a beer later that week as a thank you for his troubles, he declined the offer repeatedly, arguing that helping me fix my bike was just something a friend would do.
I can't help but hope that Taras – and the other Ukrainians and Russians I befriended during my time in Germany – are doing OK throughout all of this.
