My super power is being Ukrainian | NATO Youth Summit Challenge Winner 2024

Oct 8, 2024

🤔 Is 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 really different?

The “Who Aids?” poster was published in 1940 in Punch Magazine, referencing the Soviet invasion of Finland 🇫🇮, also known as the Winter War, which began on November 30, 1939.

Was it already World War II at that point?

So, how did it all begin?

The Soviets made a series of demands, including that Finland surrender significant border territory in exchange for land elsewhere. The excuse? “Security reasons”—specifically, the protection of Leningrad, which was just 32 km (20 miles) from the Finnish border.

👀 Familiar?

Today, russia is using the same old Stalin narrative
“No NATO expansion because we feel threatened,” all while 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
“Don’t strike our airbases because we feel threatened,” yet 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐛 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬.

When Finland refused, the soviets invaded.

After initial setbacks, the Soviets scaled back their ambitions, ditching their puppet Finnish communist government in January 1940 and indicating they were ready to negotiate peace. But after reorganizing and adopting new tactics, they resumed their offensive in February 1940 and broke through Finnish defenses on the Karelian Isthmus.

👀 Familiar?

Again, when moscow isn’t winning, they start “negotiating” — only to regroup and strike again. We’ve seen this pattern at least in Finland and Chechnya.

Soviet propaganda painted Finland’s leadership as a “𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞.”

👀 Familiar?

According to them, everyone’s a 𝐧𝐚𝐳𝐢 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 – except for the 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, of course.

Remember when Finland joined NATO?
Remember when Sweden joined NATO?
Nothing happened — because it was a strong, decisive move.

𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 only understand strength.

Ukraine must join NATO.

History

……..

Comment from :

Antti Koskela

Software Engineer working on Azure and .NET projects | Microsoft MVP

They still occupy the regions they took in the second world war, by the way. And they’ve done great work russifying all of the different native peoples that ended up or already were in Russia. Finns mostly relocated to Finland after the border was moved.

John Stienen

Senior Policy Advisor at Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations

I guess World War Two started with the implementation of the Secret protocol to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?

Jaana J.

Published Author & Writer. Content & copywriter at Movya Ltd (Always a Writer.)

So true, Yana Rudenko. — I fear that the NATO memberships of Finland and Sweden may have caught Russia by surprise and disrupted its plans. However, the fundamental strategies & plans of our aggressive neighbour haven’t changed, only been delayed. We remain vigilant and prepared, standing alongside our new allies in the alliance. To the courageous people of Ukraine, I urge you never to give up your resistance. 🙏📝🙋🏻📚🇫🇮🇺🇦

Rinze van Minnen

Business tax lawyer (owner) 🇳🇱 🇪🇺 🗣️ 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇬🇧

As we all know, start of WW2 is typically taken as the invasion of Poland in September 1939 but another set of theories exist stating that the Spanish Civil War from July 1936 was the start, or the second Japanese invasion of China in 1937 , or the brief Soviet-Japanese war from May 1939. Personally I think the annexation of Sudetenland plus Czechia in 1938, although not a battle as such, was the start of WW2. There was no way back once that happened. Like a bear who has tasted human flesh, it was going to be violent conflict with Germany from that moment on. The Molotov Ribbentrop pact was the accelerant, the invasion of Poland the moment everything caught fire.

………….

War is a marathon, not a sprint ☝️

And I am back to running after a 3-month break.

The last three months have been tough. I spent about 1.5 months in Ukraine after my father passed away, attended a public event at the NATO Summit in the USA, and moved to a new place in the NL. For me, running is an active choice—a way to take care of myself and create a feeling of stability and home.

I used to dislike long-distance running, but now I am driven by the thought that ‘𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭’. It’s about pushing through the pain and training your mind for endurance, not just quick wins.

This is what we should all aim for BECAUSE
❌ 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 ❌

Now, I love running for a few reasons:

Time in Nature
Running in the Netherlands brings me so much joy. I often run past peaceful scenes of sheep, deer, and ducks. After spending hours in front of a computer – working or studying – or reading about the world’s tragedies, we all need a bit of daily recovery. If we don’t take that time, we risk burnout, depression, or worse.
Mental Health
Life is hard, and it’s not a straight path for anyone. But for those who experience war at home, are victims of it, or are refugees, life can feel especially heavy. Running releases dopamine and other “happiness” hormones that are essential for keeping our mental health in check.
“Me” Time
Time alone, just being with your own thoughts, is precious. Running gives me that.
Building Strength
Running builds physical and mental strength. I love the feeling of getting stronger, knowing that long distances are becoming easier to conquer. Hopefully, I won’t need this strength for anything serious, but it’s useful when you need to catch a train!
Fundraising for Ukraine
In 2024, I ran two half-marathons to raise money for DroneAid Collective, which funds drones for Ukraine. Maybe one day, I’ll run a full marathon and fundraise for dozens of drones! ❤️

I hope this time I stick with running for longer.

Do you like running? Or do you play any sports? How do you rest?

P.S. Please, take care of yourself!