wendysue reis @buildingaCASE

At Munich, Volodymyr Zelensky tore away the illusions and said out loud what everyone dealing in reality already knows: this isn’t a normal ruler, and this isn’t a normal war. ‘Putin doesn’t live like ordinary people. He can’t imagine life without power, or after it. The everyday concerns of real societies don’t interest him. His reference points aren’t living advisers or the world as it is today, but dead emperors and faded maps. He consults Tsar Peter and Empress Catherine more than he consults anyone who understands modern life. He may see himself as a tsar, but in truth he’s a slave to war, trapped by it, defined by it, unable to exist without it.’ And here’s the real danger: what if he’s still there in ten years? It’s entirely possible. Time is all he needs to regroup, rebuild, and try again. So as I say, when America talks about “peace,” let’s be honest about what that means in practice: pressure on the victim, not the aggressor. Because Putin hasn’t changed. His worldview hasn’t changed, and his ambitions haven’t changed. Only the cost paid by Ukraine, keeps going up. 🇺🇦

🇮🇹 The speech that all of Italy heard. And that the world must hear. In a country that will host the Olympic Games, Italian Senator and Vice President of the Human Rights Commission Filippo Sensi took the floor and said what should have been said out loud long ago. He called it a disgrace that the International Olympic Committee disqualified Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych. Not for doping. Not for violating fair play. But for… memory. For a helmet bearing the faces of Ukrainian athletes — his friends, colleagues, champions — killed by Russia. The IOC stated that the helmet “did not comply with regulations.” And then Sensi asked a question that brought silence to the chamber: Does aggressive war comply with regulations? Is there a separate technical protocol for it? The correct angle of a missile strike? The permissible size of a crater? An athlete prepares for the Olympics for years. A Ukrainian athlete trains between air raid sirens, in shelters, under news of the dead. He overcomes fear, exhaustion, and loss. And he steps to the start line not only for a medal — but for the right to exist. And he is suspended… for remembering. Because memory is the most dangerous substance. It is hard to add to a prohibited list. But apparently, someone would very much like to. The senator named names. Just a few among more than 650 Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia: ▪️ Yevhenii Malyshev, 19, biathlete — killed in Kharkiv. ▪️ Mariia Lebid, 15 — missile strike in Dnipro. ▪️ Dmytro Sharpar, 25, figure skater — killed in Bakhmut. ▪️ Volodymyr Androsiuk, 22, track and field athlete — also Bakhmut. ▪️ Daria Kurdel, 20 — missile strike in Kharkiv. ▪️ Alina Perehutova, 14 — standing in line for water with her mother in Mariupol. ▪️ Maksym Halinichev, 22, boxer — killed defending Luhansk region. ▪️ Viktoriia Ivashko, 9, judoka — missile strike in Kyiv. ▪️ Kateryna Diachenko, 11, gymnast — airstrike on Mariupol. ▪️ Karina Bakur, 17, world kickboxing champion — shielded her father with her body. These were the faces Heraskevych wanted to carry with him to the start line. So that they would “compete” alongside him. So that their dream would not die with them. And for that, he was punished. Because it turns out that the faces of murdered athletes violate regulations. But their absence on the track does not. In his speech, Sensi said the most important thing: The Olympic Committee did not lose an athlete. It lost its most valuable medal — its conscience. Sport without memory is just a show. Sport without humanity is just decoration. Sport that fears truth is not about peace. The Olympic movement was born from the ideals of honor, dignity, and unity. Yet today Ukrainian athletes must prove not only their strength — but their right to remember their fallen. And if memory becomes a violation of regulations — then the problem is not the helmet. The world must hear this. Because silence is also a position. And indifference is also a choice. Memory cannot be disqualified. And conscience cannot be added to a prohibited list. 🇺🇦 We remember every one of them. And we will not allow their names to be erased.

@JeanneSoldat The russian drones are headed west again. Poland and Nato are on high alert while ukranians huddle in the dark and cold wondering if anyone really cares. I'm praying again...for them...for you...for all of us.

⚡️ President Zelenskyy addresses the nation on New Year’s Eve.

Zelensky’s defiant address with English subtitles.

