While we have been watching the horror of the Russia-Ukraine war unfold on our televisions for the past week, the real suffering occurs behind the scenes when families are forced to flee their homes and relocate to a new country to escape war. We’ve seen how families must split up, and how women and children are allowed to leave the country while men remain to fight for their freedom.
Ukrainians are suffering through no fault of their own. All they want is to live in a democratic country where they can freely choose their leaders and go about their daily lives without fear of persecution. When a large neighboring country is led by an authoritarian strongman, that doesn’t work very well.
There is a long history of dispute between Russia and Ukraine. Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014 and snatched Crimea from Ukraine. The pretext of war is a tried-and-tested formula of saving your own people in enemy territory.
Russia has claimed that Russian people are treated badly and harassed by the Ukrainian government. Hitler used the same pretext to invade neighboring countries and start World War II. Russia has some valid concerns about its own security, but that doesn’t justify invading a democratic country.
The worst victims of this war, or any other war in recent memory, are children forced to flee their homes in search of a new home in a new country. The Ukraine situation is unique in that men must remain at home, and some will die fighting for their country.
This will result in a large number of orphaned children in the future. It always begins with the hope of quickly returning home when the war is over, but as history has shown us, this type of war can last for years. Children will grow into teenagers, and teenagers will grow into men who have had the harrowing experience of growing up in refugee camps.
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion, more than 360,000 people have fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighboring countries.The majority of those who arrived were women and children. All men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been barred from leaving the country to fight.
Poland has been extraordinarily generous in accepting Ukrainian refugees. A nation which already had an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainians before Russia’s invasion, Poland has consistently expressed its support for Ukraine, and seen the majority of those fleeing Ukraine cross into its territory. Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries such as Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Many countries are allowing Ukrainians to travel without a visa, which is a heartwarming gesture. Ireland announced last Friday that visa requirements for Ukrainians would be lifted immediately.
According to the UN, the number of people seeking refuge outside of Ukraine in other countries could reach 5 million. Several European countries have offered humanitarian assistance in preparation for an influx of Ukrainian refugees.
The United States stated that it was providing emergency assistance. Although our own country has supported Ukraine indirectly with lots of assistance, more direct support might have averted the war.
As war progresses, the situation will get worse for the displaced population. Economic activities will come to a halt, generating mass unemployment and creating a second wave of refugees.
We can only pray that better sense will prevail and people who had to flee their home country will be able to come back to their own country and live their life peacefully.
It was heartwarming to see people come out on the Boston Common to support Ukrainian people. We also express solidarity with Ukrainian people around the world and in Lynnfield.
Avi Shrivastava is a Lynnfield High School junior who co-founded Safehaven4kids (Avi – SafeHavens4kids (safehavenskids.org) with his brother, Aditya.
