Ukraine Now: Raw Facts Everyone Needs to Know

This article was originally published on our site: storieswithpictures.com

A week ago Ukraine was just a peaceful European country like many others, although with a very menacing neighbour, no one thought that actual warfare was possible in the very middle of Europe, after all the wars humanity has been through!

Nevertheless, it happened, and on 24th February Russian military forces crossed the border of Ukraine and started attacking its various regions with heavy machinery. Despite everyone’s shock, many countries and organizations reacted at the speed of light, sending help, medicine, food, and clothes to Ukraine!

The warfare happening on the territory of Ukraine right now is horrendous, but the world has united in a beautiful and startling way, reaching out to those in need. Here’s what you should know.

EU is Expecting up to 7 Million Refugees

If the war in Ukraine continues at this rate, the European Union is expecting the number of refugees to rise significantly. The EU is taking measures to improve the procedure of getting into the countries, offering an easy border crossing with up to 3 years of stay for each refugee.

Ukrainians will also need urgent humanitarian help, that’s why the European Commission has already mobilized 90 million euros on humanitarian aid only.

The EU is urging all countries to keep their  borders open, receiving as many refugees from Ukraine as they can.

Anonymous Declares a War Against Russia

Anonymous, a famous hacking group, joined their forces  with Ukrainian hackers and took part in the cyberwar that’s going on in Ukraine, declaring its very own war against the Russian government.

Usually, such groups don’t make loud announcements like that, but this time they came out of the shadows, making a public statement on  Twitter for millions of users to see. The group has started a number of DDos attacks, crippling  Russian broadcasters and various government platforms.

Ukraine was attempting  to enroll their own underground hacking community to help fight on the cyber front, and with Anonymous on board, it seems that the Ukrainian government will be well protected from the majority of cybersecurity attacks. Although, local experts are afraid there’s a new strain of digital virus on the loose.

Ukrainian Boxers Join the Army

More and more people are joining the Ukrainian army to fight off the invasion of Russian forces. Recently, two of Ukraine's famous pro boxers, Olexandr Usyk and Vasily Lomachenko, enrolled into territorial defense units to protect their motherland.

It doesn't really come as a surprise to see Ukrainian professional boxers being so passionate about their home country - after all, the mayor of Kyiv is Vitali Klitschko, a former boxer who's known all across the globe for winning multiple world championships.

Naturally, two of Ukraine's most prominent boxers also couldn't stay away from the action, joining the Ukrainian army in Kyiv and Odessa.

The Mayor of Kyiv

Many people have already heard the name of Vitali Klitschko associated with the events unfolding in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, but he has gained world popularity long before that as a professional boxer.

Vitali Klitschko has a long history of winning heavyweight championships as well as kickboxing tournaments. He's not just a pro boxer, he also has a Ph. D. in sports science!

During Kyiv's Maidan in 2014 he became one of the most visible and recognized Ukrainian activists and won over millions of people all over the country. Later that year he was elected as the Mayor of Kyiv.

The President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's rise to power has been quite tumultuous as he started out as an actor and a comedian, making fun of the government for a living. And there he was, suddenly becoming a politician himself!

Maybe it was his fame as a comedian and his good humour that won him a huge online following that resulted in Volodymyr Zelenskyy winning the election over Petro Poroshenko back in 2019 with around 70% of votes in his favour.

Despite what everyone might think of him, the President of Ukraine has shown great character during the days of Russian invasion into Ukraine, supporting not only the citizens of Ukraine, but also raising fighting spirit among Ukrainian soldiers with inspirational visits.

16,000 Foreigners Come to Fight for Ukraine

It seems that when it comes to Ukraine, located in the very center of Europe, declaring the war on one country is declaring it against the whole world. It may come as a surprise to many, but thousands of people volunteered to go fight for Ukraine!

The Russia-Ukrainian war has touched many people and enraged even more. It is not just a fight of two countries - it's a fight for what's right, a fight for freedom.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, a whole International Legion made solely of foreigners formed to help the Ukrainian army fight the Russian invasion. It is estimated that around 16,000 people enrolled into the territorial defense, most of whom come from post-Soviet countries, but according to mass media there are also citizens of the UK, Japan, and the United States.

More Than 800,000 People Became Refugees

Right now the estimated number of Ukrainian citizens who have left their homes and fled to the countries of the European Union is around 800,000, and that number is continuing to rise.

Poland, Ukraine’s closes neighbor, has already received 453,000 people, and is preparing to receive even more in the nearest future. The country is building eight refugee receiving centers that will be mostly located in Sports Palaces and Culture Centers.

