VOICE4Ukraine

VOICE4Ukraine.Women Episode 1. Part 2. How a Ukrainian woman, a cosmetologist, auto racer, and volunteer from Kharkiv, saved 7 people from Mariupol I am sharing the second part of our incredible conversation, which gave me goosebumps, with Iryna Rassadina about her trip to Mariupol in March 2022. Emotionally and captivatingly, Irina tells how, after enduring the stress of the first weeks in the basement in Kharkiv, instead of evacuating to Sweden with a friend who came to take her and her son away from the war, she decided to go to Mariupol to save almost complete strangers. She needed to do this to find and restore that strong and free Herself that she almost lost due to fear and confusion in the first days of the war. Her story is a kaleidoscope of challenging tales of people she met in Mariupol and on the way. It was difficult for me to listen to everything she went through, but at the same time, it was simply impossible not to hear her story. It's about how, in difficult times, we Ukrainians help each other. And how our abilities make it possible. In Irina's story, many components make this heroic act possible. If you watched the first part of our conversation (if not, then the link to it is in the comments), then you already know that Irina is a person who has been accustomed to being independent all her life, managing her own business, and helping others for years. She was involved in extreme sports, self-defense, and orienteering. Her entire previous life seemed to prepare her for this decision. She knew how to gather herself in the most terrifying places when disgusting and dangerous people were near. She reached the goal even when her body didn't obey her under the shelling, and her hands didn't hold the steering wheel because of stress. For me, she is a vivid example of a person who consciously made her choice and, despite everything, saw it through to the end. What resonates most with you in her story? What will you take with you if, at some p

Voice4Ukraine.Women Episode 1. Part1. Life before the war We actually talked with Iryna Rassadina for more than 2 hours. Her evacuation story, with the support of a Swedish friend, from Kharkiv, is saddening, disturbing, and inspiring at the same time. I'm sharing the first part of our conversation, during which I was very eager to understand what skills or experience a woman or a person needs to have to drive a car alone through occupied territories, through a ruined Mariupol with abandoned bodies, to find and save people. So I asked Iryna about her life before the war and what triggered her decision to go to Mariupol, where fighting was still ongoing. I want to show Europeans, who have sheltered Ukrainians, that the world has changed for us forever. And it can change again in an instant. This time for them. Ukrainians have learned many important lessons and made many conclusions from the war. We are open to sharing them. The main thing is to listen and hear—for safety, victory, and the future—your personal and society. To be continued!

I'm sharing the trailer of the first episode of the updated Voice4Ukraine journalistic project of Volodymyr Pavelko and me. Voice4Ukraine.WOMEN starts with Iryna Rassadina's interview, a fiery woman from Kharkiv, a cosmetologist, a motorsport athlete, and an experienced volunteer. Iryna single-handedly evacuated seven people from the occupied Mariupol at the beginning of the war. She bought and brought cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Sweden by herself. Now, Iryna lives in Sweden. Her resilience, charisma, and initiative helped her create a circle of fantastic, caring people in a foreign country, with whom she continues to do meaningful work for herself and others. Just like she did in Ukraine since 2014, helping displaced persons, orphanages, and women with cancer throughout the country. Last year, Iryna won a business grant to start her own business in Sweden, which allows her to continue her professional development in cosmetology and aims to help Swedish women with oncology. She is also currently working on the idea of ​​implementing the Swedish model of social support and inclusive infrastructure in one of the Ukrainian communities. This is despite her complex post-traumatic syndrome after the trip to Mariupol and the difficult life of a refugee in a foreign country, raising a son alone. I learned about Iryna's story when a Swedish journalist of Iraqi origin joked briefly about Ukrainian refugees, suggesting that they are blondes with blue eyes, so they are not very noticeable in Swedish society but are well seen in brothels. After reading about Iryna's heroism, I was inspired by the idea of ​​making Ukrainian women visible in European society - it is crucial. So that useful idiots could not spread disgusting messages of Russian propaganda about our resilient nation with impunity. So that Europeans could see who our people really are, regardless of where they are and what status they have now. To strengthen the bonds between us and learn

