Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported that while many are abandoning Russia as a country, they’re also abandoning the culture as well.  Many of the people that are of Russian descent are abandoning their ancestry due to what is going on. Many bilingual Ukrainians are abandoning the Russian language, traditions, and slang as they work to protest the country as a whole. 

The nation’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is a native Russian speaker and stated that the language will only be associated with Russia. As most of the nation speaks Russian, it has largely been up to individual choice if the language should continue. One citizen commented by stating “The Ukrainian language is [actually] my weapon,” and her family made the choice to cancel the language in their home altogether. Russia’s invasion of Kyiv and then later Mariupol, Ukraine left many struggling to find a way out. The BBC reports the story of Andrei Sizov, a woodworker near one of the factories in Kyiv that was bombed. He said: “The number and scale of missile strikes against objects in Kyiv will increase in response to the commission of any attacks of a terrorist nature of sabotage on Russian territory by the Kyiv nationalist regime.”

“Around 1:30 am, my security guard called me because there was an airstrike,” he said.

“There were five hits. My employee was in the office and got thrown off his feet by the blast.”

The airstrikes, this has led many to flee the country in fear of their lives and those around them. An estimated 5 million Ukrainians have fled the country since February 24 of 2022. A strike of a ship in the Black Sea contributed to the beginning of the war as Russia was looking to compromise with Ukraine over oil distribution and trade. President Zelensky wanted to find the best agreements to help his people and Putin’s greed was non-negotiable in the wake of the many attacks against the nation. 

The famous song “Imagine” by John Lennon was sung by his son Julian to inspire peace and support for the country’s hardships. A video posted last week on the Instagram account @julespicturepalace had a video of Lennon in a candle-lit room singing with his acoustic guitar. Lennon wrote that. “As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could. So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, IMAGINE.” He ended by elaborating on his caption and explaining how the song represents “the light at the end of the tunnel” and that is what Ukraine needs during this time of turmoil. He ended the post by encouraging his followers to donate and do what they can to support the refugees looking for shelter and hope.

Many refugees are fleeing to neighboring countries but are in search of aid to provide food, shelter, and care as many are injured by the Russian troops and heinous atrocities that have occurred. The White House recently added blue and yellow flowers to the front lawn in support of the nation’s colors on the flag. Many American celebrities have also begun wearing the colors to award shows and events in support of the nation and to raise awareness about the issues that is the war on Ukraine. As the conflict persists, Ukrainians are looking for solace and escape from the dangers that have killed and injured many civilians. And are looking for salvation to stay and be safe with their families and even friends.