Amy Heidbreder

Given the current situation in the world, I decided not to publish the blog I’ve been so diligently working on the last couple weeks. I instead want to use this opportunity to create yet another space online condemning Vladimir Putin’s actions against Ukraine. I naively thought we were past this point in history. A country marching on another country and taking it by force feels like stealing, and just seems so barbaric, criminal and unrefined. It’s not something I ever thought I’d witness in my lifetime—in plain sight by a leader of Russia’s caliber.

My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine. It hit close to home when we lost touch with a developer on our support team whose home is Ukraine. I pray for his safety, understanding that he is not allowed to leave the country and may be forced to enlist. I have no words for what we’re seeing. It’s horrifying, but at the same time admirable. If you want to see some of the bravest, strongest people in the world right now, look no further than Ukraine. I am in awe of their resilience, clout and guts. Those are the people you want on your side.

It’s hard to wrap my brain around all this. I lost two team members who resigned for different opportunity late last year. I never thought I’d lose additional support to a war. I still can’t quite grasp it. I’m believing and praying this conflict is short lived and that Ukraine emerges victorious. I’m also praying for those developers and their safety who live in Ukraine.

If you’re looking for up-to-date news coverage on the conflict, I’ve found that my favorite source thus far is actually in India. I feel that American media representation in Ukraine is somewhat limited, and that most American news sources are in neighboring NATO countries. They’re getting good reporting of the humanitarian crisis and people fleeing Ukraine, but India Today has representation on the ground IN Ukraine. India Today just this morning was conducting interviews with members of Ukrainian parliament, with reporters they have on the ground IN Ukraine, with celebrities who are sending aid to countries like Poland, and with other key Ukrainians. India Today does their broadcasts in English and they are freely accessible on Youtube live. You’ll have to get past the Bollywood-esque graphics, but they are putting out super great information, and even providing leads on ways you can contribute and help. It is from India Today I learned Ukrainian members of parliament, women included, are all arming up and staying in the country; that almost 3,000 Russian troops have been killed; and that some Ukranians who were fleeing are now returning armed to fight.

I pray for the crisis and for Ukraine’s victory in this unprovoked attack. I also pray for Russia and the freedom of Russia’s people. They deserve to know the truth, that this war has nothing to do with genocide. That is a boldfaced lie Putin cooked up to gain internal support for this invasion. This is an unprovoked war on humanity. It is a selfish war. It is a war based on greed, and I pray for the strength of the Russian people as they grapple with this reality. I stand with Ukraine.