Refugees will also be provided with temporary residence, food, and medical care. Around 50,000 people are arriving to Poland every day!

World’s Biggest Landmarks Lit Up in Support of Ukraine

The whole world is uniting under the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine to support the country that’s been under attack of the Russian forces. Blue symbolizes the vast blue skies, while yellow is associated with the country’s vast and abundant fields of wheat.

Prominent landmarks all across the globe adopted the colours of the Ukrainian flag: The London Eye and the Palace of Westminster in England, the Eiffel Tower in France, the Coliseum in Italy, the Empire State Building in New York City, and the Brandenburg Gate in Germany, to name the few.

There hasn’t been a single country in the world that hasn’t shown its support to Ukraine in some way!

The President of Ukraine Rejects Asylum

Many things can be said about the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but 'coward' is definitely not one of them. While the war is raging on the streets of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, as well as in dozens of other Ukrainian cities, the  President of Ukraine is not the one to back off.

He rejected the offers of the U. S. officials to grant him asylum, supposedly saying something along the lines: "The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride".

Despite being Russia's #1 target at the moment, the President of Ukraine remains true to his country, staying on the territory of Ukraine along with other government officials.

Ukraine is Receiving Humanitarian Aid From All Corners of the World

China, Germany, and France have sent around 50 tons of humanitarian aid to those in need in Ukraine. Volodymyr-Volynsky has received more than 20 tons of humanitarian aid from Germany, Lviv – 5 tons, Uman’ – around 9 tons from China, Zaporizhzhia – more than 13 tons from France, while Berdichev received 5 tons of humanitarian aid from Germany.

Humanitarian aid includes the most essential things like food, clothes, and medical supplies to give first aid to the injured.

During the following few days Ukraine will also receive a few thousand tons of goods for territorial defense: walkie-talkies, mats, body armor, helmets, blankets, tents, sleeping bags, rubber gloves, and dry toilets.

The U.S. is Sending Military Aid

All countries across the globe are sending military aid to Ukraine as we speak. The U.S. President Joe Biden is gathering $350 million worth of military weapons that will be sent to Ukraine shortly.

Among them will be Stinger missiles, small arms, body armor, and a number of anti-tank weapons to support the defenders of Ukraine. The Pentagon is also preparing to send anti-aircraft systems to the Ukrainian army.

The United States has been a huge support to Ukraine during the past year, sending around $1 billion to support the security system of Ukraine and its regions.

Ukraine Receives Millions in Bitcoin

Bitcoin owners aren’t idly standing by as the events in Ukraine are becoming more and more serious. Ukrainian government has announced that it is accepting donations in various cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, USDT, and Ethereum.

Unbelievably, millions of dollars in cryptocurrency started pouring into Ukrainian accounts! All in all, it is estimated that 4,000 donations have been made so far, totaling in $13.7 million. One unknown donor was generous enough to donate Bitcoin worth $3 million!

All the donations would be used to support the Ukrainian armed forces, says the Ukrainian Digital Ministry.

The United Kingdom, Canada, and Sweden Send Their Help

In an unprecedented turn of events, more and more countries join their efforts to help the Ukrainian army fight off the invasion of the Russian forces.

Even Sweden, a country that’s remained neutral for decades, will be sending around 5,000 anti-tank weapons, while Denmark is also on board with helping Ukraine and will provide the Ukrainian military forces with more than 2,000 anti-tank machines.

The United Kingdom and Canada are also supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons and defensive machines, while Germany and the Netherlands have already dispatched 400 rockets, 700 Stinger missiles, along with 1,000 anti-tank weapons.

Some Russian Citizens Destroy Their Passports

The events unfolding in Ukraine right now have horrified not only Ukrainians and people all over the world, but also Russians themselves, who were just as taken aback by the whole situation as the citizens of other countries.

Some of them were so disappointed in their government that they actually destroyed their passports! One of them, Anna Yakubova, a Russian activist who was taking part in a vigil in Edinburgh, Scotland, simply took out a lighter and set her passport on fire.

Many people, including Russians, simply can’t wrap their heads around what’s happening right now in Ukraine. Even Russian citizens are turning away from their homeland!

Man Drives 1,400 miles (2,250 km) to Deliver Donated Goods to Refugees

An engineer from Bishop Auckland, England, will set on a trip across all Europe to deliver donations to Ukrainians stranded on the Polish-Ukrainian border in refugee camps.

According to Jack Vincent, he has already received enough goods to fill a huge shipping container, so he’ll be able to make up to four trips to deliver all the goods. This time he’ll be going with a fellow driver, driving a trailer and a van.

