Good morning to all the NAFO supporters, Ukraine supporters, volunteers, donors, journalists, and everyone around the world who still believes this fight matters.
As I sit here drinking my coffee, roughly 50 or less kilometers from the front, I want to say something that has been bothering me for a long time.
I've spent the last four years in Ukraine. I've lived through missile strikes, air raids, power outages, and all the uncertainty that comes with living in a country at war. I've worked alongside Ukrainian soldiers, commanders, volunteers, and civilians. My job is not to be a frontline assault soldier.
My job is to train Ukrainian soldiers and leaders so they have a better chance of surviving, accomplishing their mission, and returning home to their families. That's what I've done for four years, and that's what I'll continue to do.
What I find amazing is that some of the loudest voices talking shit online have never spent a single day here. They've never sat in a shelter during an air raid. They've never watched a family say goodbye to a soldier heading to the front. They've never spent time with wounded soldiers in a hospital. They've never had a cruise missile hit their city. Yet somehow they think they're the authority on everything.
Now, let me be clear. Being in Ukraine does not automatically make someone right, and being outside Ukraine does not automatically make someone wrong. That's not the point. The point is respect. If someone has dedicated years of their life to helping this country, whether they're Ukrainian or foreign, military or civilian, volunteer or aid worker, maybe show a little damn respect before you start running your mouth.
What really gets old is these ridiculous popularity contests on social media. Some people spend more time picking teams and defending internet personalities than they do actually helping Ukraine. If you like somebody, great. If you don't like somebody, fine. But this constant mentality of "if my friend doesn't like that person, then I have to attack them too" is childish bullshit.
This isn't high school.
This isn't a fan club.
This isn't some competition to see who gets the most likes, followers, or attention.
There are people in this country losing their homes, their limbs, their families, and their lives. While that's happening, some people online are acting like they're competing for a social media championship belt.
Enough.
If someone is legitimately helping Ukraine, stop looking for reasons to destroy them because of personal grudges, gossip, social circles, or internet drama. You don't have to agree with everybody. You don't have to be friends with everybody. Hell, you don't even have to like everybody. But if they're genuinely helping Ukraine, maybe spend less time attacking them and more time focusing on the people actually trying to destroy this country.
Because the enemy isn't the volunteer delivering aid.
The enemy isn't the journalist reporting from Ukraine.
The enemy isn't the donor raising money.
The enemy isn't the advisor training soldiers.
The enemy isn't the person spending their free time advocating for Ukraine online.
The enemy is Russia's war against Ukraine.
Somewhere along the way, a lot of people forgot that.
The vast majority of Ukrainian soldiers are not on X arguing about internet drama. They're busy defending their country. They're sitting in trenches, manning positions, flying drones, and preparing for another day of war. When they do hear about this nonsense, most of them think it's ridiculous.
And honestly, so do I.
After four years here, I've learned one thing above all else: Ukraine does not need more division. It needs more unity. It needs people willing to work together, even when they disagree. It needs people focused on the mission, not on their egos.
So maybe it's time we all start acting like adults, stop the petty bullshit, and remember why we're here in the first place.
Слава Україні. Героям слава. 🇺🇦