Well said Susan, thank you. For a moment I thought if I was being an element of diversion in his own concerns about the problems in America, which would make me immediately shut all my writing activity if he proved me that I am an obstacle to whatever fight, but I am sure our cases are connected and our enemies are the same as I mentioned! 💙
Yes both countries are fighting for the same thing! Democracy and freedom ! As much as I freaked about the USA, I also have to remind myself we don’t have drones and bombs killing us…yet….i can and will have hope and support for both countries.
Agree! We are both fighting for freedom and democracy. Please keep writing Viktor. I have never thought anything negative about your writing or selfish. I believe you are giving all of us a window into your real world and hopefully we provide some strength and solace from our writing to you. Stay safe and Slava Ukraine 💙💛🇺🇦🇺🇸
Definitely we'll said Viktor!! And truer words were never spoken. We're both fighting the same war from different angles. Americans stand with Ukranians!! Slava Ukraini!!
I want to expand on this to say that Doomscrolling is real and that there really is a limit to how much a person can absorb of all the awfulness going on in Ukraine and here in the US to the working class, the immigrants, our rights and knowing that people we loved and trusted would rather see us harmed than acknowledge the ugliness of their beliefs and the leaders they STILL! support.
But it is up to each individual to know their limits and to limit their exposure to the unlimited flow of bad news, soul-crushing cruelty to others, especially children, and the epidemic of fear and anxiety that permeates our society today. It is not the responsibility of content creators like yourself to blow sunshine out of your butt and put on a fake smile to placate other people’s sensibilities.
I appreciate your sharing your perspective on what is happening in Ukraine. Some posts make me feel hopeful, but others make me sad, angry, anxious, and sometimes overwhelmed. But they also motivate me to keep calling our Congressmen, and send $$ to organizations helping soldiers and civilians in Ukraine, to pray for better times throughout the world.
Thank-you for your posts. You are a talented writer, but I hope that someday all that is left for you to write about is the progress of recovery efforts to rebuild your country. I wish you safe passage through these times, wellbeing to your family, friends, and fellow soldiers, and most of all, I wish you and all of Ukraine peace.
I love hearing from you and any of your countrymen and women who have the time to share their thoughts. It’s horrendous what Putin is doing, and if I were younger and well trained, I’d sign up yesterday. Please don’t apologize, I pray for you all every day . 💙💛💙💛Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦!! Ps… I loved your president as a comedian, and admire him more than any other leader on this earth today!
I read every one of your posts that I see. Your voice puts a human face to the stories in the news. Your voice reminds us that the war footage we see could be our (Substack) friend, Viktor, and we care more because we care about him. This is really important, what you are doing. We need to be able to see, hear and find one another in this chaos. We are in the same war… different battles, same war. Stay strong of heart! Sending prayers for all who are suffering, including the gentleman who wrote you.
Viktor, I applaud your writing. I mentor 2 young Ukainian men in English to further their careers and improve their lives. The war had impacted them both. One is on active military duty, was in hospital from war wounds and is back fighting Russians. He has a wife and 2 young children. My other studen lives with his family and wife in Sumy which is under constant attack. I worry about them and have offered my home in Anerica to them. Always they decline saying their home is Ukraine. I know their fight is mine. I know Ukraine men, women and children are dying not just for Ukraine. They are dying for America, for Europe, and for the whole free world. Keep writing and keep the brutality of the war in front of us. You are doing good. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Keep writing, my brave friend. You open our eyes and hearts to your lives there. I look forward to your writings every day. We both desperately want our democracy to survive and thrive. 🇺🇦🇺🇸
Susan Wingo beautifully says what I also believe. Like Sue Thomas, I also look for your writing each day, to make sure you are still there and safe. Keep writing to us, many of us are listening.
Thank you James, that's exactly how I feel, extremely honored to be here sharing my toughts, sharing my soul, and showing that we are more interconnected that we might ever think, especially those of us who are fighting against the 'machine' of evil I mentioned in the article. 💙
You are at war. We are (somewhat more than mildly) inconvenienced at this point. You have nothing to apologize for. And neither do I. Except for ending a sentence with a preposition. For that I am sorry.