Today is the Day of Dignity and Freedom – and above all, for Ukrainians, it is a commemoration of the price of Ukraine’s independence and of the effort that underpins our real sovereignty. Today, we commemorate all those who, at different times, fought for Ukraine’s right to be a free, independent, and strong state – and who became a symbol of human dignity and justice to the world. With a neighbor like Russia, defending one’s own dignity, freedom, and independence is an extremely difficult task – but without it, the Ukrainian people cannot be preserved. And that is why it is so important that Ukrainians are not giving up, that they are defending what is fundamental, and that through their strength they are changing the course of history so that Ukraine may live and develop. I thank everyone who fights for our state as for themselves. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to every Ukrainian hero!

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In the Netherlands, at a concert of the world-renowned Dutch violinist André Rieu, singer Anna Reker, who has Ukrainian roots, performed Mykola Leontovych’s Shchedryk. “I always thought that Carol of the Bells was an American carol, but there is a girl from Ukraine in my choir, and she came up to me and said that this is a Ukrainian Christmas song. ‘Please, André, let me sing this piece for my people back home, because they are going through very hard times.’ I said ‘Yes!’ immediately. I hope you all agree,” Rieu said while introducing the song and its performer.

@PhillipsPOBrien

Daniel, the piece you read was beautiful and spot on.

The smoke over Kyiv is temporary, the resilience of its people is permanent. russia is failing - so they are trying to terrorise Ukraine into submission with missiles and drones. It’s not going to work.

In an epic street rant in central Kyiv, Zelensky calls Putin's May 9th propaganda festival "bile and lies" while greeting passersby.

You know what the single most profound, far-reaching effect of Russia’s war against Ukraine is? Ukraine has finally learned to truly respect itself. We are no longer some godforsaken "Russia's backyard", where corrupt mafia clans don’t dare to make a sound without the Kremlin’s permission, and where everyone lines up to lick Moscow’s boots. We are a nation that, in just a few years, built from scratch a capable army — the one that is now heroically fighting Russia, one of the largest military powers in modern history. To stand up to such an adversary in the biggest war of our time, Ukraine has been sustaining World War I-scale mobilization and made revolutionary breakthroughs in military innovation. Today, Ukraine possesses one of the most capable armies in the world, with cutting-edge, real-time experience in modern warfare—able to resist an enemy that is vastly superior in everything. We have preserved a democracy and a brutally competitive political life like neither Russia nor any of its satellites country ever had. Our president, once a populist comedian, has grown to be a leader of the free world—someone applauded by entire nations in the halls of St. Peter’s Basilica. We are no longer the punchline of imperial Russian jokes. No longer “village bumpkins,” no longer “little brothers.” We have finally remembered who we are—descendants of the ancient Slavs, the Vikings, the Zaporizhian Cossacks. Our capital is not a provincial town but a sacred, ancient Christian city—the beating heart of this part of civilization. And its holy sites belong to us. No one else. We no longer feel ashamed of our language or our culture. No longer do we see them as “backward,” “provincial,” “second-rate,” as Moscow has insisted for centuries. We have long since broken out of Russia’s cultural orbit: there’s no more garbage Russian pop music on the radio, no endless cop shows from Moscow on TV, like we endured for decades. Instead, in the midst of war, we’re witnessing a cultural renaissance unprecedented in our history—Ukrainian music, cinema, and literature are flourishing. In Kyiv, tickets to classic Ukrainian plays are sold out six months in advance. We’re no longer a patchwork “post-Soviet country,” split between a “Russian-speaking southeast” and a “Ukrainian-speaking west.” We are a united nation. A person from Dnipro and a person from Lviv now share the same values, the same mission, the same grief, the same culture and history — and the same enemy. People from Kharkiv fight the Russian invader just as fiercely as those from Ternopil. No one laughs anymore at the idea of a Ukrainian navy— our naval drones have humiliated the Russian Black Sea Fleet. We shoot down enemy fighters. Our drones and missiles now strike oil depots, airfields, and ammunition bases across Russia nearly every night. Ukraine is no longer a country you can show up to, toss some exploitative resource deal on the table, and sneer, “Sign this — you’ve got one hour.” No. Now you’ll be escorted out of the room with your hands shaking — and only after that will a balanced, civilized, mutually respectful agreement be negotiated. Yelling and threats no longer work here. We are a country whose Chief Mufti has volunteered to become a combat medic at the front. Our Chief Rabbi works daily to advocate for Ukraine around the world. His son died in combat, defending Ukraine with a weapon in his hands. Ukraine is now holding our ground — honorably —against a whole axis of evil: Russia, Iran, and North Korea. And Russia has suffered devastating defeats and drained its once-vast Soviet stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. And along the way, we’ve shaken up global politics. We’ve earned the trust and support of dozens of nations. We’ve broken through walls of Western fear, hesitation, and passivity, the appeasement. Ukraine’s victory in the Battle of Kyiv in 2022 changed the course of European history when the best military minds were giving us 72 hours. You can’t imagine how often we still find ourselves saying to each other, half in disbelief: “Can you believe this? Who would’ve thought our poor Ukraine was capable of this?” What more can I say? Ukraine has already proven itself a great nation. We have countless enormous problems—and they’ll require titanic effort to overcome. But if we endure this war of annihilation, this country will have glorious future.

