To want to help Ukraine- is there ANYTHING we can do????

[Helpforthosethatneedit]

I am just so sad watching Zelensky. He's had his country invaded by Russia, fought for survival and now he's got Trump and Vance gaslighting him. Mumsnet, there's posts every day on here about this sort of behaviour, but usually it is happening in playgrounds. Wonderful advice is given. But this is not a playground. This is the world. How can we/ the little people help? I feel so so helpless. Please give ideas? Can we do something to support Ukraine and potentially change the future?

Aibu?

Yes- frankly, we, the little people have nothing we can do to help.
No- We need to fight to help Ukraine and keep Europe safe (and here's my idea....)

And anyone making the case for giving in to Putin obviously can’t imagine the realities of that.

What makes you think people don't already?
Ukraine is part of Europe and the fallout affects us directly given that our biggest ally has gone rogue and if Ukraine falls then the rest of Eastern Europe and The Baltics are at risk.

And valid! Unless you're prepared to go and fight yourself then you shouldn't be arguing to send other peoples' sons and daughters to the front. In terms of what we can do - we can support peace efforts and stop tub thumping. Everyone knows in power knows (and has done from the outset) that Crimea and the Donbass are Russian dominated areas and Russia will never allow Ukraine to join NATO. Just like the US would never allow Mexico to join a military alliance it didn't dominate. The UK are allied with many tyrants and needs to stop pretending it cares and start actually supporting peace efforts.

@cardibach you are offering other people to fight on your behalf is that right?

Easy to do

Crimea was nothing to do with people being culturally or ethnically Russian and everything to do with it's strategic importance to Russia.

Same with Donbass.

This wasn't a rebellion from within, it was an invasion by Russia.

@bigvig You mean russian speaking areas I think. Does that mean, for example, France can legitimately invade Belgium?

Also, when you say russia wouldn't LET Ukraine join NATO, are you meaning that Ukraine should not have agency?

No, I’m suggesting supporting people who have been pushed into fighting for the security of Europe. How about you?
I’m generally anti-war. Most are about bollocks things. Putin’s side of the war fits this and I don’t support it. Zelenskyy has no choice.

No, I’m suggesting supporting people who have been pushed into fighting for the security of Europe.

Supporting as in yes keep fighting, keep dying.

Again easy to say when it's someone else doing it. I'd be fine if support meant those posters offered instead.

His approval rating is 57%, not 4%. Where do you get these ridiculous figures from?

That’s an interesting view - is she really that popular? If she is, then yes, I’d agree.

Rally outside Downing St tomorrow 2pm to 4pm to everyone who asked how to express support.

Sure and good example. I guess the UK has the right to Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand etc by this reasoning.

Oh don’t worry when we get dragged into this war your children and dh will be called up to fight that’s how we will be doing our bit for the Ukraine

Yes, and too much has been taken from people who work hard by people who don’t want to work at all via landlording.

People who work for a living are being taken for mugs. The lower class see that and the young men go into the drugs rackets instead; young women are being gaslit and encouraged into the only growth industry, catering to men’s never ending sexual appetites. There’s nothing left any more for those struggling to find enough hours to work in harsher work lives in order to live in mouldy private rentals: inheritance is all.

It's fearmongering. Some posters try to plant the idea that MNers sons could be called up, in order to set them against providing equipment to Ukraine. Conscription in the UK is incredibly unlikely.

I'm not on social media any more but maybe if anyone is going to boycott it you could turn your picture to the Ukrainian flag before going?

@DdraigGoch there's plenty of posters offering other people up to fight on here. Those dying just happen to be further away.

That's easy to do. If they are keen for someone else to die would they step in and offer or just post on SM

“Any post that goes against me cheering on an unwinnable war while knowing I am not going to have to go or send my sons to feed the war meat machine HAS to be a Bot…” 🙄

I presume that they're also in favour of us annexing the USA. Doesn‘t sound like a bad idea at the moment...

For Ukrainians capitulation means dying too. This was what we saw in Bucha.

"Any post that goes against me cheering on an unwinnable war while knowing I am not going to have to go or send my sons to feed the war meat machine HAS to be a Bot…” 🙄

Pretty much this. It's easy to go for it on mumsnet. Post others must fight..

Ukrainian men and women are defending their homeland. I'm not sending anyone to fight my battles, they are fighting their own battles. I want them to go in properly equipped when they fight for their own survival.

458 bodies were recovered from Bucha, nine of them children. Bound up and shot in cold blood. 14 year old girls raped. Basements used as torture chambers. That is the reality that Ukrainians face, and why they want to defend their homeland. I'm in favour of supplying them with the tools they need to protect their own.

Appeasement didn't work in 1938 and it won't work now. Those who think otherwise are naive at best.

People seem to think only war involving a given religion matters ... hence the overwhelming support for Gaza

I'm in favour of supplying them with the tools they need to protect their own.'

Tools have been supplied. It's the US ones they need more that's the issue for Zelenskyy

Posters on a parenting site can post support which is nice but the reality is it's the US mandate which is driving this.

Plus thousands dying per day, you'd like to keep going I take it, when bodies get low do you offer?

One thing you could do for free is talk to the people in your life who might not be paying attention and are getting information from social media - remind them that

Occupation isn't peace
Putin killed British citizens on British soil
We tried appeasement after he invaded Crimea in 2014 so we know that Putin can’t be trusted