Haha I loved it, thank you , that was something really "unapologable", it's half of me trying to be poetic and the other half obsessed in writing in a foreign language without a single mistake (and obsessions never direct us to the rightest places for sure!) 💙
Ah, Viktor-love, I took two terms of Spanish in high school (secondary school in Europe?), one term at college level after that, and you still do WAY better in another language (heck, a different alphabet!) than I ever would. :)
Keep up the good work! Stay safe, stay strong.
Hope to see you and your beautiful country when this is all over for good (literally for Good, not Evil!). :)
That we all would be less inconvenienced and would have something to celebrate if we’d stood up firmly to dictators and wannabe dictators is one thing I’m sure of.
I don’t think speaking English without artificially Latinized grammar is anything to apologize for.
Wow! I’m so glad you said this! It needs to be said over and over until it becomes the norm and everyone knows it and everyone understands that this is the fight for human beings everywhere that we are in. And you said it so well! I’m a bit in awe of your talent as a writer. Thank you for listening and for staying kind.
Your generosity with your words is massive, dear Maria. I really appreciate that and I still doubt if I deserve so much. It was nice you mentioned that I manage to stay kind, because this is something I fight so much to find inside me, and this Substack has been working also as a therapy to me so I manage to find whatever beautiful things here inside. Sometimes I don't know how and I don't believe that I could write some of the words I've just published.. Thank you so much, and for your kindness too.💙
As a Canadian , I feel like your fight is our fight. What’s happening to Ukraine can easily happen to us. Putin and Trump are the same. I draw my strength from your strength. Ukraine has and will continue to stand up for what is right. You will succeed. The whole world needs to take notice. We would be fools to turn a blind eye to these atrocities. I look forward to your post daily. You do. You give me strength. We hear you.
Absolutely Chelle, this is true for all corners of the world, because the project of power of our enemies cover every single centimeter and inch of the planet, and so our fight is equally universal. Thank you for you kindness.💙
I'm an American and I'm locked into the war in Ukraine. I see the long game if Russia wins. I give $$$ to the Ukrainian war effort. I'm also stressed about what's happening in my country and am active in fighting against what I see this govt doing. I can multi-task. I need to be present in the world. We all do. Do NOT shut up. Keep writing.
I must say that reading the comments here also gives me a lot of hope too. Every article, evry new thought I share here is welcomed so warmly and with so much generosity that it recharges my "batteries of hope" in absolutely full power. 💙🔋
Absolutely no need to apologize. We are ALL locked in this together. And we must stick together and not be divided…in our own countries and in our solidarity to all countries. Greed, Power, wealth, and insane self-centered interests will NOT win. March on my friend…we got each others’ backs!!🇺🇦🇺🇸🌎
As an American, I just have to say “if dude doesn’t like it, dude doesn’t have to read it.”
No one is making him, and it is not your responsibility to silence yourself so that he doesn’t accidentally trip and fall into reading your clearly labeled material.
Absolutely Ian, I agree 100% with you. I think the dude in question was more a victim of disinformation than from a despise for Ukraine or for humanity, it's so easy to think small when we feel crushed like these timeds, and it's also so easy to see a foreign situation like Ukraine like something that it's not part of our life, even more so if the person lives in such a massive and continental country like the United States. But I am here to be part of the effort to bring to light that we may be distant on the map, but so so close when we think in politics!💙
Thank you Grams, we are here to hold each other, to support each other, in those times of pain theres no bigger comfort than knowing that we are seen and we are not alone. 💙
No, ty Viktor. My heart just breaks for you and all your countrymen and women. For mothers, fathers and the children 💔 i still have my Ukrainean flag. It's been ere since the first week of the invasion of your country and won't ever come down. I hope all our prayers help keep going in these darkest of times. 🙏♥️♥️♥️🇺🇦
Your posts are treasures. You remind us that the world belongs to everyone. The REASON that sad person addressed you the way he/she did, is literally BECAUSE half of America voted for selfishness. As a country, we have a LOT to fix, but that does not mean we turn our back on those who are suffering worse. Every single day. Your words inspire us to look deep inside, find some courage, and do what we can to make things better. Thank you for your inspiration, and for your hearfelt, honest assessment of the human condition. The other half of America will prevail. We cannot quietly succomb to tyranny, here or anywhere. Be safe.