@Bricktop_NAFO

Today I am embarrassed. Today I am ashamed. It is disgraceful how we've allowed bombs to fall on Ukrainian civilians, night after night. When did we become so weak? When did the lives of our allies, families, children, become so disposable? While we've done so much, I feel deeply ashamed to be British today, as we sit in meetings like the one happening now. We gather, shake hands, and sip tea at another summit. Meanwhile, in Russia, bombers are loaded with the intent to rain death on innocent civilians. We know this; they seem to take pleasure in punishing Ukrainians more on the days that we meet, sending a clear message they know we lack action, they know we lack backbone to stop them of which we could so easily do. And yet, we continue to talk, to plan for a future that never seems to come. There's never been a time for action. With each bombing, a children’s cancer hospital, each atrocity in places like Bucha. Did we ever set a red line? or were we scared to set ultimatums. Every day we wait, every child killed, every family that loses a father this blood is on the hands of our politicians, our decision-makers. And today, they will stand, take photos together, smile, and be proud that we’ve "spoken" and made more plans. But as they do, Ukrainians will continue to die, all because of our inaction. They will stand and smile in front of @ZelenskyyUa, talk about our wonderful partnerships, while Ukrainians die. If i was the leader of my nation and many others, I couldn't look this man in the face. I couldn't justify no matter how big the support of the past of which I know is great. In that moment holding his hand, I could only judge myself for the action I have not taken, for the things that i could have prevented. I couldnt stand and look a man in the eye that has done everything to protect his people with him knowing, with him knowing that I could do more. He would look back at me and stare into my eyes, and hold the smile that he has to hold to be grateful, knowing that every single life is so precious, whilst he knows I'm willing to let thousands more die. For what? But the truth is, we’ll hold his hand and ask him to look to the left and smile for the cameras. Because that is the price Zelesnky has to pay, he has to pay us with justification through his smiles and through the photo opportunities. Because, of course, we need to show that we’ve "done something." We’ll hang that picture on our walls of our embassys as proof we were there, that we were part of history. An observer to history. If our leaders need to meet to discuss how to help Ukraine, then why aren’t they meeting every day, making decisions until they’ve done enough talking, until they have done enough planning? Why aren’t they working relentlessly to stop the bloodshed? Why only today. Meet today. Meet tomorrow. Meet every day, until you’ve made the decisions that can save lives, that can truly protect Ukraine. There becomes a shift in time, being that we are nations of unimaginable power, we become just as responsible as Putin. That day was 1,141 days ago. If the desperation and the heartbreak of my words are not enough then i will say it clearer, we must take action, we need to take action. The time is now. This is not my Britain. This is not who we are. We do not let our closest allies suffer at the hands of dictators. Today I am embarrassed Today I am ashamed. For those attending today: @Keir_Starmer @EmmanuelMacron @Bundeskanzler @OlafScholz @GiorgiaMeloni @RTErdogan @vonderleyen @kajakallas @SecGenNATO @DavidLammy @JohnHealey_MP @MarkJCarney Leaders of our nations, sadly, every day we wait, you share in the responsibility. You bathe in Ukrainian blood today, tomorrow, and every day until you take real action. As decision makers, you're responsible, you're accountable.

