How to Help Ukraine

March 7, 2022

Sunday, March 6, 2022 was another hard day, with the Russian military pummeling Irpin, just west of Kyiv, without regard for civilian casualties (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/06/world/europe/ukraine-irpin-civilian-death.html). I will update this document from time to time. To be clear, it is not comprehensive or exhaustive. If you have suggestions regarding other ways to help Ukraine, please submit a comment or just let me know, and I will update accordingly. Thank you.

• Donate to charities. Nova Ukraine, UNICEF Ukraine, UNHCR Ukraine, Direct Relief Ukraine, Sunflower of Peace, Doctors Without Borders, and World Central Kitchen Ukraine look promising. I am sure there are others. In the fog of war, I have not had a chance to fully vet any of these, but help is urgently needed. I have given to a few so far.

• Donate to friends on the ground. I am reaching out to friends in Central Europe to see if they need help housing, etc. refugees. More than 1.7MM people have fled Ukraine, and we are only on day 12. This will need to be a long-term humanitarian effort. Similarly, we must not forget other, ongoing refugee crises. Regrettably, in some ways (e.g., aggression), the human race has not really evolved.

• Donate proceeds from sales. Any amount helps.

• Donate time and services. I am a lawyer by training and will contribute to pro bono engagements.  People need help leaving Ukraine.  Of course, this is not a long-term solution, but safety is paramount.  Who’s in your network?  How can you help? I have heard of more than a few stories of people in central Europe making 12-15 hour drives to the Ukrainian border to drop off much-needed supplies. Become a volunteer. Writing and legal skills, among others, are always in demand.

• Book an AirBnB in Ukraine. Hosts are paid within 24 hours from check-in (bookers inform the host that they will not be checking in), and fees (host and guest) are being waived for now. See: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/05/1084739721/airbnb-ukraine-direct-aid

• Write your local elected officials. The Biden administration is seeking $10B to help protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression.  A ban on Russian oil is on the table. The US typically imports 3-10% of its oil from Russia.  For the past two or so weeks, it has imported none.  Putin seems to have united lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in support of a possible ban.  I am hopeful that we will not need to make unfortunate trades with other oil-producing countries to backfill.  A jet swap with Poland is under discussion. So long as supplies keep flowing into Ukraine, it still has a chance.

• Write an open-ed in your local paper, etc. I have submitted one. More to follow. 

• Show solidarity. Join a peaceful rally.  Our soccer crew yesterday wore yellow and blue jerseys, in support of Ukraine. Post a flag.  Be heard.  A friend asked me if I was going to volunteer.  For now, I will do my work from here, in California, but action is demanded.  Words are necessary, but not sufficient. 

• Read. Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest (Stent) is a great resource. So is The Economist.  If we disregard a 12-year blip (1988-2000), Russia has been ruled autocratically for at least the past one thousand years.  Regrettably, territorial aggression and expansionism are the norm, not the exception.  So is Russian exceptionalism.  In the former Soviet Union, ethnic Russians were at the top of the totem pole, followed by Ukrainians and citizens of other republics, and then the Jews. It was thus a huge surprise when Zelensky, another member of the tribe, was overwhelming elected the President of Ukraine in 2019. Does this exceptionalism and aggression mean that relations with the West will always be antagonistic, zero sum?  Unfortunately, the weight of history, one thousand years of it, is behind this likely reality. In this light, the grand reset of 2009 makes little to no sense.  That said, given the success of Navalny (as evidenced by Putin’s attempts to eliminate him), there seems to be an appetite in Russia for better relations with the West and perhaps more peaceful coexistence. The near-term focus, of course, ought to be on saving Ukraine. 

• Support Journalists. Today’s The Daily podcast, On the Road with Ukraine’s Refugees, was particularly powerful: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/podcasts/the-daily/ukraine-refugees-russia-war.html?rref=vanity Journalist are doing critically important, and sometimes dangerous, work, providing a vital service to the rest of us. Support them.
• Hire a displaced Ukrainian attorney or other professional.
• Help Ukrainian refugees navigate new legal rights and obligations, including medical services, etc.