Every Thursday evening, members of Ukraine Defense Support gather at a small European restaurant and grocery on North Aurora Avenue.
Since its 2022 founding in Seattle, the all-volunteer nonprofit has focused on one mission: raising money to buy equipment for the war effort against invading Russian troops.
On this evening — just days after the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war — about 25 people sat in chairs and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation about how things were going.
Slides included: An update on the group’s local fundraiser to help restore power facilities in Ukraine destroyed by Russian attacks. Photos of front-line Ukrainian units with equipment purchased by the group, including drone jammers and satellite hookups. Efforts to poster Seattle-area cafes and farmers markets to get the word out that people still care deeply about Ukraine’s fate.
I reached out to Ukraine Defense Support to get a better understanding of how expatriates and their supporters were faring after four years of this heartbreaking war.
A few facts. Donations to the organization — formed by Carl Larson, a former U.S. Army veteran who went to serve in Ukraine as part of the International Legion — have grown every year since 2022 and total more than $3.3 million.
Last year, it spent $746,226 on drones, drone repair, optics, generators, vehicle repairs, protective gear, and medical and radio equipment, according to tax records.
Membership is steady, between 50-75 active folks. When volunteers are needed for various tasks, hands go up, said its leaders.
While there were no consistent answers to questions about morale and hopes for the future, a few trends emerged from my conversations.
Instead of feeling fatigue and dread after four years of war, members are resolute.
“All of us have that stamina, that resilience,” said Anton Yefremov, president of Ukraine Defense Support. A mechanical engineer, Yefremov came from Ukraine to study at Everett Community College in 2018.
“What gives us as volunteers strength is seeing that our defenders are not giving up. For as long as the war goes on, as long as Ukrainian defenders need our support, we will be here.”
How will this war end, I asked him.
“We are seeing a lot of effort from Europe to fill the void of assistance the U.S. left. I’m hoping that assistance will be enough for Ukraine to be able to outlast Russia. I do believe Ukraine will be victorious in this fight.”
There is another, slightly darker perspective, expressed by the group’s vice president, Borys Lebeda. He came to this country in 2022 and works in software engineering.
“Currently there is no way how Russia can be stopped. At least, I don’t see it,” he said.
At the same time, there is no alternative than to fight back on all fronts, in all ways, said Lebeda. This is understood by those sheltering against Russian bombs and people abroad dedicated to helping them mount as strong a defense as possible.
“I was expecting that we’ll be exhausted immediately (after the initial invasion), but it turns out that’s not the case,” said Lebeda. “Even my mother, who is currently in Kyiv, is optimistic. Many friends are repairing homes, raising children, building businesses and still finding time to fight back. So for me and for Ukrainians here, we have no right to say that we will be giving up. Because we know those people and we understand how they are doing.”
When conflicts drag on, year after year, they can become forgotten wars. Wars of yesterday’s headlines.
Besides sending over vital supplies, supporters of Ukraine say they must constantly remind the world that people there are fighting for independence, for their right to be left alone. It is like any other of history’s definitive struggles between good and evil.
Last year was the deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, with over 2,500 killed and over 12,100 injured, according to the United Nations. Since the start of the war through the end of last year, between 100,000 and 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and as many as 325,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
After a bit longer than four years, the trenches of World War I went silent under an armistice. For Ukraine, four years is just another milepost in a war that seems to have no end.
But one thing happened during the anniversary week: Members of Ukraine Defense Support held their regular meeting in North Seattle to organize fundraisers and equipment purchases, and there wasn’t a frown in the room.
