The Spirit of the Volunteers on the Ukrainian Border
Much has been written about Ukrainian refugees and for good reason. They should be the highlight of this barbaric war Putin inflicted on Ukraine. But it is also essential to focus on the solidarity and help that volunteers have offered in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
It can inspire us in what has been a fairly frightening decade for the European Union. Despite the many looming threats that Putin financed in the last decade that have threatened the EU, Europeans have thus far stood to the challenge in 2022; they have shown that together we can mobilize against tyranny.
The volunteers at the border with Ukraine and Slovakia
I had the great pleasure and privilege to be at one of the volunteer stations in eastern Slovakia, in Michalovce, a small town about an hour from Uzhhorod, in Ukraine. The people I met there gave me hope for the solidarity and unity of humanity in the face of this challenging time.
I slept in a room with five other volunteers. The housing was still not completely renovated from its communist past. My roommates, men of all ages, were happy to be there.
They were all enthusiastic and committed to helping. Other volunteers in neighboring rooms cheerfully laughed at the…
