Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.
—John Lewis, Across That Bridge
Honoring Those Who Took Action
Citizens marching in Bunker Hill, Massachusetts on Independence Day 2025
Remembering the Minute Men’s Call to Action
The 4th of July, 2025 Kyiv Ukraine
People take shelter overnight in an underground metro station during Russian missile strikes.
An American Who Answered Freedom’s call in Ukraine
A portrait of fallen U.S. volunteer fighters and flags among Ukrainian ones at a makeshift memorial to Ukrainian servicemen and international volunteers killed in action on Independence Square in central Kyiv on July 2, 2025.
From the Kyiv Independent July 3, 2025: As Russia ramps up missile attacks, US halts promised air defense shipments to Ukraine. Kremlin welcomes reported pause in US arms shipments to Ukraine, says it brings war’s end closer.
An Anthem Sung Around the World Honoring Today’s Independence Fighters
On this 4th of July, all freedom loving people will stand at the national anthem for one country. Its people are on the front lines defending the right of all persons to determine their political destiny.
Listen as this anthem is sung from the New York Island to the Baltic Sea by the largest choir in the world.
Before our July 4th patriotic celebrations, I want to pesent a cautionary note about the insecurities of those who wield great power.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has many lessons for America. I want to suggest a moment of political parallel in Russia’s conduct with an evolving situation in America. In both cases a senior, powerful wealthy political insider decides to oppose the leader who gave him national standing.
Elon Musk is an intelligent, driven, iconoclastic person capable of great business innovations and disruptive technology accomplishments.
In 2024 he decided to go all in on the presidential race. He became the leading donar to Trump’s campaign, at an estimated amount of nearly $300 million. For this contribution and other practical benefits, Trump appointed Musk as the anointed but unconfirmed leader for DOGE’s radical government downsizing.
Musk’s team wielded a wrecking ball across all government. He gave political cover for the persons confirmed by the Senate who were theoretically in charge of individual agencies. They could now fire people and shut down programs at will. For example, the Agency for International Development’s (AID) closure and transfer of any minor leftover functions to the Rubio-led State Department
The Parting of Ways
Elon’s service certainly benefitted his several companies with government and foreign contracts. These include expanded agreements with Space X, Tesla and the Starlink satellite communication system, especially from new country signups during trade talks with the US.
But ultimately these two men’s egos could not fit in the same room. Elon departed in June to focus on his companies. But he couldn’t help but take some parting and subsequent shots at Trump’s policies. He was especially outspoken on deficit spending in the reconciliation bill which also ended much of the government’s support addressing climate change.
Musk then threaten to oppose members of Congress who supported Trump’s positions on critical legislation. At one point he mentioned the possibility of funding a new “center” party to support his preferred policies.
Musk used X and Trump Truth Social and his presidential pulpit to clash publicly. The exchanges grew so heated that Trump recently said his administration should “DOGE” Musk’s government contracts. And perhaps research his citizenship application to see if he can be “denationalized” of his US citizenship and then eligible for deportation.
The Wagner group had been a major ground force fighting to help Russia conquer Ukraine. However he gew increasingly frustrated with the Russian military leadership, openly criticized the Russian Defense Ministry for corruption and mishandling the war. He said the reasons Putin gave for invading were lies.[19]
On 23 June 2023, he launched a rebellion against the Russian military leadership. Wagner forces captured Rostov-on-Don and advanced hunderd of miles toward Moscow.[20] The rebellion was called off the following day, and the criminal charges against Prigozhin were dropped after he agreed to relocate his forces to Belarus.[21]
On 23 August 2023, exactly two months after the rebellion,[22] Prigozhin was killed along with nine other people when a business jet crashei jusr north of Moscow.[23]The Wall Street Journal cited sources within the US government as saying that the crash was likely caused by a bomb on board (Source: Wikipedia in Italics)
Comparable Political Events?
Musk and Prigozhin soared to the top of their country’s political authority with money and demonstrated success managing the critical levers of power in each society.