Ludvig Ödman is a Swedish artist and sculptor. Ukraine is like a second homeland for him because for more than ten years, he has been married to a Ukrainian, a former classmate from a Swedish art school, Anastasia Polubotko. Her family of blacksmith artists originates from Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. I first saw Ludwig's drawings on the page of our Ukrainian artist Nikita Titov. I was impressed by the accuracy of the images and lines, topical satire, and sincere compassion for Ukraine. Ludwig started drawing on the first day of the war to cope with feelings he had never felt before. Since then, hundreds of drawings have become a symbolic diary of our fight. Anastasia is his biggest supporter and most attentive critic. She helps Ludwig to see the ideas he wants to convey in his works through the eyes of a Ukrainian. Thus, within the last year, the book of illustrations "The Special Military Operation" appeared - a book that mocks the dictatorship of the Russian regime, which, in addition to death and pain, constantly generates many reasons for sharp parodies and sarcasm. I became very interested in learning more about this Swedish artist's work. But first, I asked Nikita Titov why Ludwig Odman's drawings appeared in his feed. I invite you to watch the interview with Ludvig and Anastasia. If you need the video with Ukrainian subtitles, it is in the first comment. Glory to Ukraine!

Jonas Ohman is the next hero of the Voice4Ukraine. He is the founder and leader of Blue / Yellow for Ukraine, a volunteer organization from Lithuania that has been helping Ukraine since 2014, when our country first started fighting for its freedom. Our conversation with Jonas was fascinating for me. Jonas is a Swede who has lived in Lithuania for about 20 years. Therefore, he understands the Russian threat very well. This country was under the rule of the Soviet Union for many years. They know how devastating this can be for a nation. Jonas is a journalist, director, and translator. He speaks Ukrainian and Russian. He has been on the Ukrainian front since 2014. He can explain complex things in simple words and ask tough questions, which many of us are sometimes even afraid to think about. He told me that he could not stand aside when Ukraine began a real fight for its freedom in 2014. This is how Blue/Yellow began its activities. During this time, Jonas and his incredible team of friends and colleagues (Žemyna Bliumenzonaitė) have already raised 37,299,278 euros for the Armed Forces of Ukraine! And Blue/Yellow people always bring all their help by themselves to ensure that everything goes to those who need such humanitarian and military assistance. Story from the friend and colleage of Jonas Zemyna Bliumenzonaite: "One time in Debalceve Jonas appeared under the shelling, and he wanted to film it but he was so clumsy that soldiers named him panda. So he got this nickname. after some time we saw one panda in the shop and we bought it, then another and another, and now we have army of pandas, who are sweet as their white colour but also could be deadly as their black color and helping us defeat russia. Also it represents our duality. No one of us before this didn’t have anything with the war, but now we are doing it". On their website, you can see many awards and medals for their hard work for Ukraine - https://blue-yellow.lt/en. According to Jonas, one of t

We are talking with Viktor for more than two hours on the Stockholm waterfront near the Royal Palace and the Swedish Parliament. It is cold here in November. But we are talking. And talking. And talking... Viktor Forsmark is a professional Swedish military man in the past. Today, he heads unit 312, helping Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines since March 2022. Viktor and his comrades created a medical patrol after the death of their commander - a 28-year-old Swede, Edvard Selander Patrignani who died on the battlefield near Donetsk in July of this year while saving his comrades. Victor tells how many physical, financial and bureaucratic obstacles he encounters every day on his way to the front line - both from Sweden and from Ukraine. Added to this is the chaos of war, a lot of confusion with the participation of foreign troops in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the lack of stable funding, and a big difference in our mentality. But despite all the delays, this incredible young man does not deviate from his path. His goal is to build a successful company that will professionally provide effective, high-quality military, medical, and transport assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces as long as Ukraine needs it. To achieve this, Viktor has to fulfill the role of, as he says, "paper pusher" every day. He must be a person who prepares tons of papers for the efficient operation of the unit. "Few people want to do it because there is no glory. Volunteers want to "kick Russians' ass", - says Viktor, - but logistics will win the wars. Someone has to do this invisible but significant job. I am the second lieutenant. It is absurd that I am the squad commander. Someone else - more professional and experienced - should be the leader of the combat unit. But this "someone" never appeared. So if I see a problem, I have to solve it. Because if you can help, you must". Since February, Viktor had been in Sweden, coordinating hundreds of Swedish volunteers who wanted to go to the f

