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You are here: Home / War in Ukraine / Open Thread & Special Opportunity to Help Ukraine

Open Thread & Special Opportunity to Help Ukraine

by WaterGirl|  June 7, 20237:25 pm| 62 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, War in Ukraine

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There has been a lot going on, so I don’t know if everyone has had a chance to read about the dam disaster in Kherson.  As if things weren’t already bad enough with the genocidal Putin committing war crimes and murdering civilians, with the collapse of the dam things are now far worse than they were.

The Nova Kakhova Dam disaster in Kherson has affected tens of thousands of people.  They are  in danger, stranded, without water, without shelter.  Not content to blow up the dam, we read reports that Russian occupiers are shooting at volunteers trying to reach stranded residents of the left bank of the Dnipro and preventing Ukrainians from fleeing the flooded regions.

President Zelenskiyy stated that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians will be without water; the canals that water southern Ukraine, turn it into an agricultural paradise, are drying up, emptying into the Dnipro; experts predict southern Ukraine will turn into a desert (it was pretty dry pretty regularly before the dams were built).

It’s the largest disaster to hit Ukraine since Chernobyl 35 years ago, and its horrifying.  You can read more details in Adam’s post from last night.

We always have the link to the Ukraine thermometer in the sidebar, but today we have a very generous offer from one of our BJ peeps – he will match up to $5,000 in donations through our BJ Ukraine thermometer.  You can select to donate to just one or the other, but if you click to donate and you do nothing, your donation will be split between World Central Kitchen and Razom for Ukraine.

Donate

A Razom volunteer on the ground in flooded areas near Kherson captured this video of a dog being taken to safety.

We’re on the ground and working hard to deliver aid and help with evacuations. Donate to support our work: https://t.co/2LwasDxi3I pic.twitter.com/NheFCPtaAe

— Razom for Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@razomforukraine) June 7, 2023

In the aftermath of the dam flooding in the Kherson region yesterday, WCK is continuing to provide nourishment to families with warm meals & clean water. The water level in the area continues to rise, but the smiles of the kids we get to support keep us going 💙 #ChefsForUkraine pic.twitter.com/hXKeqcuTCD

— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) June 7, 2023

So sad for the Damm destruction in the Dnipro River with terrible consequences. But so hopeful as our amazing @Ukraine team @WCKitchen began cooking increasing the meal output in hours to help the people affected by the water damage in many communities…#ChefsForUkraine pic.twitter.com/HFAKfPKZ2L

— José Andrés 🟧🇺🇸🇪🇸🇺🇦 (@chefjoseandres) June 7, 2023

As I write this, the total sits at $73,561 – as soon as the thermometer hits $78,561, our anonymous donor will add his $5,000, for a total of $83,761 for Ukraine since the war began.

Ukraine needs the help of the world, and I’m guessing that we’ll be able to meet this match.

Donate

Totally open thread.

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Previous Post: « Diversions Open Thread: Weird Al, A Role Model for the Rest of Us
Next Post: War for Ukraine Day 469: Another Day, Another Russian War Crime. spy v. spy flyouts»

Reader Interactions

62Comments

  1. 1.

    Maxim

    June 7, 2023 at 8:11 pm

    Thanks for this, and thanks to the angel.

  2. 2.

    M31

    June 7, 2023 at 8:15 pm

    in for another $50

    fuck Putin and his fascist accomplices and enablers and apologists

    and thanks, Juicer angel

  3. 3.

    Steeplejack

    June 7, 2023 at 8:17 pm

    Tossed in some bucks, equally divided.

  4. 4.

    Alison Rose

    June 7, 2023 at 8:19 pm

    Funds are really tight right now, but I’m in for $10.

    I hate putin and every person in this country who is metaphorically (and they wish literally) sucking his dick.

    Слава Україні!

  5. 5.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 7, 2023 at 8:20 pm

    25.