Prigozhin eventually turned on Putin but appeared to have reached a truce by undertaking some of Putin’s business and military “chores” in the Middle East and Africa. But Putin wasn’t taking any chances with this mercurial outspoken leader even when he re-pledged fealty. He was killed despite the public appearances of a political settlement.
Trump has threatened all of Musk’s business empires if he continues to speak out. Especially should Musk support political candidates who would oppose Trump’s endorsed supporters.
When a leader’s temperament, actions and words all speak to his goal of total authority, there is no place for opposition. Particularly when the critical words and deeds are public. And from persons who have proven political influence. If someone gets in the way of the leader’s total power, then they must go to exile, either politically or geographically, Or be totally neutered by some means.
It took Putin just two months to end any facade of a truce with Prigozhin. Trump’s timeline and methods may be different. But for every authoritarian leader one fact is true: uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
The close of the NATO Summit meeting in the Hague yesterday was characterized as a success for the future of the alliance. And its continued support for Ukraine.
Even President Trump appeared to endorse the all-for-one commitment of countries to defend each other’s territory if attacked.
Why was the meeting so successful including Zelenskyy and his team’s conversation with Trump?
The Change of Tone
One analyst has traced this relationship improvment to what Zelenskyy wore to the NATO meetings and social events.
His suit – or lack thereof – was a central point in a blowup between the two leaders back in February.
Trump advisors asked Zelenskyy’s team multiple times that he should ditch his traditional military attire when visiting the Oval Office. The U.S. president was irked that he didn’t wear a suit.
This point was he subject of this Instagram folk ditty by rongello:
Kyiv has declared a day of mourning after Russian missle and drone strikes have killed 24 residents and injured 134. The attacks lasting over 8 hours have left people trapped in the rubble of large residential buildings.. Photo from Kyiv on June 17th.
There has been no White House comment after the most intense. continuing attacks on Kyiv since the initial invasion in 2022.
This past week I have witnessed four grassroots fund raising for the Ukrainian people in my local area.
The first was a meeting (during the GAC conference) for the Polish credit union charity Via Stella. The credit union attendees immediately pledged $50,000. St. Andrews Ukrainian Orthodox asked for $2,000 to buy 100 tourniquents for civilian wounded in air strikes. St. John’s Norwood identified six projects totalling $12,000. The Kiev Independent requested donations to distribute their film documentary on war medics to six European capital cities.
The American public, despite Trump’s rhetoric and actions, know whose side they are on.
The French Lesson
The poet Robert Burns wrote this famous plea, “O wad some Power the giftie gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us!“
Here is how a French Senator sees the American government’s actions versus Ukraine and Europe this past two weeks. On March 5, in French, with English subtitles:
Yesterday I attended a briefing on the work of Via Stella, a Polish charity supported by the World Council of Credit Unions.
The meeting was held at Ukraine House in Washington, DC. Over 50 credit union people attended, including CEOs from the Polish and Ukrainian Self-Reliance credit union communities and multiple other credit union organizations and individuals.
The Foundation supports the millions of Ukrainian refugees in Poland with a three part “Pathway to Safety” program. These steps include the safe evacuation from the country especially for women, children and the elderly; finding housing, education and jobs; and providing financial support via the Polish credit union system. All funds go directly for these efforts; there is no overhead.
In an ad hoc, spontaneous fund raising moment, over $50,000 more was pledged in less than five minutes. The effort was initiated by credit union software entrepreneur Jay Mossman who pledged $25,000. He urged attendees to match his initiative. It was done quickly by the CEOs, directors and the board members of Via Stella.
There was no dwelling on the recent White House confrontation. There is no ambivalence about the circumstances of this war. The purpose was solely to demonstrate the American people’s support for Ukraine. This they did.
Their view, and the majority of Americans’ understanding of events, is shown in this front page New York Post headline.
This effort speaks louder than words. For all that is said during the Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) underway now, in the end what is done is what matters.
All organizations and most individuals will at some point in their journey encounter a crisis. These could be threats to their livelihood or maybe existence.
It is important to remember that crises do not form character; they reveal it.
Yesterday the NCUA board met in public during grave uncertainty about the agency’s future. The board members’ response in this time of uncertainty will be for another time.