Every time we record interviews with wonderful Swedes, I try to keep the story short. Because people don't like long reads, and long videos they also don't watch, - YouTube says to me. But I can not. I have no power in my heart to shorten them. Because every story, every photo, every word, every look, every minute, every kilometer, every Swedish krona, every car, every tourniquet, every box of food or diapers, every generator or sleeping bag, every song or Bayraktar, every hand or life, dedicated to Ukraine, is PRICELESS for me! Today VOICE4Ukraine sounds great from four incredible men - Swedish paramedic and driver @Pär Johansson, Swedish musician, famous drummer Micke Syd Andersson from popular music band Gyllene Tider, Polish publicist and translator Nikodem Szczygłowski and representative of the critical infrastructure organization Roman Tarasovych from Ukraine. Together with the team of Blåljus i Samverkan - a Swedish foundation that was initiated to support injured colleagues from the police, ambulance and fire services - they have already raised 6 million SEK, bought and brought 9 ambulances, 2 rescue vehicles and brought a lot of medical equipment for the armed forces of Ukraine. 2 days ago, the Blåljus i Samverkan team raised more than 60,000 SEK in 24 hours for the Swedish medical forces which are a part of one Ukrainian military brigade. War is such a scary, terrible, and unbelievable time for anyone with a heart, I think. And at the same time, it opens in ordinary people the deepest inner resources of help, compassion, and true love for others. The huge mechanisms of states cannot act quickly. That is why people begin to create miracles with their own hands. “You 'ordinary' people come to us 'ordinary' people to become extraordinary people,” Micke Andersson told me. And this is the truth about this real war and the role of real People from all over the world in it. If you want to see more such stories, please support the Voice4Ukraine pr

#voice4ukraine #standwithukriane ☝️This day came! And we recently made a great video about the great team of Refugee Support Uppsala for VOICE4Ukraine 😍The more I find out about these people, the more I fall in love with their enthusiasm, dedication, and so touchable care for Ukrainians in Uppsala and the other cities which are nearby. So different in their life experience, nationality, and professions Maria Talajić Fredlund Mankan Thorneus Vitaliy Goryashko @Emanuel Karlsson Malena Karlsson Beata Filipek-Górniok @Anna Nilsson @Tetiana Lukianchuk and a lot of other Swedes and Ukrainians of Uppsala are united in one - in sincere, deep active compassion for Ukrainians in Sweden. They already dedicated more than 6 months of their lives, big amounts of money, and energy to help with the food, education, and accommodation of hundreds of Ukrainian families who came to Uppsala because of the war. 😲Refugee Support Uppsala is spreading weekly more than 1000 kilos of food and helping more than 1000 Ukrainians monthly. The center exists by donations only. Now it is situated at the art gallery of Mankan Thorneus, and the state does not help with its maintenance. ‼️The team needs more donations because the flow of Ukrainians is increasing only. The war is continuing, and winter is coming... If you want to help the team and hundreds of Ukrainians, please: ✅SWISHa går bra till föreningens Ordförande Maria Talajić Fredlund på 0733960036, märk med UKRAINA Such light stories of support give us hope that it is possible to live further and have more power of spirit till Ukraine Victory day. If you want to see more such stories, please support the Voice4Ukraine project on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Voice4Ukraine/ Subscribe to watch - https://cutt.ly/jL9iMGR to hear - https://cutt.ly/zL9i2wd 🇺🇦 🇸🇪 Слава Україні!

