Small and simple things we can do to support Ukraine.

[LifeIsWhat]

A brain storm post really. Rather than being anxious, can we do anything, however small to support/show support to Ukraine.

• I texted my formal Ukraine colleague, who is the loveliest girl, that she can call me at any time if she is too stressed and need a chat/meet up.
• I clicked the 'support sign' on Ukraine related linkedin post (the only social media I am on), so more people can see them.
• If there is an anti war/support Ukraine protest, I would join.

I know they are tiny things, but at least it made a difference for one person. That is better than zero. Please share your ideas and things you have done that are helpful.

@IDidntFloatUpTheLaganInABubble

If you're in Soutu London The White Eagle Club in Balham are collecting donations to send to Poland for refugees.

I'm going to drop stuff off tomorrow

Please, please, PLEASE don't donate to campaigns like this. They may well be above board, but this is exactly the type of thing that aid workers despair of. You & I might give a load of decent stuff that's needed, but chances are an awful lot of well meaning people will send single shoes, 20 year old bras, tins of food that went out with the ark, disintegrating bedding. All of that stuff will need to be sorted through and then disposed of, taking up the time & logistics of those who are on the ground.

In these situations, the best thing to do is just give cold hard cash to charities like Unicef & the Red Cross. They have the knowledge, experience & organisation to know what is needed, where & when. I know people do these sort of collections with the best of intentions, but I'd rather know my help was going where it can be best used.

And I'm honestly not joking about the type of stuff people donate. Ten year old used sticker books, or crossword magazines that have been filled in, homemade cakes that haven't even survived the journey to the collection centre... you get the idea. Wait until the professional aid workers tell you what is needed, please.

I agree with those who have said donations to bona fide charities are probably the best way to help. Money, clothes, equipment. Whatever you can give, however small.

As others have pointed out, make sure you're donating to an actual registered charity, not a scam.

If you specifically want to help refugees the Choose Love charity are a great one to support: choose.love/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvOeQBhBkEiwAxutUVOSBjI9PHct-VJ3XLiJ5i3OZLkW4Po3gpMoSgagjZFu4q6U9mzVeGhoCOkYQAvD_BwE

Lobbying MPs makes sense in theory but does it actually make any difference? Maybe I'm just too cynical but I'm not sure it achieves anything.

And without wishing to sound unduly harsh - big organised protests always feel a bit pointless. They're just an excuse for a jolly for people who have time on their hands and then lots of other jump on the bandwagon, often without really knowing what they are protesting about.

Attending marches/posting mournful or outraged posts on social media/hanging Ukrainian flags outside your house - all of these are worthless virtue signalling and probably achieve literally nothing, apart from to make you feel good as an individual. Which is not really the point.

Some suggestions from the Ukrainian institute in London

ukrainianinstitute.org.uk/russias-war-against-ukraine-what-can-you-do-to-support-ukraine-ukrainians/

Stop voting for the conservatives - a huge amount of the party funding is Russian based.

Lobbying MPs and donating to charity seem to be the most practical and realistic for the majority of us. The first that came to mind was the Red Cross and on further investigation they have a Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

I’ve done both of the above but wish I could do more.

I’d love to do a displaced person’s or soldiers care package like we used to do in school but I’m not sure how relevant or useful these are any more. I probably wouldn’t take the risk unless a certified charity started an appeal and gave a list of useful items.

@flashbac

Stop supporting and voting for political parties that embolden the R u s s i a n far right movement. The Party that received donations from nefarious sources, ignored the R u s s i a report and allowed London to become a laundromat for related dirty money...although I guess its far too late for that...

I find it rather odd that this claim about the Conservatives keeps being repeated when the leader of the Labour Party at the time of the last election is and was one of Putin's biggest apologists. Not only that, Russian hackers in the run up to the 2019 election leaked information designed to embarrass the government (and therefore increase the chances of a Corbyn-led government).

@istandwithukraine

What I dont understand is why the "west" , Europe etc dont intervene? We have gone into Iraq and Afghanistan under the premise of establishing democracy but yet won't help an already democratic country fight for its future?

Because Iraq and Afghanistan were politically unpopular and widely regarded as mistakes. US and UK leaders ever since have been terrified of repeating that. So they dither.

@PurpleDaysAreHereAgain did you get a name of the animal charity to help please?
Many thanks 😊

@ThinWomansBrain

be extremely careful about donating to fundraising sites that might end up supporting Ukraine - but could equally be scams that end up lining a fraudsters pockets or funding criminal activity. sadly, as with many disasters and emergencies, a few will see it only as a money making opportunity. check that your giving to a registered charity

The Red Cross are the best placed people to convey humanitarian aid into warzones. Donations should go to them.

