For this week’s newsletter, I was going to craft a take-down of the so-called, made-up, non-existent “war on Christmas” (did you know that it was originally ginned up by the John Birch Society in 1959?) but decided it was much more important to talk about another – all too real – war instead: Putin’s illegal and unwarranted invasion of Ukraine.
The horrors of this war are numerous: constant missile attacks on civilians and non-military targets, Russian conscripts and mercenaries from the Wagner Group taking grotesque pleasure in killing and torture, and the very real possibility that infrastructure attacks will keep most of Ukraine without electricity for most of the winter.
And according the The Guardian, there will be no pause or ceasefire on Christmas Day, which on its face may seem like a minor concern, but not to children in Ukraine. On Wednesday, UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund, formerly The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) released this dire warning:
“Millions of children are facing a bleak winter huddled in the cold and the dark, with little idea of how or when respite may arrive,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Imagine, if you can, being a child right now in Ukraine, knowing that Christmas – perhaps something you’ve been looking forward to – will be the same kind of horrible day you’ve experienced for the past ten months, one filled with fear, deprivation, and not knowing when or if the horror is ever going to end.
But, beyond having no Christmas to speak of, the awful truth is that this war is putting Ukrainian children’s mental health at serious risk. Many may already be permanently physically and emotionally scarred by this war. Many more will be in desperate need of compassion, patience, rehabilitation, and professional mental health services as part of a recovery that may take decades.
The fact is, Putin has unleashed a horrible monster on Ukraine which destroys not only the infrastructure and adults but innocent children. My hope, and I think that many of you agree with me, is that he will go down in history as the violent, sick, delusional dictator he’s proven himself to be not just for his invasion of Ukraine, but of Georgia, parts of Moldovia and his murderous support for the genocidal regime in Syria.
So, this holiday season, let those of us who are not caught up directly in this horrific war spend a few moments thinking about the children of Ukraine. And if you have the resources and would like to help them, please donate to UNICEF.
