Ukraine wants peace...

March 08, 2022

Ukraine wants peace...

Photographed by Alexander Williams.

This is a photo of my Ukrainian friend supporting her country at the protest which takes place in Trafalgar Square, London every day at 6pm.

We can all agree that what's happening in Ukraine currently is overwhelming and terrifying. The Russian government continues to broadcast false information to its people which couldn't be further from the truth. Ukraine is under attack and it is a war.

I took this photo of my friend as the expression on her face is heartbreaking, knowing that her family are hiding in a basement scared for their lives while my friend is living a life where seconds feels like hours.

While this photo was being taken we were singing along to a traditional Ukrainian song which touched all the thousands of hearts at the protest. It was truly sad as well culturally enlightening on how united everyone is.

As a British man from Northern Ireland, I can not truly imagine the devastation which is currently happening to families, children and the elderly in the Ukraine country. Creating awareness through social media, blogs, news and radio will show the utmost respect for a country that pleads for your help.

Top facts about the country of Ukraine:

Ukraine is home to the first constitution in the modern world.

In 1710, Ukrainian Cossack leader Pylyp Orlyk authored a constitution establishing three branches of government and legally underscored the importance of equality and human rights for citizens under Cossack rule, including a guarantee for free elections. Orlyk’s government predates the United States Constitution by 77 years.

Ukrainian civilizations date back to 4800 B.C.

The Trypillian and Scythian civilizations thrived in the land where Ukraine is today. At their peak in the 7th century B.C., the Scythians actively traded with civilizations in lands as far away as China, Persia, Egypt, and Greece.

Ukrainian leaders shielded thousands of Jews during WWII.

Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, the head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church for 45 years, was honoured by the Anti-Defamation League in 2013 for saving thousands of Jews during WWII. He and other civic and Church leaders hid Jews in their homes and monasteries during the Nazi invasion. A common criticism of Ukrainians is anti-Semitism, but figures like Metropolitan Sheptytsky, dispel such accusations.

Ukraine is home to 45.49 million people.

According to the World Bank, Ukraine was home to 45.49 million people in 2013 – that’s just short of the population of the entire American West Coast at the last federal census. However, Ukraine fell victim to massive population loss after independence in 1991, as more than 7 million Ukrainians left their homeland to find work in the United States, Western Europe, and the Middle East.