Winter, power outages and Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have left thousands of Kyiv residents in a dramatic situation.
In response to these events, a broad aid campaign has been launched in Poland, the aim of which is to provide warmth and basic security to the Ukrainian capital.
"But there are more people of good will,
and I strongly believe in it,
that this world will not perish
thanks to them.”
These words from a song written and sung by the outstanding Polish artist Czesław Niemen resonate incredibly powerfully today. And truly. Poles have shown their true, compassionate side. A Christian, Catholic face. A face of mercy. Fundraising for equipment for freezing Kyiv is reaching unprecedented levels. Just a few days in, and it’s already over a million złoty.
It’s not even the main amount that matters, but the fact that the donations are mostly 20, 50, and 100 złoty. And the intermediate amounts. It’s rare to find a larger amount. This means that to raise over a million złoty, many thousands of contributors are needed. In three days, I look at the current tally: 8,720 contributors, totaling 1,082,366 złoty. I’ve barely written these words, and there are already three more people and several hundred złoty more. Another glance, and my excitement grows. 21 more people, which is already 2,000 złoty more…
For the past two years, I have watched first with concern, and then with growing fury, as the wave of attacks on the unfortunate war refugees from Ukraine has been growing. Russian propaganda has slowly but surely implemented the plan outlined by Lenin: that the rope with which they will hang the capitalists will be sold to them by the capitalists themselves. In our case, this means that the Russians are exploiting our right to defeat us. The right to… freedom of speech.
The internet has created opportunities for Russia to attack democracy through lies and incitement. They attack truth, they attack freedom. Many Poles are being duped by their narrative. Their fears are reinforced by Russia through a skillfully deployed narrative composed of 60% truth and 40% lies. This is a pattern already uncovered by independent investigative journalists, employed by Russia in their daily work at the notorious troll factory in St. Petersburg.
It’s clear that there are more people of good will. And momentary moods fueled by Russian propaganda have little impact. This is a reversible process with skillful government policy. If only those in power don’t lie and echo Russian propaganda, we can win independence. Yes, because our independence is at stake. Not just Ukraine’s.
All those attacking warring Ukraine today are strengthening our enemy. The enemy that has determined our fate for over 200 years. Over 200 years of Russian occupation (with interruptions from 1709 to 1993). Every attack on Poland was justified by Russian “aid.” They always “helped” us. They helped so effectively that thanks to their assistance, Poland has shrunk by tens of millions of Poles. Yes, if you count all the murders and emigration, it’s a huge number.
Finally, on a personal note. I’ve been helping struggling Ukraine since 2014. Since 2018, we’ve been working with a group of friends to support the widows of fallen soldiers. Thanks to the generosity of our friend Adam Andrzej Jaworski, we sent two ecoflow charging stations to two such families. They’re 500 watts, enough to charge a laptop and several cell phones two or three times. We also bought a few other items, including gas stoves with cartridges, low-power kettles, and lamps. That’s all we need.
And finally, Ukraine has exempted generators and charging stations over 300 watts from customs duties. If you want to send something privately, you can do it duty-free by providing the actual value of the item. Beware of a mistake I made. Because there was plenty of space in the original box, I added some sweets to the charging station for protection. Chocolate candies. It turned out that the customs office counted the entire shipment, but only exempted the charging station. Duty was charged even though the food products accounted for maybe 70 euros. The exemption is up to 150 euros. Therefore, it’s better to send the charging station or generator separately, and the items up to 150 euros in a separate package. This way, you won’t pay customs duty.
Poles – I am proud of you.
At the bottom, the above-mentioned piece by Niemen “Weird is this world.” Pay attention to Czesław Niemen’s clothing.
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