It Was a Horrible Day for Us

Update from Karazin University

On February 22, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, much of the Western world has been united behind the people of Ukraine, but as attention has directed toward other events, domestic and international the people of Ukraine have continued to fight without the consistent coverage by the US press.

On June 15,2022 I was joined by Dr. Olena Muradyan, from Karazin Kharkiv National University on “Office Hours with Dr. De Veau”. She spoke candidly about how the University has been impacted by the war. In the months since the interview, Olena and her colleagues have worked tirelessly to keep the institution running and serving their students. With the recent heightened attacks on Ukraine by Russia, I reached out to Olena for an update, this is what she sent me via What’s App:

”Hello, Dear Laura. Thank you for your message. As you could see from the news, it was horrible day for us. Here are some news: At least 11 people were reportedly killed and another 89 were wounded after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes targeting cities across Ukraine. The Russian Federation launched 84 missiles and 24 drones over Ukraine, including 13 Shahed - 136 Kamikaze drone. Our anti-aircraft defense shot down 43 rockets and 13 UAVs.

In some regions, there are interruptions with water and electricity supply. The authorities asked to reduce the use of electricity from 17:00 to 22:00 to reduce the load on the country’s energy system.

I am alive, in Kharkiv. I spent this day without electricity but we continue to work, to educate to live…”

Not a day goes by that I do not think of Olena and what she and her colleagues are doing to keep the university running. I took time to listen to the conversation again and I hope you do as well. As we reflect on the challenges that we face here in the US, there is no better time to realize that freedom is fleeting if it is not fought for.