😎Michael (the name was changed for safety reasons) fought for Ukraine near Mykolayiv for 3 months. He and his friend worked as instructors for the special forces team of Ukrainian soldiers. Michael worked in Swedish Armed Forces for 8 years. And the very first war experience he got in Ukraine this Spring. The young man in a snow-white summer t-shirt smiled sincerely when he went to us through the green Summer city park of Uppsala. 🫶 This meeting brought to my mind another day when I met with a good friend from childhood who became a volunteer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Autumn of 2014. When he returned from the frontline, he came to my house in a snow-white t-shirt with a big white creamy cake and almost without words about this war. Conversation with the Swedish soldier is significant for me. Because it is about simple, clear, and honest nobility in action. 🥺"The decision for me to go to fight for Ukraine was like if your neighbor's house burns, you will go and help him put out the fire. You will not just sit and wait. It is weird for me," - the young man told me, who came to fight for Ukraine right that day when my family and I decided to close the door of our home and go out far from russian air attacks. "I went because I could not stand and watch what Russia was doing; they have done the same to many countries, and it was enough for me; it could be Sweden someday. I had to act, my neighbor needed help, so I helped. I have been a soldier all my life, and that is what I do best", - Michael said. 🎥This interview is the first where it is only me on screen for safety reasons for Michael. It is an unusual but interesting experience to perceive someone's story through the eyes of another one. "It is nice to be alive!" - Michael told me. I believe that many Ukrainians he fought for would say the same to you. ❤️It is priceless to hear such stories. Stand with Ukraine! Glory to the heroes! If you want to see more such stories, please su

In addition to pain and anger, the war brought numbers to lives of Ukrainians. Big numbers. Several times a day, our brain, like a drug addict, dives into the numbers of enemies who went to fertilize the Ukrainian land; the numbers of weapons and aid promised daily by the Allies; the numbers of victims who are mourned every day by the whole our country. We count economic losses, years of recovery, and kilometers of land freed from the occupiers. Ukrainians and people worldwide worry that they are not helping enough now. Not thousands of dollars, but hundreds of hryvnias. Not hundreds of people, but "only" dozens. Not dozens, but "only" units. Not help to many, but "only" to someone: one soldier, one refugee, one woman, one child... But only when you become this "someone" by yourself you can realize how invaluable such help is. After leaving Vyshgorod in the third week of the war, we were sitting on three backpacks in the Lviv railway station flooded with silent black people in March with two frightened children and a two-month-old baby in front of us. It seemed to me that there was no way out. But step by step, person by person, it became clear. A call from an old friend with a clear plan for the near future. A conversation with my Mom who supported my decision to take the children out. A timely mention of an old acquaintance of our family when someone in Sweden wanted to help someone from Ukraine. The support of the partners in more than ten years ago project - they paid for the night in the hotel, where we were able to take a shower for the first time after a three-day journey. This is how our family ended up in the homeland of the Vikings. Sara Friman is the next heroine of Voice4Ukraine. A professional nurse with many years of managerial experience, she is the director of a private clinic for people with mental and social disabilities. She and her team helped our family with housing, job, and everything from food to clothes when we arrived in Uppsala.

Karin Karlsbro, a member of the European Parliament from Sweden, acted as the very first heroine of my Voice4Ukraine project in May of this year. I was introduced to Karin by Fia Hammarström, who inspired me to start this project and initially offered her own studio to record stories from Sweden and about Swedes supporting Ukraine. We arranged the interview with Karin in English, which I, unfortunately, spoke very little in Ukraine. Karin was supposed to talk to me from the studio of Europarlament in Brussels, and I was supposed to be in the studio of the Voice Professional in Stockholm... Just the names of these great European cities made me tremble in the knees because until a few months ago I could not even imagine that I would be in Sweden because of the war in my country and even start such a challenging project here. All the more, we agreed to talk about the big support Karin provides to Ukraine from Sweden within the walls of the European Parliament from the Liberalerna party. And also about her hard feelings during her visit to Bucha and Irpin, where she was one of the first Europeans to go. The interview with Karin became such a big inspiration for me to go further and continue to share such light stories of Swedish humanity and support for my country! I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet Karin. I am sincerely grateful for everything that she does in her professional and personal life to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as Swede, as a politician, and as a person. Subscribe to watch -https://cutt.ly/JLw9Ywu to hear - https://cutt.ly/HLw9Ia8 🇺🇦 🇸🇪 Слава Україні! If you want to share your story with us please send it to email [email protected]

