Our small delegation returned from Ukraine.
Four of us went to that war-torn country at our own expense to witness the suffering of the Ukrainian people and hear their voices regarding the war. We focused on the trauma of war and people’s mental health, two years after the full-scale invasion by Russia. We also wanted to meet people working in the Ukrainian army and find out how they are enduring and what they need.
Our delegation also included a Catholic priest (me). Psychologist Eric Trupin. Former U.S. Congressman David Bonior (D-Mich.) is also a member of NCR’s board of directors. and Brian Brady, a community organizer and non-governmental organization executive. In Ukraine, Bob Wood, an adjunct professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, participated. We stayed in Ukraine for 12 days.
We visited three cities and spoke to dozens of groups and large crowds of people. We went to Lviv in western Ukraine. Capital Kyiv. and Bucha, a suburb of Kiev where the Russians committed horrific war crimes. We had to cancel plans to visit his two other cities in the south and east: Odessa and Mykolaiv. On the day we were scheduled to take the train south, both cities came under heavy attack by Russian rockets and drones.
What can I say?
The atmosphere in Ukraine is resolute and resolute, but at the same time realistic. People didn’t seem as optimistic as they did during my visit to Ukraine in March 2023. It was unfortunate that the 2023 spring offensive stalled. The Russians dug deep. They planted mines over vast areas. It paralyzed the battlefield. (Ukraine is a large country, about the size of Texas. It is the largest country in Europe, excluding Russia.)
But the Ukrainians we met still believe they will win. The idea of sacrificing territory or provinces is considered treasonous. People still say “after the win”, but we know it’s not easy.
The $61 billion in US military aid finally approved after six months of delay will help. However, there are still concerns. Ukrainians were closely watching the parliamentary debate. They called House Speaker Mike Johnson “disabled.” (The aid package was approved after I returned home.)
Even with aid, the entire country is “traumatized” in some way after 10 years of war. The conflict actually began in 2014 with an invasion of Crimea and two other eastern provinces.
In Lviv and Kiev, we spoke to students, mental health workers, priests, teachers, social workers and soldiers. Everyone is affected by war. They have lost a loved one to death or serious injury. Some people are permanently disabled.
Many people lost their homes and businesses. Some cities, such as Mariupol, were destroyed by Russian shelling and were almost completely depopulated. Everyone has adapted to frequent power outages, and most have experienced some kind of physical disruption.
A constant cloud of anxiety hangs over everyone in this country. No one knows when or where the next Russian missile or drone will land.
Even in the capital, Kiev, which has the best air defenses, people live under air raid warnings every day. We were woken up twice in the middle of the night and told to go to a shelter. People know they need to at least stay away from windows and flying glass. Ukraine has a “two walls” rule, which puts two walls between you and the missile.
“War is draining. People can’t get proper rest. We don’t feel safe anywhere.”
–Ona
Air alerts have become so common that people often ignore them. The alarm was issued around noon one day. Unable to find shelter, we went to a coffee shop.
During the nighttime air raid warning, I arrived at the hotel’s bunker, the underground employee changing room. I grabbed a pillow and lay down on the concrete floor to sleep. Without my C-pap machine, I snore really loud. Several women who were sitting nearby in the changing room got up and left the shelter. It seems they would rather take a chance on the street with a Russian missile than listen to me snore. smart women.
We had about 30 meetings. The most enlightening experience was Professor Bob Wood’s English conversation class at Ukrainian Catholic University. Approximately 75 students packed the classroom and spoke about their thoughts on the war. By the end of the 90 minutes, they had no intention of leaving. They had more to say.
Most of the class were women. Young people are going to the military.
A woman named Sasha said that even though she has not yet experienced war directly, she is still anxious because she cannot plan ahead. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next week.”
Ona, a psychology major, said, “War is exhausting. People can’t get proper rest. They can’t feel safe anywhere.”
She also said older people, men and boys are not seen by mental health professionals. They think it’s a sign of weakness. Some older people don’t trust psychiatrists because they remember the Soviet era, when psychiatrists could lock you up for political reasons. Ona said the elders would tell the younger ones, “You should stop crying.”
“I’ve been on the move most of my life,” said Malka, another young woman. (About 10 million people have been displaced since 2014.) I feel guilty because I’m protecting you, but I can’t think about the war 24 hours a year. “
Some lost boyfriends or spouses.
Some knew people who had been raped.
A student named Anna said, “The scariest thing that’s happening to us is that we’re adapting to these horrible things. We can’t handle it anymore. If one of my relatives… If you didn’t respond to my texts, I think something must have happened.” ”
Ola, a fourth-year psychology major, said there’s a lot of survivor’s guilt here. “We all know people who have sacrificed their lives. I keep asking myself, ‘Just because others sacrificed for me, am I good enough?’ Did I do something?”
At the end of class, I suggested to the students (nearly all of them Catholic) that they should seek solace in their faith.
“The church has been doing ‘guided meditation’ for thousands of years,” I told them. “Put yourself in a place of peace, even if just for a few moments each day. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you. Even if there is no peace in the world, ask God to give you peace.” Ask God, ‘Give me peace to my soul and peace to my heart.’ ”
Easy for me to say. A few weeks later, I got on a plane and left Ukraine. They will still have to live with the daily trauma of war.
