Opinion: Why Ukraine invasion hits home for me and for Queens

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards at the Babyn Yar memorial in 2021.  Photo courtesy of Richards’ office

The images and videos coming out of Ukraine this past week haunt me.
When I see hundreds of thousands of innocent Ukrainian families fleeing to safety across the border, walking dozens of miles in the bitter cold away from war and toward unimaginable uncertainty, I think of my own wife and son being forced to make that journey while I stay behind to fight.

When I see an evil tyrant like Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launch a vicious and unjust invasion of a neighboring country, all while he brutally oppresses his own people at home, his gleeful violation of every single principle elected officials like myself are supposed to hold fills me with disgust.

And when I see Ukrainians of all ages and walks of life — from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy down to everyday teachers, construction workers and retirees — proudly banding together to defend their homeland, it inspires me as much as it surely inspires you.

But it’s the senseless loss of life on both sides of this war and the callous destruction of historic Ukrainian cities that hits closest to home for me.

Just five months ago, I walked those very streets of Kyiv where rockets are raining down today. I met with many of these citizens who now find themselves huddling in bomb shelters or making Molotov cocktails. I visited the Babyn Yar memorial, a gorgeous tribute honoring the approximately 100,000 people murdered at that site by Nazi Germany throughout World War II, where five people were murdered in a missile strike this week.

The mission trip I had the honor of going on last year was a powerful and emotional experience for me, not just as an elected official but as a human being. Whether I was in a lawmaker’s office or in a local barbershop, the hospitality and kindness I felt as an American was rivaled only by the pride and patriotism within all those I met. And as much as I was moved by President Zelenskyy’s address during Ukraine’s 80 th anniversary commemoration of the Babyn Yar Massacre, what I hold dearest today are the friendships I forged during my visit.

I’ve been in close contact with many of these friends over the course of this war, and their experiences are nothing short of horrifying. As an American, I cannot imagine watching a foreign army’s tanks roll through Rosedale. I cannot fathom how hard it must be to see first- hand what a military-grade assault rifle or a missile can do to the human body.

Unfortunately, that is the reality many Ukrainians are now experiencing, and it is not one the global community should accept. The sanctions the Biden Administration and dozens of other nations have placed on Russia are as necessary as they are devastating. But as Queens residents, we cannot stand silent in the face of such horror while our Ukrainian brothers and sisters mourn what is happening to their homeland.

To the Ukrainian-American community here in Queens, we firmly stand in solidarity with you against this invasion. If you need a space to gather or mourn, our doors at Queens Borough Hall are open.

To the Russian-American families who call Queens home, we know this is not your war — it is Putin’s and Putin’s alone. You have our full support and love as well.

To all 2.4 million residents of The World’s Borough, let’s all do what we can as global citizens, large or small, to support those impacted by this war. Let’s support Queens small businesses owned by Ukrainian Americans, like Varenyk House in Ridgewood or Keuka Kafe in Forest Hills. If you’re looking to financially contribute, options include organizations like Sunflower of Peace and Voices of Children, which provide on-the-ground humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian families touched by conflict.

This war, like all others, will end, and I look forward to the day when I can return to Kyiv and celebrate the strength of its people. But until then, Ukraine will continue to have the full support and whole heart of Queens.

Donovan Richards is the Queens borough president