The way I'd heard it, the election was like 29% Trump (with a lot of Electoral College votes), 27.5% Harris, and the rest all just either sat it out (in...protest?) or did actually vote, but something "happened" to their votes... :-/
Trump was saying back in the summer of 2024, long before Election Day, that they'd "already gotten enough votes." :-/
What we need to do here in the U.S. is drum up enough voters in general that something good happens in 2026, but if we don't have some hope, even in the sense that we aren't alone in this, it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy that we can't do anything about this mess we're in.
WRONG!
Keep writing, Viktor! Help us with that togetherness! :)
You are right. In terms of percentages, Trump only "won" 1/3 or less actual votes. And Nancy, I also believe that Trump knew he was getting help altering votes, erasing swaths of eligible voters, and getting influencing propaganda into critical places. I do believe the final vote was manipulated, mostly because Trump actually admitted it. With that said, I do believe also, that selfishness and apathy are the main reasons he is in the White House. Americans who did not vote or who were afraid to put a woman in the White House are as responsible as those few who actually voted for Trump. We need to support each other as we navigate this travesty in our own country. I do have some hope, and Viktor makes those feelings clear with everything he writes. Thank you, Viktor.
Peggy - As Nancy pointed out, actually only a third of American voters (not even all Americans) voted for the despot. A third voted for VP Harris, and a third (apparently) didn't vote. So, no, half of Ameicans did not vote for him. He won the EC in States where Musk threw millions at voters. Don't support his claim that hew won a mandate! He did not. We need to get people off the sidelines and into the voting booths to turn this ship around in 2026. Meanwhile, we can care for ourselves at the same time as caring for others. We can do both. And, as Viktor says, in reality, caring for Ukraine is, in fact, caring for the USA. And, as my loving mother used to say, "When you feel bad, go do something for someone else, and you will feel better." I think this is true for individuals and countries. Let's take care of each other and do both!
Oh, believe me, Katie, I had no intention of supporting his blathering nonsense. I should have known better than to state a specific number describing the 2024 vote... but when you live in a part of the country that still has Trump signs all over, it's hard to feel the successes of those who are working to change the situation. We absolutely need a constant and repeated effort to educate people about the importance of their vote. It starts with local elections.
--Benjamin Franklin's response to Elizabeth Willing Powel's question: "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin: "A republic, if we can keep it."
Yes, let's take care of each other, and work to restore the hope that began with the signing of our Constitution.
If you lose, we all lose.
Thank you Jackie, I really feel the same and each day I am more convinced of that. And we have no other option besides surviving together 💙🇺🇦🇺🇸
I’m with you.. your fight is our fight..❤️
That is so true. It is all about justice and about what is right and about civil rights, and that is not limited to individual countries.
Agree
Yes
No need to apologize. He can unsubscribe if he doesn’t want to see your posts.
Well said Susan, thank you. For a moment I thought if I was being an element of diversion in his own concerns about the problems in America, which would make me immediately shut all my writing activity if he proved me that I am an obstacle to whatever fight, but I am sure our cases are connected and our enemies are the same as I mentioned! 💙
Yes both countries are fighting for the same thing! Democracy and freedom ! As much as I freaked about the USA, I also have to remind myself we don’t have drones and bombs killing us…yet….i can and will have hope and support for both countries.
Agree! We are both fighting for freedom and democracy. Please keep writing Viktor. I have never thought anything negative about your writing or selfish. I believe you are giving all of us a window into your real world and hopefully we provide some strength and solace from our writing to you. Stay safe and Slava Ukraine 💙💛🇺🇦🇺🇸
Definitely we'll said Viktor!! And truer words were never spoken. We're both fighting the same war from different angles. Americans stand with Ukranians!! Slava Ukraini!!
