Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), Two years ago, my life, as every Ukrainian life, was marked by the watershed, which divided our human existence into the life “before” and “after”. I recall the last hours of my ‘before’ life when I was reluctantly wandering half-asleep across Dublin airport, reprimanding myself for choosing the early morning [read as capitalism-friendly yet human-rights-abusive] flight again.
It was the second semester of my international Master’s in security, intelligence, and strategy. My brain was oversaturated with permanent reflections on the armed conflicts across the globe, questionable debates around (un)just wars, and the never-ending struggle to understand the root causes of international terrorism. My half-dozing brain could not help picturing a long-awaited week-end in fairy-tale Vienna, where I was heading out to.
A week before the full-scale invasion, the atmosphere of fear, anxiety and panic started making inroads across every facet of my personal and academic life. I was trying to resist it with every fibre of my being, yet my efforts bore little success. I recall the day before my departure, particularly the lecture on political terrorism, as we discussed Russia’s potential invasion of my own country – Ukraine.
The discussions were mostly driven in a true spirit of ‘academia’, meaning that my country was judged by people who had never been there, had never heard of ‘Holodomor’, ‘Executed Renaissance’ or ‘Battle of Kruty’, yet could not miss a chance to westsplain whenever the opportunity presented itself by lecturing Ukrainians how we ‘shouldn’t have provoked Russia’. Upon heading out to my flight gate around 4 AM in Dublin, I quickly browsed through my social media and could not believe my eyes. It was 6 AM in Ukraine. My country had been heavily bombed and shelled for more than an hour already. I called my mom. She didn’t pick up. Trembling in fear, I dialled my dad. It was the longest minute of my life. He picked up. I was looking for reassurance in every word he was saying. No luck, everything I saw on the news turned out to be true. My country had been invaded by Russia.
This is my third year living abroad and the second year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During that time, I saw the temperature of support towards Ukraine go from “You won’t stand more than a week” to “Our governments should send you more fighter jets and allow you to target military objects on Russian soil”. With numerous ups and downs, I keep hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.
If in the first months of the invasion, I was warmly welcomed everywhere, two years later, I often feel treated as ‘incredibly delusional’ and ‘out of touch with geopolitical reality.’ However, it doesn’t mean we should give up. While our soldiers keep fighting the war, we keep fighting war fatigue with the help of Volt Europa, particularly by growing the national chapter of Volt Ukraine.
In Volt Ukraine, we are convinced that Ukraine’s path towards accession to the EU is not only the way to secure our economic recovery or get access to the EU labour market. It will also translate the years of intense work invested in weaving the fabric of Ukrainian civil society into a liberal democracy dream that comes genuinely true. Ukrainian grassroots democracy is predestined to thrive in any geopolitical reality. In Volt, we are deeply convinced that the EU should not be a goal in itself for Ukraine; it must become an effective tool for building a country where there is no place left for corruption, inefficiency, red tape, and ‘old habits’.
Volt Ukraine is an opportunity to secure Ukraine’s objectives, which include, but are not limited to, establishing the rule of law. The justice system must not be able to hijack someone’s life and relegate innocent people to a subclass of human existence just because the system itself remains highly corrupt and dependent on ‘grey cardinals’. Volt’s values envisage respect for and observance of human rights as well as enhancing the economy to bridge the gap between ‘the richest’ and ‘the poorest’. Ukrainians deserve to live in energy-efficient residential areas, drive on safe roads, breathe fresh air, and feel safe wherever they go. These are the very reasons why Volt Ukraine was set up in the first place.
Last but not least, EU membership is primed to strengthen both Ukraine and the EU. So far, Ukraine has been the only country where brave people have been dying for European values. Amid the scattered security architecture, sticking together is key. While Ukraine is standing its ground against Russian imperialism, it is the EU’s responsibility to make sure there is something worth fighting for. Building Ukraine’s bright future means making the European project real.
Anastasiia Vozovych Interim Co-Lead of Volt Ukraine
Opinions expressed in the op-ed section are solely those of the individual author and do not represent the official stance of our newspaper. We believe in providing a platform for a wide range of voices and perspectives, even those that may challenge or differ from our own. As always, we remain committed to providing our readers with high-quality, fair, and balanced journalism. Thank you for your continued support.Sincerely, The Brussels Morning Team