Коли над рідними містами вночі летять ворожі ракети, часом опускаються руки, бо що мирні люди можуть протиставити зброї... Але боротьба за наш народ зараз іде не тільки на теренах нашої Батьківщини. Не зупиняючись, триває й інша війна по всьому світові. Війна світоглядна і інформаційна. І вона вже сьогодні дає свої дуже важливі результати для перемоги України. Дев'ятий випуск Voice4Ukrainе ми записали прямо на демонстрації у Стокгольмі. Поговорили з неймовірною Al Zubkovych директоркою Nordic Ukraine Forum Ця організація активних українців Швеції з 2013 року невпинно ділиться зі шведами українською експертизою, розповідає про українську культуру, історію, наші здобутки та особливості, будуючи міцні містки та живі зв'язки між шведською та українською спільнотами. Сьогодні надзвичайно важливо голосно і чітко говорити про Україну у світі. І команда Nordic Ukraine Forum це робить неперевершено. Від початку повномасштабного вторгнення росії вже четвертий місяць поспіль збираючи сотні шведів і українців на майданах Стокгольму, допомагаючи українцям, що отримали прихисток у Швеції, надихаючи шведський уряд

June 28 - Constitution Day of Ukraine. It is a document that proclaims the sovereignty of our country, which Russia is trying to erase with us from the map of the world, denying Ukrainians as a nation. One of the world's first constitutions was the Ukrainian one, written by Hetman Philip Orlyk during the Ukrainian-Swedish army's resistance to the Moscow invasion in the spring of 1710. Today, its original is stored in the National Archives of Sweden. By the way, the US Constitution was written in 1787, and Russia - in 1918. And this is a documented fact in Russia's attempts to deny Ukrainian statehood. On the Day of the Ukrainian Constitution, I present the next episode of Voice4Ukraine. It was recorded after a demonstration in Stockholm. Such demonstrations are organized every week near the Russian embassy in protest of the war in Ukraine from its very beginning. My interlocutors are Anna Johansson, Director of Amnesty International in Sweden, and Helena Lindahl, Member of the Swedish Parliament. Anna and I discussed the importance of recording war crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine by all possible methods. We were talking about whether filtration camps can be called captivity. What genocide is. Helena told a little personal story that made her come to demonstrate against Russian aggression. There are many controversial conversations today about who to trust in this war. Russia, killing us most cynically, with the arrogance of a sadist, immediately denies its actions and accuses my country of staging, imitating the deaths and violence of our citizens. Russia calls the horrific tortures in Bucha, Irpin, and Mariupol, and even the "Amstor" supermarket in Kremenchuk, destroyed by Russian missiles yesterday, where 1,000 peaceful Ukrainians simply came shopping, "staging." Fearing the occupiers, witnesses often refuse to testify. Due to the constant bombing, representatives of world organizations cannot enter the territory where the Russian military is mo

🦸 "Hello, brave team," is how I asked the Swedish Dockworkers' Union (http://hamn.nu/) to talk to me about the blockade of russian ships. @Erik Helgeson the union's National Vice President, answered me immediately and agreed to talk. He also asked not to call them brave. ☝That's how I learned what professional solidarity is for Swedish workers. We talked about how difficult it is for Swedes to overcome courts and bureaucracy and find a way to support Ukrainian dockers further. What support from Ukrainians (in Ukraine and Sweden) do they need to continue the boycott of russian ships. What they are going through imposing a blockade across Sweden. What Ukrainian workers should do after the victory to be as robust and influential as the Swedes. 🤨I started my first steps in journalism in the newspaper of one of the Zaporizhzhia factories. The trade union, unfortunately, was fed from the hands of the factory's leader and was a "whip and gingerbread" for ordinary workers. Talking to Eric, I felt tremendous gratitude and faith that with such support, Ukraine would survive in this buttle. In a face of the Swedish Dockworkers Union, we can have a great example of how well-conscious citizenship and professional solidarity work in reality. 🥹 We talked to Eric twice, because my baby doesn't like it when his mother doesn't pay attention to him for a long time. The second attempt to speak with each other was on Sweden's National Day. I was very grateful to Eric for his patience and the fact that he paid attention to me during the celebration. But he said that 1st May Day is much more critical for him. For him, Labor Day is a celebration of a natural, applied democracy that works the way people need. And for me, it was a real discovery. ❤Listen to this remarkable strong, and wise man. Behind him are almost 12,000 other beautiful iron people who will not give up their decision to support Ukraine until our victory. Subscribe to watch - https://www.youtube.com/chan