People’s response was immediate and even he himself couldn’t believe how fast they gathered all the necessary goods, including clothes, medicine, chargers, and bandages. Thousands of people made donations and now he was willing to personally deliver them to the destination!

Ukrainian Tech Companies Join the War

Just a week ago many of Ukraine's leading tech companies were planning huge conferences and award ceremonies, but now all that is in the past and they focus on the new priorities.

Lviv IT Cluster, the biggest IT community in the Western Ukraine that unites dozens of tech companies, turned their office into a volunteer organization, dealing with food and medical supplies, as well as providing shelter to those in need.

There are also 200 cyber security specialists working right now on the cyberspace front, which needs just as much protection as the on-land one. Many tech companies have evacuated their employees in order to continue their work as it is very important for Ukrainian businesses and economy to stay afloat during these tumultuous times.

Ukrainian Musicians Become News Outlets

Ukrainian musicians have never left their people during various uprisings and revolutions, which this country is quite famous for. And this time was no different!

Many of the country's most prominent artists stayed in Ukraine and turned their social media accounts into news outlets, letting their fans all over the world know what's actually happening in Ukraine. Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, the leader of the rock band Okean Elzy, is travelling all over the country, visiting hospitals and delivering foods and various goods to people in Kyiv.

He's one of the most famous musicians in the country, so seeing him engage like this is a great inspiration to everyone. On the group's Facebook page he's posting frequent updates about the events in Ukraine for all their fans in and out of the country.

Sports Organizations Ban Russian Teams and Players

Even the world's sports organizations didn't stand by idly watching the events in Ukraine unfold in front of their eyes - as a protest against the war that's been raging in the Ukraine since the end of February, many of the world's biggest sports organizations imposed sanctions on Russian teams.

FIFA and UEFA were the first ones to ban Russian teams from all kinds of engagement in the upcoming soccer events. The International Tennis Federation didn't ban the players from participating in the tournaments, but they did ban the flags and anthems of Russia and Belarus.

International Paralympic Committee and World Taekwando went ahead and did the same - in the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games in China both Russia and Belarus will not be competing under their own flags and their anthems would be banned as well. Instead, they will perform under the flag of the Paralympic Games as neutrals.

People in Berlin Rise in a Huge Wave of Protest

The whole world was shaken by the invasion of the Russian forces into Ukraine and many people simply couldn’t stay at home and sit there idly. In Berlin, a huge wave of protesters gathered in the streets of the city in a peaceful rally against Russia.

Usually, this many people could be seen during sports marathons or big soccer events, but this time Juni boulevard was filled with people to the brim on an entirely different occasion.

The organizers of this spectacular anti-war rally couldn’t believe their eyes as more than 100,000 people gathered for the peaceful event – they expected no more than 20,000!

Freedom Must be Defended

Not many people can actually leave their home and physically go to Ukraine and help, but they do what’s in their power in their hometowns and cities.

The people of Berlin wore blue and yellow in support of Ukraine, holding cardboard signs telling Putin to stop war and ‘go the the Hauge’, the International Criminal Court that deals with crimes against humanity, war, and genocide.

Now is the time when freedom and human rights need to be protected, that’s why more than 100,000 people went to the streets of Berlin, still bearing the memories of past wars and what it did to all European countries and the people living there.

International Cat Federation Excludes Russian Cats

Even felines couldn't stay away from the events unfolding in Ukraine right now as the whole world united against Russia and its brutal policy. All organizations across the globe are creating sanctions against Russian organizations in various competitions and tournaments, and now it's cats' turn.

Fédération Internationale Féline, an International Cat Federation that consists of a few dozen countries, decided not to ignore what's happening in Ukraine and banned all Russian cats from international competitions.

No cat that was bred in Russia will be allowed to take part in FIFe shows and competitions, while Ukrainian cat-lovers are desperately trying to protect their pets in dire conditions.

Sainsbury's Gets Rid of Russian Vodka and Renames a Few of Its Products

Sainsbury's, one of the biggest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, imposes as set of its very own sanctions when it comes to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Chicken Kiev is an incredibly popular ready-made dish in the UK, but the spelling of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is from Soviet-era.

Many small businesses decided to change the name to Chicken Kyiv in support of Ukraine, and Sainsbury's decided to follow the trend and is changing all the packaging this meat dish as we speak.

The supermarket is also getting rid of vodka that was produced in Russia, as well as all other products that 100% came from Russia or were made there. Everyone stands united against the Russian invasion in Ukraine, doing everything they can to support the country.