Viktor, you are not an obstacle, you are a bright light on the path to freedom and justice. Please don’t stop writing. The world needs your voice.
I want to expand on this to say that Doomscrolling is real and that there really is a limit to how much a person can absorb of all the awfulness going on in Ukraine and here in the US to the working class, the immigrants, our rights and knowing that people we loved and trusted would rather see us harmed than acknowledge the ugliness of their beliefs and the leaders they STILL! support.
But it is up to each individual to know their limits and to limit their exposure to the unlimited flow of bad news, soul-crushing cruelty to others, especially children, and the epidemic of fear and anxiety that permeates our society today. It is not the responsibility of content creators like yourself to blow sunshine out of your butt and put on a fake smile to placate other people’s sensibilities.
I appreciate your sharing your perspective on what is happening in Ukraine. Some posts make me feel hopeful, but others make me sad, angry, anxious, and sometimes overwhelmed. But they also motivate me to keep calling our Congressmen, and send $$ to organizations helping soldiers and civilians in Ukraine, to pray for better times throughout the world.
Thank-you for your posts. You are a talented writer, but I hope that someday all that is left for you to write about is the progress of recovery efforts to rebuild your country. I wish you safe passage through these times, wellbeing to your family, friends, and fellow soldiers, and most of all, I wish you and all of Ukraine peace.
My wishes are the same, but you express them so much better than I can. Thank you.
I don’t get it. If you doomscroll, you should expect doom.
Or scroll past if someone he follows/subscribes to shares it. He's entitled to his opinion, but he must also accept the consequences of sharing it.
I love hearing from you and any of your countrymen and women who have the time to share their thoughts. It’s horrendous what Putin is doing, and if I were younger and well trained, I’d sign up yesterday. Please don’t apologize, I pray for you all every day . 💙💛💙💛Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦!! Ps… I loved your president as a comedian, and admire him more than any other leader on this earth today!
YES
I read every one of your posts that I see. Your voice puts a human face to the stories in the news. Your voice reminds us that the war footage we see could be our (Substack) friend, Viktor, and we care more because we care about him. This is really important, what you are doing. We need to be able to see, hear and find one another in this chaos. We are in the same war… different battles, same war. Stay strong of heart! Sending prayers for all who are suffering, including the gentleman who wrote you.
Viktor, I applaud your writing. I mentor 2 young Ukainian men in English to further their careers and improve their lives. The war had impacted them both. One is on active military duty, was in hospital from war wounds and is back fighting Russians. He has a wife and 2 young children. My other studen lives with his family and wife in Sumy which is under constant attack. I worry about them and have offered my home in Anerica to them. Always they decline saying their home is Ukraine. I know their fight is mine. I know Ukraine men, women and children are dying not just for Ukraine. They are dying for America, for Europe, and for the whole free world. Keep writing and keep the brutality of the war in front of us. You are doing good. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Keep writing, my brave friend. You open our eyes and hearts to your lives there. I look forward to your writings every day. We both desperately want our democracy to survive and thrive. 🇺🇦🇺🇸
Susan Wingo beautifully says what I also believe. Like Sue Thomas, I also look for your writing each day, to make sure you are still there and safe. Keep writing to us, many of us are listening.
I love hearing from you Viktor - you’re the first Substacker I look for each morning. Yes, we are all seeking a just world where all are cared for.
Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦
Susan Wingo
No apologies. Not now, not ever. Giving voice to the voiceless is the greatest honor available to those who have a platform. Never stop.
Thank you James, that's exactly how I feel, extremely honored to be here sharing my toughts, sharing my soul, and showing that we are more interconnected that we might ever think, especially those of us who are fighting against the 'machine' of evil I mentioned in the article. 💙
You are at war. We are (somewhat more than mildly) inconvenienced at this point. You have nothing to apologize for. And neither do I. Except for ending a sentence with a preposition. For that I am sorry.