@RobotValkyrie

What I dont understand is why the "west" , Europe etc dont intervene? We have gone into Iraq and Afghanistan under the premise of establishing democracy but yet won't help an already democratic country fight for its future?

You don't understand that... Russia has one of the largest armed forces and weapon stockpiles in the world? Including nuclear weapons that can be deployed to strike pretty much any target on the planet?
... Have you been asleep for the last 70 years or so? Do you know anything about history and geography?

Intervening in small, geo-politically isolated, and relatively poorly armed countries is piss-easy (and yet, not guaranteed to succeed...) compared to taking on a nuclear super power. No one has really ever tried that. For good reasons. Unless you think you know better?

Russia has nuclear weapons but otherwise it actually has very little. The country's economy is a shadow of its former self. The massive stockpiles of munitions the USSR once had have mostly been sold off or retired. They did some modernisation work when the gas market picked up but they are still using a lot of antiquated equipment operated by poorly-trained conscripts. They have about four days left before they run out of rockets and won't be able to get any more munitions for 3-4 months (if indeed they can get the raw materials they need, the likes of Slovenia etc. have stopped exports).

Ukrainian forces (both regular and civilian resistance fighters) are well dug in and will fight to the death to defend their homeland. They are more than holding their own against the Russian troops who (while greater in number) are poorly trained and lack motivation. If Kyiv can hold out for ten more days, the Russian army will run out of supplies.

If Russia didn't have nuclear weapons, it would be about as relevant as Brazil in terms of international influence. Nuclear arms aside, it is a spent force and may well have overstretched now.

My home town has already set up a donations centre for;
Medical supplies
Blankets, sleeping bags etc
Sanitary products, soap, toothbrushes etc
Clothing etc
Cleaning supplies
Batteries, torches, lighters etc
Basically everything

One lorry load leaving this Friday and another next Friday.

I have donated 130quid of medical/health products today.
I'll get some clothing and blankets together this week.

- medical tourniquet (the most important)
- bandages, gauze, first aid for burns
- antiseptics gels, masks, disposable gloves
- wound healing creams
- thermal blankets (like a first aid in the car)
THESE PRODUCTS WILL BE SEND TO UKRAINE ON 04/03/22

SECOND NEED PRODUCTS:
- diapers for children and adults
- sanitary pads, moisturizing wipes
- toothbrushes, toothpastes
- clothes, raincoats and footwear - any size
- blankets, sleeping bags, bed linen
- underwear for children and adults
- cleaning products - ie soaps, bath gels, shampoos, washing powders
- towels and paper towels
- plates, cutlery and cups - preferably plastic, silicone or biodegradable
- batteries, lighters, candles and flashlights
THESE WILL BE SEND TO UKRAINE ON 14/03/22 "

Old clothes, baby clothes ect for refugees, we might not be able to get them in to ukraine but can get them to poland ect for the kids and women that have been displaced. Its not much but its something, whod we donate too though thats trustworthy to ensure these people got them

Here is a list of different organizations and charities which work to help Ukrainians in their anti-imperial war against Russia:

The Social Movement — The Social Movement is a left-wing public organization. The money donated to them will go to support refugees, civilians and also Ukrainian trade unions.
Their requisites:
For EUR 4731219615626409

Longo-Maï coop — this coop in Zakarpatia oblast is evacuating children from Vrubivka village in Luhansk oblast. They helped them for a long time and they even made a summer theater camp for them last year. Last week Vrubivka school was shelled by russian forces, so they are helping children to get to safety. They are ready to take in more refugees, considering the latest development in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Their requisites:
For UAH
4441114451067639 (Кошан В’ячеслав Антонійович, Монобанк)

For EUR:
Beneficiary
IBAN
UA 20 322001 00000 2620 6306 3111 62
Account No
26206306311162
Receiver
KOSHAN VIACHESLAV, 90440, Ukraine, reg. Zakarpatska, district. Khustskyi, town. Nyzhnie Selyshche, st. Tsentralna, build. 53
Account with Institution
Bank
JSC UNIVERSAL BANK
City
KYIV, UKRAINE
Swift code
UNJSUAUKXXX

@solidarnistinua — this is a newly created anarchist mutual aid org. Their mission statement is following:

"Hello! We are supporters of horizontal society, solidarity and cooperation from different cities of Ukraine. Today we have united in the volunteer project "Operation Solidarity" in order to jointly help all healthy forces of society to counteract imperialist aggression against our country. We plan to collect humanitarian aid and fundraising in favor of territorial defense fighters and in support of all grassroots initiatives that unite people in confronting a common threat. We also plan to help refugees, host social events and spread the practices of equal decision-making and direct democracy."
Their requisites:

UAH 5375 4141 1919 7571
EUR 5375 4199 0742 1968
USD 5375 4188 1104 6176

BTC (Coin)
16ua3DjuQSoGHBy8BsVCKsPEnu62RBzuhK

ETH/XMR (erc20)
0x2c585f9aD8CB4BeEc4Eec685B71dC11893cec524

BNB (bep20)
0x2c585f9aD8CB4BeEc4Eec685B71dC11893cec524

@solidarnistinua — their Telegram channel #ukraine #war

I'm not sure that donating to the army is the right approach. How can we be sure donations will not fall into the hands of a neo-Nazi battalion?

