Over the last 30 years, living in Ukraine has been difficult to say the least. Since their disassociation from the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has constantly tried to invade them and reform the Soviet Union. Constant fear of invasion lingered in the minds of Ukrainians until this fear became a reality in recent months. 

          The situation had been set up months prior in October of 2021 when Putin moved troops along the border of the countries. With the belief that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was weak, Putin began his invasion into the neutral country of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. 

          Since the invasion, there have been over 2,500 civilian deaths, which has prompted a mass exodus from the country. Nearly 4 million civilians have fled to neighboring countries such as Poland and Germany. 

          Even with these tragic numbers, the war is not going well for Putin. With over 30,000 Russian troops dead since the invasion, maximum damage has been by Ukrainian resistance. 

          However, Putin is unwilling to pull his troops from Ukraine unless he absorbs the Crimea and the Donbas regions. Along with this, Putin wants Ukraine to retract their proposal to join NATO. 

          The Russia-Ukraine war situation may seem as if it is in a different world, but there are multiple ways that students can help. The United States has donated over $1 billion to support Ukraine. UNICEF, Voices of Children, and the International Committee of the Red Cross are organizations that are taking donations to support Ukraine. 

          Helping the situation in Ukraine may seem out of reach, but students can do their part by simply spreading awareness and following news updates.