As the green leaves start to turn yellow and orange, we rejoice that the heat of the summer is passing, and we are entering the cozy months of Autumn. Warm fuzzy sweaters, crackling fires, hayrides, and pumpkin spice. The bustle of the summer months fades and the world seems to slow down and bask in the peacefulness of golden woodlands and falling leaves.
As inviting as this image is, it is merely a mirage, a distraction from the horrors and difficulties the people of Ukraine face at the hands of the unprecedented and unprovoked invasion of their peaceful and sovereign nation by the Russian Federation. The invading forces have systematically and intentionally brough havoc and destruction upon the innocent civilians of Ukraine. In the first months of the invasion, they entered villages and focused on torturing, raping, terrorizing, and murdering simple people who were just living their quiet lives. In the following months the Russian forces have continued to focus on destroying civilian infrastructure – highways, roads, bridges, train tracks and dams, all with a final goal of isolating and slowly killing off the Ukrainian population through hunger, decease, or outright bombings of their homes, markets, and churches.