Today the President of Ukraine meets with President Trump. Zelensky has been leading his country in a war that has entered the fourth year.
This post is about the character of the people who elected him President during this battle for their freedom. And an example of American supporters.
Three Ukrainians
I want to introduce you to three Ukrainians. Here are the first two, an obstetrician and his nurse attendant in their “office” near Kiev.
They literally have their hands full with their work-in this case, twins. And an exhausted mother.
Their children’s hospital was hit by a Russian missile and destroyed last fall. So in November 2024, a group from St. John’s Episcopal Church , Chevy Chase, MD, held a fundraising dinner with St. Andrew’s Orthodox, a local Ukrainian church.
They hoped to raise funds the doctor needed to purchase a new neonatal unit for their rebuilt hospital clinic. That evening, the group of Americans contributed the entire amount. The funds were sent to Ukraine immediately. A new neonatal unit was purchased and put into use within 60 days of the dinner.
Here is the third Ukrainian I want you to meet. This photo of a current occupant of this new unit came yesterday. Ukraine’s next generation.
The translation: “Baby boy, weight at birth 3.08 lbs. Now feeling comfortable due to this neonatal unit.”
Amercans and Ukrainians are together working to build a better future for this new generation.
Zelensky and Trump
As context for this Presidential discussion about continuing America’s support for Ukraine, I believe two recent articles provide insight into the character of the Ukrainian people. The first is the initial two paragraphs from a longer analysis called:
Even in the most difficult times, Ukraine has demonstrated a willingness to help others by participating in peacekeeping missions worldwide. However, the world has delayed decisive help now that Ukraine is the one that needs peacekeeping. It is a question of justice: can countries who contribute to peacekeeping count on reciprocity when they are threatened?
Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was known for its peacekeeping efforts. It participated in 36 military operations, becoming the ninth largest contributing country of military personnel to UN peacekeeping missions. (click the above link for the the full article which describes these UN missions)
A Rapid Response When U.S. AID Ended
A digital-only English language news site was started in late 2021 by young Ukrainian journalist entrepreneurs, called The Kiev Independent. It is a subscription only model, publishes dozens of stories daily and relies entirely on online “member” subscriptions.
When the February 2022 Russian invasion began, it focused on daily war coverage for readers outside Ukraine.
When the January U.S. AID cutoff threatened other local Ukrainian language news outlets, the Independent asked its readers to send funds to support these smaller news sources. Here is the report about this effort of less than a week:
Feb 8, 2025 from Editor-in-Chief, Olga Rudenko
Even more good news. Last week, we launched a fundraising campaign to help out three Ukrainian newsrooms in the cities close to the front lines. They were all hit by the freeze of U.S. foreign aid and we wanted to offset some of the damage.
We aimed to raise $50,000 and ended up raising $66,000 in just three days. Over 700 people contributed — a huge thank you for that! We are now in the process of transferring the funds to the newsrooms. Each will get about $23,000, which will cover their expenses for the next couple of months. They are shocked and grateful.
These are brief but I believe representative examples of the character of the country which elected Zelensky President.
The public reports of their meeting will display two examples of leadership. One whose character and that of its people is under daily wartime attack. And one who uses threats as a standard political tactic.
The character example I prefer is that of the US-Ukrainian group that helped restore the neonatal unit of a children’s hospital near Kiev.
Note: Because of embedded video links and pictures, this post is best read in the browser format)
Three years ago today Russia invaded the independent country of Ukraine.
The attack’s intent and the expectation of many outsiders was that the country would be subjugated in a matter of days, or at most, weeks.
Three years later, Ukraine has shown the incredible resilience of people willing to sacrifice for their country’s freedom.
The fog of war, time, elections and competing events have clouded the perceptions of some about the largest conflict on the European continent since WW II..
In this current moment of uncertainty about the war’s end, we must state the obvious: Ukraine has won. They have fought the second largest army in the world to a standstill. Their nation’s courage has earned them the respect of freedom loving people the world over.