  6. 6.

    twbrandt

    June 7, 2023 at 8:20 pm

    In for $50

  7. 7.

    Alison Rose

    June 7, 2023 at 8:21 pm

    (Also…am I losing it or did this post get pushed back? I went to click on “next post” and it’s David’s from this morning, and then I saw the time-stamp on this one.)

  8. 8.

    sab

    June 7, 2023 at 8:22 pm

    So because they mis-planned their war, now they want to starve the eastern Mediterranean and northern Africa just out of spite. And it will take decades to fix this. Their idea of winning is that everyone else anywhere affected must lose. What a way to run things.

  9. 9.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 7, 2023 at 8:23 pm

    Temporal anomaly?

  10. 10.

    Spanish Moss

    June 7, 2023 at 8:23 pm

    Donated. Thanks WaterGirl and angel!

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    June 7, 2023 at 8:25 pm

    @Alison Rose: We’re not messing with you just to mess with you; it was complicated! :-)

    Cole put his up 7 minutes after this post, so I pulled my post and texted John to say that I would put mine back up after his post and after Adam’s post, which is likely coming along soon.

    So I pulled mine.  Then Cole texted to say that I should keep mine up and move his back an hour.  So I moved his and then put mine back up.

  12. 12.

    Redshift

    June 7, 2023 at 8:25 pm

    I already donated to Razom directly, but I’m in for 50 more.

  13. 13.

    smith

    June 7, 2023 at 8:25 pm

    I’d sent some money to WCK just before you posted, but put some extra in here for Razom.

  14. 14.

    WaterGirl

    June 7, 2023 at 8:25 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: See my explanation at #11.

  15. 15.

    Steeplejack

    June 7, 2023 at 8:26 pm

    @Alison Rose:

    It got fixed. Refresh the page.

  16. 16.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 7, 2023 at 8:29 pm

    @Steeplejack: It isn’t Friday, is it?

  17. 17.

    Ksmiami

    June 7, 2023 at 8:33 pm

    Donated 50 to razom directly. Russia needs to be kicked off every world governing board and their assets confiscated.

  18. 18.

    Alison Rose

    June 7, 2023 at 8:34 pm

    @WaterGirl: I’m hearing Yakety Sax :P

  19. 19.

    Steeplejack

    June 7, 2023 at 8:37 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    It’s a day with “Friday” in it!

  20. 20.

    NickM

    June 7, 2023 at 8:44 pm

    Delurking to say I donated and to challenge fellow lurkers to donate and post.

  21. 21.

    Gin & Tonic

    June 7, 2023 at 8:45 pm

    Once again I thank this community for its support of Ukraine, with special thanks to the angel who pledged $5k. Your generosity is beyond words.

    But, trying to nip hyperbole in the bud – yes, the dam breach is an ecological and agricultural disaster, but it will not turn southern Ukraine into a desert. The affected areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts will most likely revert to steppe (dry grasslands) as they were historically. Think Kansas, not Sahara.

  22. 22.

    pat

    June 7, 2023 at 8:46 pm

    I was already thinking to donate to WCK but hadn’t looked up how to do it.

    Just got a nice bit of $$ coming in so I sent $500 to be divided between the lunches and the doggies.

  23. 23.

    Kayla Rudbek

    June 7, 2023 at 8:50 pm

    In for $25

  24. 24.

    Alison Rose

    June 7, 2023 at 8:52 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Thank you for the clarifications. In many cases, saying a place would be “like Kansas” would not seem good, but in this case I can understand.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    June 7, 2023 at 8:52 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: And this is how rumors get started.

    WaterGirl doesn’t even know what day it is! :-)

  26. 26.

    suilebhan

    June 7, 2023 at 8:53 pm

    In for $250.  And fuck Ruzzia!

  27. 27.

    Andrya

    June 7, 2023 at 8:53 pm

    @WaterGirl- do you have a link for the russians shooting at rescue workers?  I don’t doubt you, but it would be helpful in educating some people I know who are kind of pacifists (“a cease fire would save lives”- Grrrr!)

