Ukrainian Connections to TD offer insight into 'unnecessary' killings
Shilla Kim spent three years in the capital of Ukraine. She is now near Cannon Beach and is calling for a stop to the “unnecessary and unjustified” war. She has been in shock seeing Ukrainians sheltering in the subway tunnels she used to commute with just several months ago.
By Tom Peterson
Images of the capital city in Ukraine where civilians are sheltering in subway tunnels while under missile strikes from Russia are “unimaginable,” said Shilla Kim, who worked in Kyiv with the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and before that with the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
CCCNews contacted Kim near Cannon Beach after learning she was a close personal friend of local attorney Shannon Tissot.
In addition, CCCNews also contacted a Ukrainian who resided in The Dalles for a year and learned English at Columbia Gorge Community College.
We are keeping their name and gender confidential as a matter of safety for both them and their family. They have now moved to the San Franciso area.
Both Kim and our contact are on edge as the imminent strikes of Russia threaten to harm family and friends, and Putin appears to have politically gambled much on the success of this war.
More than 350 Ukrainians have been reported killed, including 14 children.
Despite being up against the formidable Russian Army, Kim and our contact in San Francisco said the people of Ukraine remain defiant and are doing everything they can to beat back Russian aggression.
Our contact in San Franciso sent us the video of civilians hammering complex Russian military vehicles with simple Molotov Cocktails on Feb. 25. They said it displayed the willingness of the Ukrainians to fight back under harrowing odds.
He also pointed out that multiple Russian planes and a helicopter have been shot down in the early days of the battle, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Their family members were evacuated from schools and others have joined the military in defense of their homeland since the invasion started seven days ago.
They said multiple Ukrainian military planes were saved through counterintelligence, allowing for them to take off before a Russian missile struck the airport in Ivano-Frankivsk. Click here to see the footage.
Even so, Russians have shot rockets into residential areas, killing civilians
The city of Kharkiv, home to 1.4 million Ukrainians has taken heavy indiscriminate shelling. Much of the city now lay in ruin.
The attacks are sending hundreds of thousands of women and children through tough winter conditions to bordering countries to take refuge. Highways leading to border countries such as Poland are backed up for miles taking up to 30 hours to cross. Many are abandoning vehicles, choosing to walk to safety, infants in strollers.
It is a massive humanitarian crisis as a continued war will likely dwindle basic needs of food water and shelter for some nearly 44 million people. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe and is slightly smaller than Texas. Map
Click on Map to bring into greater focus.
Men ages 18 to 60 are taking up arms to defend their homeland. Citizens have taken to making Molotov cocktails in mass to be thrown at approaching Russian armored vehicles.
And Russian President Vladamir Putin shows no signs of backing down.
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed a long build-up of armored vehicles and artillery starting 18 miles north of Kyiv, according to a report by CBS News.
“The Russian army has been regrouping and massing its forces over the past 24 hours "primarily to encircle and take control of Kyiv and other major cities," the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces wrote on Facebook.
Our contact in San Francisco said they have an existing charity they use to support the children of Ukraine. The Foundation “Anhelyk” (which means “angel” in Ukrainian) is a project of the non-profit organization “Hromada” (means “community” in Ukrainian) and it is based in San Francisco, California. The organization gives $50 individual contributions to thousands of children every year, they told us. And in light of the war, it is poised to do even more as the humanitarian crisis worsens.
You can check it out here .
Shilla Kim left the city of Kyiv in August 2021 after spending three years in Ukraine working on human rights, policy and security-building measures for the young democracy that has been under the threat of Russia since it invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
“When I woke up last Thursday, and I saw the image of my old neighborhood of Podil in Kyiv, it was shocking. “The old part of town not too far away is where the port authority building was hit by Russian forces.”
Seeing families sheltering in subway stations where she used to stand was unreal.
“I used to take this subway to work every day from Podil to the city center,” she said still wrapping her mind around the situation.
“It profoundly shakes me to the core. I have a genuine connection to the country and the culture, and it was home. I think on a bigger scale, it creates so many emotions knowing people are suffering from a situation that is completely unnecessary and unjustified.”
Kim is on a one-year hiatus in Oregon before she resumes her avocation as a human rights attorney in international work.
However, she is flexing her rights as a US citizen calling on Congress to continue putting pressure on Russia to stop the war.
Here are some excerpts from a letter she wrote to US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley:
Ukraine- my home for 3 years and still home to nearly 44 million - our loved ones, friends, colleagues, neighbors and community.
This profound violation of international law and our peace/security mechanisms goes beyond Ukraine…impacts all of us irrevocably.
Unprecedented for Europe in scale since WWII- immediate intervention is critical. Refer to Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk…all regions that were taken by the Russian State from other sovereign countries.
People across the globe must voice to their representatives for concrete bold action now and accountability. 2 days ago I contacted my congressional reps and exercised my voice as an American and global citizen explicit on the action I seek from them as my representatives.
(From Ukrainian and international analyst) Ask your leadership and representatives to support concrete, immediate action to stop Putin and his state regime invasion of Ukraine:
Cut off from SWIFT system.
Embargo on the import of Russian oil and gas, freezing of Russian oligarch state assets abroad that comprise wealth reserves.
Close ports and airports for Russian ships and planes.
Block Russian state media in your countries. State-controlled media spreading disinformation.
Prevent and stop any naval blockade of Ukraine. Jeopardize not only the Ukrainian economy but also the food security of many countries.
Financial and humanitarian assistance; and defense equipment for Ukraine.
Use US diplomatic advocacy with UN member states in the General Assembly UN to clearly pass a Resolution in Ukraine. (i.e. authorizing intervention for humanitarian purposes, unified UN member state economic, political and security measures and intervention, to open up discussions to close air space to Russian air strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure)
Condemn the aggression on all and any diplomatic platform.
Kim challenged US citizens to push their lawmakers to push back against Russia.
“Public Opinion and critical mass have an effect on policy and political change,” she said. “Democracy is fragile, and we need to protect it and exercise it.”
Here are links to Wyden and Merkley. Click here to read about Wyden push to root out billions in illicit Russian assets.
“I have real admiration and am in awe of the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” she said. And while the situation was profoundly sad, she said the feelings of optimism and sadness were not exclusive. “You can have the feelings at the same time. It makes you push on and move forward and not give up.”
The Dalles Liquor Store was proudly selling Ukrainian Vodka called Nemiroff made in the Vinnytsia region. The sign above mimics the colors of the Ukrainian flag. OLCC required liquor stores to pull all Russian made vodka from its shelves in response to Vladamir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
Russian Vodka gets drained in Oregon
On Monday, Feb. 28th, the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission (OLCC) directed the operators of Oregon’s independently owned liquor stores to stop selling all Russian manufactured distilled spirits. The OLCC took the action as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The OLCC has sequestered the remaining supply of Russian spirits in its Portland warehouse.
Across the state, about 5,000 bottles of Russian-made liquor are currently for sale in 281 liquor stores. More than 6,200 bottles remain in the OLCC warehouse distribution center. Effective immediately, liquor stores have started removing all bottles of Russian-made liquor from their store shelves, and the OLCC has stopped fulfilling orders for those products from its warehouse.