❤ I believe that right now, we need to make the conclusions about how to teach our children around the globe so they can create a world without war. The pupils from the Internationella Engelska Skolan dedicated their Work Day on the 7 of June to gather money for Ukrainian refugees in Uppsala. It is so lovely and touchable. 🥰I spoke with the school's principal, Hilde Allen, about why it was important for her students to help Ukraine and Ukrainians. And also how they teach their students to become good people with integrity, empathy, unity, and strength as their personal character qualities. 💪 I thank brave Otto from 5-grade, International English School, Uppsala. Why is it so crucial for me to hear and share these voices supporting Ukraine from Sweden? The voices of politicians and journalists, schoolchildren and artists, ordinary Swedes, and large famous organizations? Because every voice for Ukraine in this brutal, bloody war, unbelievable in the 21 century, is another shoulder, weapon, and prayer. This is proof that the truth is on our side. It is a reminder that the war is going on. That it must not be forgotten. That it must be stopped. But we can only do it together. Today, Ukrainians are not only defending their land, their families, and their achievements; they are defending Europe from russian zombies. And not just for today or for the next month. It is a struggle for the whole European future, human, progressive, and beautiful. So when I hear that children at a Swedish school decide to raise money to support Ukrainians, I feel warm. I take the camera and my five-month-old baby, who has been out of home for the most significant part of his little life due to the war and go to hug the principal of such school. I want to ask why it is essential for them - to support us as they wish, as they can, as the call of the heart allows. I do it because I believe in the power of love. And I want to talk about it while I have the opportunity. If you have

Today is the Day of Kyiv. The capital of Ukraine, the capital of brave people, is 1540 years old today. And our next episode of the Voice4Ukraine is dedicated to 3 Ukrainian women helping our homeland from Gothenburg. This episode is in Ukrainian. On the second day of the war, @Katja Blank (Blagodyr), @Kateryna Aleksandrova, and Nadya Kvasha @Nadiyka Nadya met each other for the first time. They gathered a big team of volunteers and began a great deed of help and love to Ukraine and Ukrainians. They sent twenty-one buses with 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. They bought four emergency cars with the medical equipment at 300 000 euros. They helped 200 Ukrainians to come to Sweden from Ukraine. A lot of money was gathered. A lot of needs were covered. Now they are experienced, unique, and "crazy" enough to invite the winners of the Eurovision Ukrainian musical band "Kalush" to Gothenburg (@Kalush.official). Moreover, they want to gather more money for Ukraine during the great ethnical Ukrainian festival in the middle of June. So please, meet the core of the @Help Ukraine Gothenburg Listen to the pod here https://shows.acast.com/voice4ukraine/episodes/how-three-ukrainians-are-heping-Ukraine-from-Gothenburg

Today we publish the next Voice4Ukraine of @Fia Hammarström, CEO and Owner and Agent HammarstromAgency.com at @Voice Professional AB from Stockholm. https://shows.acast.com/voice4ukraine/episodes Fia is a fantastic woman who immediately answered my letter after we arrived in Sweden about the possible cooperation with us. She invited me and my husband, a videographer and photographer, to her studio in Stockholm to meet. Because of her enthusiasm and kindness, this pod was born. Help may have very different ways. Swedish people are so creative when they see someone in need. Thank you, Fia, for your trust in me and your time and resources. If you want to share your story with me, please send it to [email protected] 🇺🇦 🇸🇪 Слава Україні!