  28. 28.

    NotoriousJRT

    June 7, 2023 at 8:55 pm

    Chipped in. My thanks to the BJ Citizen who offered a generous match for a desperately good cause.  Thanks also to WG for executing the plan.

  29. 29.

    NotoriousJRT

    June 7, 2023 at 9:00 pm

    @pat: That’s awesome!  Good on you for sharing so generously!

  30. 30.

    Chetan Murthy

    June 7, 2023 at 9:02 pm

    @Andrya: https://www.politico.eu/article/russians-shooting-at-rescuers-in-flooded-areas-zelenskyy-tells-politico/

    Grrrr indeed.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    June 7, 2023 at 9:07 pm

    @Andrya: I googled and found this.

    Link

  32. 32.

    dc

    June 7, 2023 at 9:10 pm

    In for 50.00

  33. 33.

    Andrya

    June 7, 2023 at 9:12 pm

    @Chetan Murthy:   @WaterGirl:   Thanks!

  34. 34.

    Another Scott

    June 7, 2023 at 9:14 pm

    In for $250.

    As I write this, the total sits at $73,561 – as soon as the thermometer hits $78,561, our anonymous donor will add his $5,000, for a total of $83,751 for Ukraine since the war began.

    Are those quoted numbers right? The thermometer blew past those numbers with only 33 comments??! All hail the silent benfactors!

    Slava Ukraini!! Peace and comfort to those suffering through this terrible disaster.

    Thanks WaterGirl.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  35. 35.

    JoyceH

    June 7, 2023 at 9:16 pm

    Open thread stuff. I ziplined today, first time. It’s harder than I thought! I never worried that I would, y’know, die, but I was really ungraceful and kept turning sideways. The last zip ( there were seven) was just perfect until i got to the platform and couldn’t stick the landing, slid back about a third of the way and hung there over a lovely field of hay bales until I was towed in like an old barge on the Erie Canal.

  36. 36.

    Alison Rose

    June 7, 2023 at 9:17 pm

    @Another Scott: This place is amazing.

  37. 37.

    Joy in FL

    June 7, 2023 at 9:17 pm

    In for $25.
    Thank you, BJ angel.

  38. 38.

    Percysowner

    June 7, 2023 at 9:21 pm

     

    In for $25

  39. 39.

    Seefleur

    June 7, 2023 at 9:21 pm

    @NickM: Challenge accepted!

  40. 40.

    WaterGirl

    June 7, 2023 at 9:24 pm

    @Another Scott: They are indeed, correct.

  41. 41.

    marleedog

    June 7, 2023 at 9:24 pm

    @NickM:

    I will accept that challenge so as to make it easier for the next person.

    In for $100.

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    June 7, 2023 at 9:24 pm

    @JoyceH: You have a way with words – have you ever considered writing a book? :-)

  43. 43.

    Jackie

    June 7, 2023 at 9:29 pm

    This broke my heart:

    “Hundreds of animals died in their cages at a zoo in Russian-occupied Ukraine when explosions ripped through the nearby Nova Kakhovka dam on Tuesday, flooding the surrounding area.

    According to UAnimals, an animal rights NGO that has helped shelter and rescue animals during the Russian invasion, nearly all of the 260 animals in the zoo — dubbed “Fairytale Díbrova” — died.

    “People were trying to save these animals for months. And then, just in one day because of the actions of Russians, 260 animals died,” Olga Chevganiuk, COO of the organization, told POLITICO, calling the incident “a real catastrophe.”

    https://www.politico.eu/article/hundreds-of-zoo-animals-dead-as-environmental-cost-of-ukraine-dam-blast-grows/amp/

    I donated $10 – June is an expensive month for me.

  44. 44.

    SpaceUnit

    June 7, 2023 at 9:29 pm

    I tossed in $100.  Many thanks to whoever has offered the match.