Their determination against overwhelming odds inspires all persons yearning for freedom the will to prevail. Most importantly, Ukraine’s fight is protecting all other democracies in Europe from Russian imperialism.
Putin’s quarter century dictatorial reign is at great risk. Russia is desperate for a ceasefire. Its central bank rate is 21% and its inflation 9%. Between 900,000 and a million troops have been killed and wounded. An estimated 25 to 30 of its oil refineries have been hit and disabled. Economic change is frozen by sanctions.
And Ukraine’s democratically engaged population has shown the Russian people the need to rediscover their humanity and self-determination. The example of the Ukrainian people’s revolution is why Putin began this conflict.
Following are scenes from three years of total war showing clearly what the world understood then, and is still the reality today.
Taking a Stand: “I Am Here”
Zelensky’s words days after Russia’s direct attack on Kiev: I am here. I don’t need a ride; I need ammunition.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3cU9d9ciY4)
Moral Clarity Across the Nation
Om February 28, 2022, New York’s Metropolitan Opera opened its performance by singing Ukraine’s National Anthem. The sole person without music, hand on heart, is a Ukrainian. One of hundreds of spontaneous presentations showing the American public’s support.
A civilian engineer builds drones for the front line.
A Shared National Anthem
Opening day at Wrigley Field, Chicago 2022.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59k-qONWAlc)
Generations Honor Each Other
Soldiers on recuperation receive sunflowers.
The National Cemetery
A Stamp Honoring Defender’s Defiance on Snake Island
An Underground School in the Kiev Metro
Overnight Destruction
A Wartime Playground
In the first days, civilians practice with wooden guns, until the real ones are available.
Citizens create a roadblock on a road that leads to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, in Enerhodar, Ukraine, March 2, 2022.
Sudden Death
– A relative knees by the body of a teenager who died in a Russian missile strike at a bus stop in Saltivka, a northern district of the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on July 20, 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)KYIV, UKRAINE – OCTOBER 17: A Ukrainian soldier rests on the sidewalk after the Russian attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine on October 17, 2022. It was reported that two separate explosions occurred in Kyiv due to the attacks carried out by the Russian forces in the early hours of the morning. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A Soldier Holds Out in the Azovstal Steel Plant
The siege of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine was a key part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The plant was a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and the last holdout in Mariupol before the city fell to Russian forces.
Twenty seven funerals
DNIPRO, UKRAINE – JUNE 3: The funeral ceremony for 27 Ukrainian serviceman who died fighting with the Russians in the eastern front-line, in the military part of Krasnopilske cemetery in Dnipro, Ukraine, on June 3, 2022. 12 of the Ukrainian soldiers were buried unidentified. (Photo by Wojciech Grzedzinski/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images)BAKHMUT, UKRAINE – DECEMBER 5: A Ukrainian soldier, heavily wounded in conflicts within Russian-Ukrainian war, waits to receive medical treatment at Bakhmut Hospital in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on December 5, 2022. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Evacuating a Pregnant Women from a Bombed Hospital
Christmas in Wartime
A Patriot’s Portrait by Noah Regan
Russian Dictators
Civilian Rescues
Ukrainian Flag in the Sanctuary of Chevy Chase Pesbyterian Church, Washington DC 2022
We Support Ukraine Yard Signs in America
Washington National Cathedral Honors Ukraine 2022
Putin’s Reality by TIME
European Countries Boycott Russian Products
Our Flag is Still There
BORODYANKA, UKRAINE – 2022/04/17: View of a damaged residential area in the city of Borodyanka, northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. In Borodyanka in the Kiev region, rescuers pulled out the bodies of 41 dead from under the rubble. This was reported by the press center of the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations. Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, triggering the largest military attack in Europe since World War II. (Photo by Sergei Chuzavkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Music Mission Kiev Women’s Chorus Concert in Alexandria, VA (2024)
Bridge gone. Helping civilians to safety.
Treating the wounded: “Talk to Me”
Ukrainian Language school in Bethesda, MD
A country whose people’s spirit will never be broken.