Haha I loved it, thank you , that was something really "unapologable", it's half of me trying to be poetic and the other half obsessed in writing in a foreign language without a single mistake (and obsessions never direct us to the rightest places for sure!) 💙
Ah, Viktor-love, I took two terms of Spanish in high school (secondary school in Europe?), one term at college level after that, and you still do WAY better in another language (heck, a different alphabet!) than I ever would. :)
Keep up the good work! Stay safe, stay strong.
Hope to see you and your beautiful country when this is all over for good (literally for Good, not Evil!). :)
That we all would be less inconvenienced and would have something to celebrate if we’d stood up firmly to dictators and wannabe dictators is one thing I’m sure of.
I don’t think speaking English without artificially Latinized grammar is anything to apologize for.
Mine, too!
Sorry, I meant to reply to BG Chiefari, who is also praying for Viktor. Sometimes social media is beyond me.
Wow! I’m so glad you said this! It needs to be said over and over until it becomes the norm and everyone knows it and everyone understands that this is the fight for human beings everywhere that we are in. And you said it so well! I’m a bit in awe of your talent as a writer. Thank you for listening and for staying kind.
Your generosity with your words is massive, dear Maria. I really appreciate that and I still doubt if I deserve so much. It was nice you mentioned that I manage to stay kind, because this is something I fight so much to find inside me, and this Substack has been working also as a therapy to me so I manage to find whatever beautiful things here inside. Sometimes I don't know how and I don't believe that I could write some of the words I've just published.. Thank you so much, and for your kindness too.💙
Please do not stop writing! I look forward to reading what you have to say. And you do not owe an apology to anyone! You're in my prayers!
Thank you so much, I won't stop, never, and thank you also for the attention and the prayers 💙💙
Don’t stop writing. That’s how they really make us disappear.
Thank you Kathleen, I won't, and if there are some people who are annoyed, it just a clear sign that we are doing something right, dont you think?💙
Oh, yes! :)
And one of the "good" things about the Internet, whether we want it or not: what goes on the Internet, stays on the Internet. ;)
Thank goodness your good works are on in the Internet, too! :D
As a Canadian , I feel like your fight is our fight. What’s happening to Ukraine can easily happen to us. Putin and Trump are the same. I draw my strength from your strength. Ukraine has and will continue to stand up for what is right. You will succeed. The whole world needs to take notice. We would be fools to turn a blind eye to these atrocities. I look forward to your post daily. You do. You give me strength. We hear you.
This Canuck agrees with you 100% 🇨🇦 🍁 ❤️
🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧we all need to join together no matter where you live in this world.
This is powerful and true for more than the U. S. and Ukraine. Thank you for the greater perspective. 🤗
Absolutely Chelle, this is true for all corners of the world, because the project of power of our enemies cover every single centimeter and inch of the planet, and so our fight is equally universal. Thank you for you kindness.💙
I'm an American and I'm locked into the war in Ukraine. I see the long game if Russia wins. I give $$$ to the Ukrainian war effort. I'm also stressed about what's happening in my country and am active in fighting against what I see this govt doing. I can multi-task. I need to be present in the world. We all do. Do NOT shut up. Keep writing.
Your posts give me hope
I must say that reading the comments here also gives me a lot of hope too. Every article, evry new thought I share here is welcomed so warmly and with so much generosity that it recharges my "batteries of hope" in absolutely full power. 💙🔋
Absolutely no need to apologize. We are ALL locked in this together. And we must stick together and not be divided…in our own countries and in our solidarity to all countries. Greed, Power, wealth, and insane self-centered interests will NOT win. March on my friend…we got each others’ backs!!🇺🇦🇺🇸🌎
As an American, I just have to say “if dude doesn’t like it, dude doesn’t have to read it.”
No one is making him, and it is not your responsibility to silence yourself so that he doesn’t accidentally trip and fall into reading your clearly labeled material.