  45. 45.

    Quiltingfool

    June 7, 2023 at 9:31 pm

    It’s been awhile since I have had any Ukraine donation quilts; I do have a lap size quilt in blues and yellows, and I’ve got another ready to be quilted (it has cats!).  I also have a reverse appliqué “sleepy cat in flowers” wall hanging, but it is more orange than yellow…I want to do a true yellow and blue wall hanging, but thought you might like to see this.

    I’m not done with doing quilted items for Ukraine.  These folks need our support as they are giving more than we can imagine to defend their country and themselves.

    I do have a dog quilt pattern I will do in blues and yellows…we have many, many dog lovers here, too.

    Let me show you what I have…I’ll coordinate with WaterGirl on the details for a raffle or something.

    Stars Over Ukraine: https://pin.it/2vWkwbZ

    Crazy Cats: https://pin.it/2dH5TDD

    Sleepy Kitty in Flowers: https://pin.it/3Y0XGfk

  46. 46.

    Jackie

    June 7, 2023 at 9:52 pm

    @Quiltingfool: Love your quilts! That sleepy kitten in flowers quilt!♥️♥️

  47. 47.

    Quiltingfool

    June 7, 2023 at 9:58 pm

    @Jackie: Thank you!  I love the sleepy kitty wall hanging, too.  I have it on my hanging rack (really just a clothes hanger with clips, lol) so I can look at it…makes me happy.  But, it can go to a new home and make someone else happy!

  48. 48.

    kalakal

    June 7, 2023 at 10:24 pm

    In for $25

  49. 49.

    Madeleine

    June 7, 2023 at 10:38 pm

    In for $100, equally divided.

  50. 50.

    Raoul Paste

    June 7, 2023 at 10:51 pm

    In for 100

  51. 51.

    mvr

    June 7, 2023 at 11:02 pm

    In for $50 but it appears I’m too late for the match.  That’s OK.

  52. 52.

    am

    June 7, 2023 at 11:09 pm

    How much does this change the calculus in other potential conflicts by legitimizing a strike on Three Gorges as a military target? I assume it does not, and there is no logic to the question, just a very basic consequence asserted by PRC to be plugged into calculating a Nash equilbrium.

  53. 53.

    JAFD

    June 8, 2023 at 12:45 am

    Wildfires sending smke my way.  My eyes been oozzing mucus all day today, and about 1:30 this afternoon, sky and air and entire landscape seemed to be glowing orange.  Weird.  Blame Canada.

    Kicked in $50

  54. 54.

    Westyny

    June 8, 2023 at 1:18 am

    In for a Benjamin.

  55. 55.

    Manyakitty

    June 8, 2023 at 7:58 am

    In for $100, even if I missed the match.

    Thank you for organizing this.

  56. 56.

    evodevo

    June 8, 2023 at 8:15 am

    @Andrya: Don’t I remember this being SOP in Sarajevo?  IIRC Ratko Mladic was behind the sniper fire on civilians and aid workers…same mentality…

  57. 57.

    Torrey

    June 8, 2023 at 10:33 am

    Thank you for this, WaterGirl. Among the many things I appreciate about this blog is this kind of information and links for effective contributions. And the reminders to contribute.

  58. 58.

    CCL

    June 8, 2023 at 11:45 am

    Saw this late.  In for $50.

  59. 59.

    CCL

    June 8, 2023 at 11:47 am

    @Quiltingfool:  These are beautiful!

  60. 60.

    Miss Bianca

    June 8, 2023 at 12:14 pm

    Late to the party, but tossed in $25 anyway. Thanks be to our blessed angel, and damn, damn, damn the Ruzzians.

  61. 61.

    Josie

    June 8, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    Too late for the match, but I put in $25.00.

  62. 62.

    RaflW

    June 9, 2023 at 1:00 am

    I have barely had time to process the recent horrors in Ukraine. So in goes $50.

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