One US analyst described Trump’s public support for Russia’s terms for a ceasefire as follows:
Putin gets the domestic glory he craves and lets him save face by winning a war that would’ve likely outlived him.
Plus he gets 19% of Ukraine — over 43,000 square miles (27 million acres), capturing a significant chunk of Ukraine’s railway network, power plants, pipelines, military bases, heavy industry, tons of anthracite coal, vital Black Sea ports on Crimea, and a big fat buffer zone with non-NATO Ukraine.
Following is the response by the editor-in-chief of the Kiev Independent addressing Trump’s about face in America’s support for Ukraine’s freedom.
Her words portray the courage, character and resilience of a nation that will be free. Plus the hope from three years of sacrifice that inspires her fellow citizens today.
On the brink of catastrophe — again: A letter from our chief editor
Hello, dear reader,
This is Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent.
In a few days, we will be marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you read the news, you know that we’re coming to it in a difficult, surreal state. Our key ally, led by Donald Trump’s new administration, is turning against us and is siding with our enemy, Russia. After three years of resistance that cost Ukraine lands and numerous lives, it seems like the invader can prevail after all.
How do I begin to describe what it feels like here, on the ground?
First of all, it feels oddly similar to these very days three years ago. That anxious February of 2022, filled with a buildup to a disaster. We saw it coming closer but didn’t want to believe it would happen — it seemed so insane, impossible to imagine. A military invasion to take over a free country? Impossible. Just as impossible as it is to believe that the leader of the free world will side with the Russian dictator. And yet, it’s happening.
Three years ago, late on the night of Feb. 23, I left the office around 3 a.m. with two other editors. Toma Istomina, the Kyiv Independent’s deputy chief editor, waved at me on her way to her taxi and jokingly said, “Well, I hope we will see each other tomorrow.” In two hours, Russia started its invasion. Toma and I saw each other two months later.
Today I’m writing this message to you at our office in Kyiv. Sitting across from me is Toma, frowned and focused, her curls pushed away by large headphones as she’s editing something urgent. Like three years ago, we are exchanging jokes to lift the mood. She has the driest sense of humor — a perfect fit for the times.
The atmosphere is painfully similar to three years ago: defiance in the anticipation of a catastrophe.
But this time, despite the odds, I feel a bit more confident. Here’s why.
On the second day of the invasion in 2022, when it became clear that the Ukrainian military was fighting tooth and nail against the invaders, I wrote a short and emotional post on Facebook. It read: “No matter what happens next, our defenders have already won for us the feeling of dignity that will stay with us forever. Russians will never dream of having it.”
That’s the first reason that makes me feel stronger and more prepared for what comes next. I know the resilience of the Ukrainian people — the special internal strength that comes with the centuries of defying the odds, of surviving despite the forces that seek to eliminate you. I feel it in myself and in everyone around me — both in native Ukrainians and our allies who are here with us. That strength is something no one can take from us. Not even two of the most powerful leaders in the world working together.
The second reason that makes me more confident in the future than I was three years ago is knowing that we don’t stand alone. Yes, presidents and leaders can try to sell us out, either for personal gains or out of sheer cowardice. But I know that there are many millions of people around the world who stand with Ukraine. They reach out, offer support, write letters. A lot of these letters start with: “I’m so ashamed that my country isn’t doing enough…” or a similar sentiment.
In these three years, Ukraine’s supporters have shown what it means to truly stand up for what’s right. To show up. To fight. To show kindness. This war has made us see the worst side of humanity — but, it has also shown us the best.
So whatever comes next, we have our strength and we have you.
Let’s remember that this isn’t over. Ukraine keeps fighting. Today, when we finally wrap the day and go home, we will hear the air defense working — Russia’s drones have been attacking Kyiv every night this week. We will publish the last stories of the day from our bathrooms, the safest place during an attack. Nothing is stopping here.
The Kyiv Independent’s team is staying on the ground in Ukraine to bring you the truth about what’s happening here — as we have been for three years.
We can do it thanks to you. Our readers’ contributions make up the majority of our funding. Thank you for standing with the Kyiv Independent — your support helps us keep going.