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A sad birthday for me today: the National Endowment for the Humanities (@NEHgov) has terminated our grant for publishing Ukrainian literature in English translation effective immediately. This was the first such federal grant we received for our publications in 40+ years. Per the letter, "NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda." Since the launch of the series 3.5 years ago, we managed to bring out 14 volumes of outstanding Ukrainian literature in translation. We will continue doing what we can to the best of our ability given the resources that we have. But—over three years into russia's war—it will be a lot more difficult, as the entire publications team consists only of me and one editor. We were hoping to hire another part-time editor to help us with the workload, but that won't be possible anymore. If you would like to help at this difficult time, please consider one of the following: 1. Donate yourself if you can: see the link in the next post of the thread. 2. If your company/employer has a social responsibility program, invite them to support our work at this time—they can contact me for details. 3. If you know someone who is wealthy enough to meaningfully support us, please ask them to do so—I'd be happy to talk about this with them. 4. Buy our books for yourself, your friends, family, or colleagues—see the link in the next post of the thread. 5. Invite your local public or university library to buy our books. Thank you to all who have stood with us—and with Ukraine—through thick and thin. @HURI_Harvard @Harvard_Press #HURIBooks #UkrainianCulture #UkrainianLiterature FYI: @razomforukraine, @UnitedHelpUA, @unwlacya, @thehucus, @novaukraine, @ShevchenkoSoc, @UKRintheUSA, @OMarkarova, @MFA_Ukraine, @MCSCUkraine, @MON_UKRAINE, @UA_Institute, @UABookInstitute, @U24_gov_ua, @ZelenskaUA, @Zelenska_FND, @APUkraine, @ZelenskyyUa Friends in the media, the world should know about this: @pravda_eng, @ukrpravda_full, @ukrpravda_news, @KyivIndependent, @BBC_ua, @CNNi, @CNN, @nytimes, @nytimesbooks, @nytimesarts, @nytimesworld, @washingtonpost, @TheAtlantic, @BostonGlobe, @MSNBC, @LAReviewofBooks, @nybooks, @NewYorker, @LondonReview, @chronicle, @insidehighered, @NPRbooks, @NPRBookClub, @NPR, @NPRpolitics, @NewsHour, @pbsbooks

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Our knowledge of Russians was not shaped by reading Dostoevsky, Brezhnev’s Small Land, Russian studies departments, or occasional visits to #Moscow. For centuries, we lived in the same country. They hypocritically called us brothers. Then, unfortunately, we agreed to live side by side as neighbors. Then they decided to colonize us. #Ukraine’s understanding of Russian diplomacy is based on drafting and signing hundreds of documents, all of which the Kremlin violated when it started the war. That’s why, after the announcement of an “air truce,” we didn’t give our air defense crews a break—we simply watched the clock. Less than an hour after #Putin supposedly agreed not to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and had allegedly “issued the relevant orders,” he attacked the energy infrastructure in eastern Ukraine. The response to President #Trump’s peace initiatives was the arrival of 150 Shahed drones, built by Russians using Iranian blueprints, targeting civilian infrastructure. The war continues because its root causes remain unaddressed: Russians cannot accept our distinct identity and would rather destroy Ukraine than allow it to live independently.

National Anthem Day at kindergarten. 🌺 First, a minute's silence for the fallen heroes.🙏💔 Then the national anthem, sung by the children in their beautiful vichyvanka 🥰🇺🇦🌺🥹 #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine

For the third year in a row, people around the world are taking to the streets to show their support for Ukraine. This might be one of the few wholesome things that’s been happening during these awful times. Thank you to everyone who keeps standing with us. #StandWithUkraine

By the way, speaking of Zelensky’s clothing—there’s another aspect to why he dresses the way he does. It’s a bit of a deliberate anti-elitist message, a statement about equality in the face of war. He doesn’t just represent a vast community of ordinary people fighting for Ukraine or helping in its defense. His attire is also a kind of question—a leader of a nation at war comes to you as a friend, intentionally dressed in modest, military-style clothing, to fulfill his duty to his embattled people. War is a place where all things artificial, trivial, pretentious, and contrived fall away, leaving people to confront real problems and make decisions about matters of life and death. So the question arises—against the backdrop of this war, are you capable of shedding superficial formalities and focusing on what truly matters: saving lives, upholding values, honoring the soldier’s sacrifice, and striving to preserve what people hold dear? Or are you too petty and narrow-minded—so consumed by your elite protocol and dress code that, in the face of the most catastrophic war in Europe since Hitler, you fail to see the greater and far more important truths beyond your arrogant rules? Something like that.

@WarintheFuture I borrowed your photo.