How are UK citizens helping Ukraine during the conflict with Russia?

Bellic conflicts are something undesirable no matter the country and the political issue between the involved nations. There isn’t a conflict big enough that justifies making an entire nation pay for it, including children. Several conspiracies thought COVID-19 will make war all about pharmacology. However, the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown military violence & invasions are far from disappearing.  

The United Nations was founded in 1945 right after World War II, and in general, they were looking to maintain international peace & security. Conflicts are something inherent to humans, yet, diplomacy proposes a civilized way to manage them. Nevertheless, the existence of “good ways” to handle conflict doesn’t guarantee that violence won’t be used. 

Nothing positive can come out of violence, however, conflicts do show international cooperation & empathy. It’s also important to mention that not all brutality comes from war, nor from another nation. Nonetheless, punctual conflicts that can be dated and enounced do make migration and international support easier. In the case of the Ukrainian conflict with Russia, several nations have shown support, like the U.K. 

Ukrainian-Russian conflict 

After weeks of troop-building on the country’s border, on February 24th, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale attack in Ukraine. In response, NATO expanded troops to member states in the region. Meanwhile, several Ukrainians escaped the country and the other half took arms against the Russian attack.

However, political decisions aren’t always related to the citizen’s way of thinking, in fact, people took the streets of Russia as a protest against the invasion in Ukraine. However, social responses aren’t the only ones, other nations have responded politically as well. Countries like the U.S. and allies introduced sanctions on Russia immediately. 

Recent Russian attacks awaken collectively the memory of the Cold War, but it has also shown allies & international goodwill.

International support 

The armed conflict between Russia & Ukraine is despicable, yet, several nations have shown support by sending military aid to Ukraine, even neutral non-aligned Sweden. However, the ravages of war go further than defending the battlefield. International support doesn’t end by sending more men to war, but by covering the other damages. During the war, economies fell and so did general welfare. 

Nevertheless, the U.K. has shown profound support to Ukraine through different actions. Last week, the British Government announced an initiative so that citizens, companies, or charities can bring Ukrainians to the U.K. receiving £350 monthly. 

Also, the U.K. government pledged £80 million in aid after Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in order to protect vulnerable people inside the country.

The new funding brings a total of £220 million of U.K. support during the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. The amount of £120 million was dedicated to humanitarian aid and the Prime Minister recently announced help during his visit to Poland. This new funding that the Prime Minister talked about could provide aid & medical supplies to a wider region. 

All the official support the British Government is providing to Ukraine is exceptional and should be replicated by other governments in general conflicts. Yet, can U.K.’s mortal citizens do something? The answer is yes, and they’re already on it. U.K. citizens are doing financial, clothing, and bedding donations through community groups.

Also, several U.K. businesses have guaranteed full support offering jobs, accommodation, and help with visas to Ukrainians. Such is the case of chef Damian Wawrzyniak, who offered all this help on Twitter to Ukrainian chefs and even mentioned paying for the flights.

Labor has said that not making visas easier to get is immoral at this point, and somehow it is. This terrible conflict should teach nations to open doors, but, till now, many powerful countries have historically raised walls.

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Have you done something to help Ukraine? Tell us in the comments below!