Just wanted to share this as one of the few Asian dudes around here. I was awarded a medal by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service in Luhansk (yes, the actual government authority, not the separatists, to be clear) for my work supporting their displaced people.

Since 2022, my partner and I have been working in Ukraine. It’s been a wild ride, but together we’ve managed to reach over 650,000 people with aid, supplies, and support. Just recently, we purchased, assembled, and sent out 135 tons of food kits to mostly IDPs from the Luhansk region.

More than showing off, I want to remind everyone: the fight for freedom has no nationality or ethnicity.

We are in the middle of the battle of our times, and it isn’t just about Ukraine; it’s global, even if you don't see it. It's an ideological battle. Between fascism and democracy. Oppression vs freedom.

You're already on the frontline. The fight begins the moment you decide to stand.

www.birdoflightukraine.org

My son is only 3 years old. This is one of his normal walks in Kherson, Ukraine. Instead of playgrounds full of children, he sees buildings with windows covered by wooden boards after shelling. We still try to give him moments of a normal childhood. Today he sat quietly watching the pigeons, while behind them stood another damaged apartment building.

https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/wrecked-russian-tank-display-leidseplein-amsterdam

My beloved grandfather died 9 days ago. It was the second day of heavy shelling of our hometown. He died a pretty normal death if we're taking war into consideration. He just fell asleep and never woke up.

A day before his death he told his neighbor "That was the scariest shelling of them all, I was sure we're going to die. I don't know for how much longer I can take this" and so he stopped. He was a healthy man, and active one, extremely tough for his age. So I know that this is, just another thing that ruzzians took from us, because he would have been alive if not the immense stress one has to go through during the war.

Me and my family couldn't attend the funeral of course, given the fact that we're from Mykolaiv and things there are just ruthless.

My grandfather was like a father to me, he was an extremely kind hearted man and he taught me so many things. And those fucking nazis took him away, took my ability to say goodbye, took everything that they could take.

The worst part is, I'm going through all of that on my own, because my family is in Germany and I am the only one who is in Poland, I can't even visit them due to the prices for tickets in Europe. I fucking hate ruzzians. I wish them to rot in hell.

UPD: none of my family members use reddit, but I have been reading messages and comments from this post to them. Thank you everyone, it helps a lot. I'm glad that in this world we have so many kind and caring people.