Absolutely Ian, I agree 100% with you. I think the dude in question was more a victim of disinformation than from a despise for Ukraine or for humanity, it's so easy to think small when we feel crushed like these timeds, and it's also so easy to see a foreign situation like Ukraine like something that it's not part of our life, even more so if the person lives in such a massive and continental country like the United States. But I am here to be part of the effort to bring to light that we may be distant on the map, but so so close when we think in politics!💙
That is a kind and generous perspective you offer.
💙
💛
I couldn’t have said it all any better. When I am in pain I cry with someone else who is in pain. And that helps me!!
Thank you Grams, we are here to hold each other, to support each other, in those times of pain theres no bigger comfort than knowing that we are seen and we are not alone. 💙
I stand with Ukraine 🇺🇦
Thank you so much Donna. 💙
No, ty Viktor. My heart just breaks for you and all your countrymen and women. For mothers, fathers and the children 💔 i still have my Ukrainean flag. It's been ere since the first week of the invasion of your country and won't ever come down. I hope all our prayers help keep going in these darkest of times. 🙏♥️♥️♥️🇺🇦
Your posts are treasures. You remind us that the world belongs to everyone. The REASON that sad person addressed you the way he/she did, is literally BECAUSE half of America voted for selfishness. As a country, we have a LOT to fix, but that does not mean we turn our back on those who are suffering worse. Every single day. Your words inspire us to look deep inside, find some courage, and do what we can to make things better. Thank you for your inspiration, and for your hearfelt, honest assessment of the human condition. The other half of America will prevail. We cannot quietly succomb to tyranny, here or anywhere. Be safe.
The way I'd heard it, the election was like 29% Trump (with a lot of Electoral College votes), 27.5% Harris, and the rest all just either sat it out (in...protest?) or did actually vote, but something "happened" to their votes... :-/
Trump was saying back in the summer of 2024, long before Election Day, that they'd "already gotten enough votes." :-/
What we need to do here in the U.S. is drum up enough voters in general that something good happens in 2026, but if we don't have some hope, even in the sense that we aren't alone in this, it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy that we can't do anything about this mess we're in.
WRONG!
Keep writing, Viktor! Help us with that togetherness! :)
You are right. In terms of percentages, Trump only "won" 1/3 or less actual votes. And Nancy, I also believe that Trump knew he was getting help altering votes, erasing swaths of eligible voters, and getting influencing propaganda into critical places. I do believe the final vote was manipulated, mostly because Trump actually admitted it. With that said, I do believe also, that selfishness and apathy are the main reasons he is in the White House. Americans who did not vote or who were afraid to put a woman in the White House are as responsible as those few who actually voted for Trump. We need to support each other as we navigate this travesty in our own country. I do have some hope, and Viktor makes those feelings clear with everything he writes. Thank you, Viktor.
Peggy - As Nancy pointed out, actually only a third of American voters (not even all Americans) voted for the despot. A third voted for VP Harris, and a third (apparently) didn't vote. So, no, half of Ameicans did not vote for him. He won the EC in States where Musk threw millions at voters. Don't support his claim that hew won a mandate! He did not. We need to get people off the sidelines and into the voting booths to turn this ship around in 2026. Meanwhile, we can care for ourselves at the same time as caring for others. We can do both. And, as Viktor says, in reality, caring for Ukraine is, in fact, caring for the USA. And, as my loving mother used to say, "When you feel bad, go do something for someone else, and you will feel better." I think this is true for individuals and countries. Let's take care of each other and do both!
Oh, believe me, Katie, I had no intention of supporting his blathering nonsense. I should have known better than to state a specific number describing the 2024 vote... but when you live in a part of the country that still has Trump signs all over, it's hard to feel the successes of those who are working to change the situation. We absolutely need a constant and repeated effort to educate people about the importance of their vote. It starts with local elections.
--Benjamin Franklin's response to Elizabeth Willing Powel's question: "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin: "A republic, if we can keep it."
Yes, let's take care of each other, and work to restore the hope that began with the signing of our Constitution.