The Sunflower?? Movement

Ukraine: The Land of My Grandfather

The child in the middle of the photo is my grandfather. He is?surrounded by his parents, Michael (same name as me) and Eva (same name as my sister). They are Ukrainian. Not Russian. Not Belarusian. They are Ukrainian. Without them, I would not be here today. Without Ukraine, I would not exist.

So naturally, the War started by Russia and its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, affects me. In fact, I have never been so affected in my life. War, for the first time, has hit my heart. War, for the first time, has become personal.

War in Europe

This is no ordinary war. This is a cowardly, unjustified, and unprovoked attack on a peaceful sovereign nation, Ukraine, and its people. It is being fought on European soil and its second-largest country, after Russia. It sadly marks the biggest risk, since World War II, to peace in the whole European continent, and perhaps, the whole world.

We, as national, European, and global citizens who believe in freedom, democracy, and human rights can and must stop this barbaric war now before it is too late.

I have thought long and hard about what I can do to help and defend my Grandfather's land and the people of Ukraine. Of course, I wish for an unconditional ceasefire and humanitarian aid to enter Ukraine immediately. But all I can do, for now, is to write this article in the hopes that it will bring more understanding, influence an immediate end to this senseless conflict, and perhaps help start a global movement of peace and love for Ukraine.

To All Russians: This Is Not Your War

But firstly, to all my Russian friends let me be clear. This is not your war. This war was not started by you. This war was declared and wanted by one man and one man only. His interview and public dress-down of your top Intelligence Director, Sergey Naryshkin, clearly shows that. Not only is your Intelligence Director clearly confused but he does not know what he should be saying and is admittedly forced to say what your Leader wants him to say. So I am not blaming you.

But ask yourself this fundamental question: Why would you send your men and women to fight against people who have more in common with you than any other people in the world and from the ex-Soviet states? You have common origins with Ukrainians, and both you and Ukrainians fought together, brothers in arms, against fascism and the Nazis during the Second World War. Even the presidents of Russia and of Ukraine share the same first name, Vladimir and Volodymyr (Ukrainian version), respectively.

Ukraine has not, is not, and will never be your enemy. Therefore you too can and have a responsibility to stop the senseless suffering imposed on the people with whom you share friends, families, and a common language.

The People of Ukraine: Brave, Strong and Resilient

I have faith and hope for Ukraine because, throughout its history, and against all adversity, the people of Ukraine have for thousands of years been known as Brave, Strong, and Resilient people. And since the start of this War, it proves to be no different.

Brave, like this Ukrainian lady who is single-handedly defying a Russian soldier to go back to his country with sunflower seeds--Ukraine, is the largest producer in the world, and sunflowers have become its de facto national flower.

Strong, like the thousands of Ukrainian men and women who are voluntarily returning to their country to defend their homeland.

Resilient, like the millions of Ukrainian civilians who are building trenches, bunkers, and filling sandbags to defend every single square meter of their country, in every city and village across Ukraine.

The Maidan Revolution

Ukrainians are no strangers to starting national revolutions in order to get what they want as a united people. As recently as 2013, the then Ukrainian President?Viktor Yanukovych?had decided to suspend the?Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement?as he wanted to have closer economic ties with Russia.

However, Ukrainians decided otherwise and they started a movement of demonstrations and protests across the country called the?Maidan Revolution. This became the?Revolution of Dignity?that led to the overthrow of President Yanukovych and the establishment of a new democratically elected government.

This Time It's a Foreign Invasion

But this time it is different. The enemy is not within but from outside. It is a foreign invasion of a sovereign country. And because of the sensitive geopolitical dynamics of this conflict and its complex nature, this war will not and cannot end by escalating it with more violence. It will only end if we all show our unconditional solidarity for peace and support to end this war now.

To do this, we need to grow a quick and massive global movement for Peace, and send a strong message to the invaders, and their leaders. And show that the World, including Russians, will not stand for such a barbaric, heinous, and tyrannous act.

The Sunflower Movement for Peace in Ukraine

Sunflowers grow in abundance in both Russia and Ukraine. So what better symbol to use than the sunflower and its seeds to kickstart this peace movement and counteract this War.

Radiant, lush, and joyful, sunflowers are also symbols of hope, love, and friendship. Following the sun's rays, they are a hope for a brighter future, and they have also been a symbol for nuclear peace in Ukraine as they allegedly help soils soak up radioactive radiation faster.

So what can you do? What can we do?

It is too easy to dismiss this conflict as just another War that is not in my backyard. This War is an attack on personal freedoms, human rights, the rule of law, the sovereignty, and democracy of a country. If you believe in these fundamental values you should express them, you should support them, and you should defend them by doing the following legal and democratic actions:

1. Communicate your solidarity to and with Ukraine by calling for Peace and Love in Ukraine, through your social media channels by sharing the Ukrainian flag ???? , Ukrainian Hearts, Sunflowers??, and hashtag #SunflowerPeace. Ask your friends and families to do the same.
2. Show your support for Ukraine publicly by wearing a sunflower ?? T-Shirt, or something blue and yellow???? , like the hundreds of professional sports teams who did over the weekend, including in the Football Premiership and Six Nations. Ask your favourite sports team to do the same. By the way, FIFA and UEFA have just banned Russia from all football competitions.
3. Manifest peacefully in your city like the 100,000 Germans who publicly demonstrated over the weekend. Go to the Russian embassy peacefully with sunflowers or even seeds, and demand an end to this War. Ask your government to do the same.

The Sunflower Lady

The bravery of the Ukrainian lady confronting an armed Russian soldier is probably the most powerful symbolic moment in this War so far, and it can also be a catalytic moment for all of us to act.

It is powerful because she is right in her simple choice of words to reason with a belligerent enemy.

It is powerful because she is courageous enough to confront an armed Russian soldier with simply just seeds in her pocket.

It is powerful because she lays bare the lies about this War. So much so that even the aggressor himself admits he does not know what he is doing here--the Russian soldier thinks he is simply conducting a military exercise in Ukraine.

Although her words might be blunt and direct, they are nonetheless clear and speak the truth about the irrationality and illegality of this War. So here they are, carefully and humbly transcribed by me, to best respect and reflect her message, and hopefully inspire us all into action:

"What are you doing on our Land with all these guns?

Take these seeds into your pocket.

So that at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here.

You came to my land, do you understand?

You are occupiers, you are enemies, you came here uninvited,

And from this moment you are cursed."

I do not wish my Russian friends to be cursed, but I am wishing for an unconditional ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid to be allowed into Ukraine.

Until then, let's not wait for political inaction and inertia. We must act ourselves because we all can do so online and publicly. It is up to all of us to force this peace through our global interconnectedness, and our common humanity. We can and we must end this War now. So let the Sunflower Movement begin.

Long live Peace. Long live the Brave, Strong, and Resilient Sunflowers of Ukraine.