Putin Attacked Ukraine Today. This is a Real War. My Family is Still in Ukraine

Putin launched a full-fledged war on Ukraine at 3 am EST / 10 am Ukrainian time.

It’s 5 am in Toronto, Canada. I woke up 2 hours ago from non-stop messages via Telegram. Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, launched a war on Ukraine two hours prior, and my Ukrainian friends and family have been messaging me, letting me know they are in shock but okay.

Most of my Ukrainian friends and family are still in Ukraine. I’ve been pleading with them to pack their stuff and leave for Poland for weeks now. As late as 4 hours before the war started, I tried convincing my friends to leave. But they didn’t. They are too patriotic and prepared to fight for their country — both literally and figuratively. Some of them were in denial.

“There’s no way Putin is crazy enough to invade Ukraine,” — said one of my friends.

“We are hoping for the best. There is a chance the war can be omitted,” — said the other one.

“We’re all ready for the war if it happens. We don’t want to leave. It’s our country, we will fight for it,” — I heard from another friend.

Ukrainian people are patriotic. I can only aspire to love my country as much as they do. More than 10 years ago, my family packed our bags and immigrated to Canada. On the one hand, I’m happy I live here right now. On the other hand, while I probably wouldn't join the Ukrainian army, it would be nice to be there with my friends and tell them we’re all in this together. By the end of the day, me being far away from them doesn’t change the fact that Ukrainian people all around the world are coming together in these dark times. Just like the EU, foreign policy chief put it:

I don’t understand why he is encouraging president Biden to stop the war, while Europe should be the one acting as well. After all, the war is happening on their land. But I digress. Let’s all yell at Biden and say it was his fault, while it was clearly Putin’s doing.

What’s Happening?

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine around 3 am EST on February 24, 2022. BBC News reports the convoys of troops have entered Ukraine from the north via Belarus, from the annexed Crimea on the south, and from the east.

Moreover, Russia is targeting military bases and other strategic objects near large Ukrainian cities. BBC’s map shows the reported strikes as of 5 am EST today:

You see Kyiv, in the northern part of the country? It’s the capital city and the number one strategic place in Ukraine. It’s also where I’m from.

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, compared Putin’s actions to Nazi Germany in WWII and said Ukraine would defend herself no matter what:

There you have it. It’s 2022, we’re a third-year into the coronavirus pandemic, the winter is almost over, Superbowl 2022 just ended, and Russia began a war in Ukraine. Just a regular Thursday if you ask me.

My Friends are Staying Put

“A bomb just went off near my house,” — my friend in Odessa tells me.

Odessa is in the country's south, not too far from Crimea. My friend Anna left Ukraine shortly after the war started in 2014, and she’s been living in Moscow for many years now. She was visiting her mom in Ukraine. Less than 12 hours ago, I was trying to convince her to change the plane tickets. Anna was supposed to be leaving for Hungary in 4 days. Now, she won’t be leaving at all. Not in the next few weeks at least — as per BBC News, Ukraine suspended all the flights.

Anna is also pregnant. Her husband is in Moscow. On top of that, she has a fever and thinks she got Covid a few days ago.

“I have all the symptoms of Omicron,” — she tells me.

I don’t know what to say. We have a Telegram chat for moral support with other Ukrainians and Russians. Most of my Russian friends are smart, and they are against the war. But what can they do? Even when Alexia Navalny, the strongest anti-Putin activist, got poisoned and jailed last year, the protests all around the country were contained in no time.

“Saint Petersburg saw the largest protest ever! — my Russian friend messages in our chat. — And yet, people were stopped, beaten, arrested and then the government pretended nothing happened. We are scared to protest or even say anything. Russian people don’t want war, but we know there’s not much we can do. We tried many times.”

I don’t judge Russians even a little bit for being afraid and staying home. At least for now. What can they do with a tyrant of a president who has no regard for human life? But I hope they will find it in them to spill onto the streets and protest the war. After all, most Russians have Ukrainian friends and family. Even though only 7% of the Russian population identify as Ukrainian, many have Ukrainian heritage.

All I hope for is people stand against violence and do something about it. How much does it take to get rid of one tyrant and fascist? Well, according to history, quite a lot. Ukrainians and other Europeans have been comparing Putin to Hitler since 2014, and frankly speaking, they have a point.

My Ukrainian friends are ready to evacuate the city, but they don’t want to leave.

“It’s my home. Why do I have to leave because an old dumbass forgot to take his meds?” — one of my friends laughs.

Exactly. Why?

My dad’s family is refusing to leave. They are okay staying in Kyiv even if it folds under the Russian army. My mom’s family is still in denial, but they know there is nowhere for them to go. It’s a great idea to drive to Poland, but what would they do afterwards? The consensus is to stay in Ukraine and hope for the best.

I can never be as patriotic as they are. I would pack my stuff months ago, move west and become a blogger. Or worked cash jobs and lived in poverty if I had to.

Please make sure you read the news from reputable sources. Write to your local government asking to assist Ukraine. Biden isn’t at fault for what’s happening, although he could have done much more to prevent it. Kindly support your Ukrainian friends if you have them. Check-in with people. My Canadian friends are checking in with me, which is greatly appreciated.

It’s 5:30 am. I shall go and try to sleep, although I don’t think I’d be able to. It’s my vacation week. I didn’t expect to have THIS kind of a vacation.

This is Medium’s first publication dedicated to Ukraine. Joanna’s goal is to shed some light on what’s happening, on Russia’s invasion and war, as well as to tell readers about Ukrainian culture and history. The pub will have both sad and funny posts because one way Ukrainians cope with awful news is to laugh.

If you wish to read more stories about Ukraine, please consider supporting Joanna’s work by buying her coffee and subscribing to emails. This way, she can give up her other side gigs and write in this publication more often. Thank you.