Also, the US is sending hundreds of millions of dollars to support the army, so it seems unlikely that a few hundred quid here or there will make much of a difference.

@Annoymouser2

Old clothes, baby clothes ect for refugees, we might not be able to get them in to ukraine but can get them to poland ect for the kids and women that have been displaced. Its not much but its something, whod we donate too though thats trustworthy to ensure these people got them

As I said before, PLEASE don't support these campaigns. They simply don't have the supply lines, logistics, experience etc. to get the help to where it's needed most. The Red Cross etc. do know what to do, and they will have a far more efficient supply line than 30 random people turning up with babygros, baked beans & knackered socks. If you want to help, either give money to recognised impartial charities, or wait. Please. One of my best friends was an aid worker for over 20yrs, and it took up so much of their time that could have been better used.

Hang on to the blankets, clothes etc for when the refugees arrive here. It will make so much more of a difference then.

The daily mail (sorry!!) are doing an appeal starting today. They are promising 100% of all donations will go to helping the people of Ukraine.

Info here: Mail on Sunday launches urgent appeal to help those fleeing Ukraine
mol.im/a/10555633

i've given to MSF as they will no doubt be involved.
As others have said, it's cold, hard cash that we can give. And use our democratic vote wisely, since that's the one precious thing we have.

I have just donated to the International Red Cross

Two of my colleagues have connected with an aid charity who have been sending things to the polish and Romanian borders for refugees. The next flight goes out on Friday.

Apparently they are overrun with clothes and shoes so specifically do not want them.

They are asking for hygiene products, first aid stuff like paracetamol, bandages etc, nappies, wipes and baby milk.

Worth maybe having a look at other aid charities.

Someone upthread queried if writing to your MP was actually worth the effort. It is definitely worth the effort.

MPs are terrified of losing their seats if they upset their constituents. If MPs are pressed hard enough they will pressurise the government to do more for fear of losing their seats (and hopefully also because of some degree of moral responsibility).

Please, please, PLEASE don't donate to campaigns like this. They may well be above board, but this is exactly the type of thing that aid workers despair of. You & I might give a load of decent stuff that's needed, but chances are an awful lot of well meaning people will send single shoes, 20 year old bras, tins of food that went out with the ark, disintegrating bedding. All of that stuff will need to be sorted through and then disposed of, taking up the time & logistics of those who are on the ground.
I am running one of those grassroots collection initiatives. Ours has been incredibly effective (so far). We are sorting here in the UK, not sending rubbish there, and it goes directly to people in need.

@forinborin

Please, please, PLEASE don't donate to campaigns like this. They may well be above board, but this is exactly the type of thing that aid workers despair of. You & I might give a load of decent stuff that's needed, but chances are an awful lot of well meaning people will send single shoes, 20 year old bras, tins of food that went out with the ark, disintegrating bedding. All of that stuff will need to be sorted through and then disposed of, taking up the time & logistics of those who are on the ground. I am running one of those grassroots collection initiatives. Ours has been incredibly effective (so far). We are sorting here in the UK, not sending rubbish there, and it goes directly to people in need.

Same as the one being set up in my town. It’s run by an old work friend of mine and will be going straight to the refugees in need.

They have provided a list of wanted items that are required. Mostly new toiletries, baby supplies, long life food and first aid supplies.

They have provided a list of wanted items that are required. Mostly new toiletries, baby supplies, long life food and first aid supplies.
Yes, same. We don't accept clothes - does not mean that people don't bring, but it is not a massive problem.

I've also been helping sort items in my local donation centre, we have piles of clothes none of which will be sent, unless new and with tags e.g. underwear. Mostly packaging toiletries and first aid.....but I am conflicted, I'm concerned that if community groups across EU are doing this, is there going to be a massive dump of excess stuff at the Polish border that can't actually get into Ukraine.

Perhaps many people esp in UK which is not nearby, would be better off donating the cost of a first aid kit, nappies etc to a charity (DEC, UNICEF etc) instead so they get what they really need.

Be interested in others views on this.