Becky DeVito

Everyone has a part to play in fighting an unjust war. I tell the story of Andres Valencia and how his Invasion of Ukraine #painting will help people heal with the help of @KlitschkoFund and @Klitschko in this #poem, published today. ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic… #StandWithUkraine

Read this text from Volodymyr Kukharenko to understand the everyday life of Ukrainian people: I have not been on vacation for four years. I have had no business trips to establish new connections. Currently, I live and work about 70% of the time without electricity. I had to buy batteries. On average, every two weeks I wake up in the middle of the night to explosions. My children have spent hundreds of days sleeping outside their own beds. Some of my friends have been killed; others are on the front line. Some members of my team joined the army, and one of them was wounded. I’ve seen hundreds of videos and photos of destroyed homes, murdered people, torture and executions, and children’s funerals. I may end up in trenches myself. Do I want the war to end? Of course I do. Much more than you — believe me. So why don’t I support the “peace plan” Trump is pushing? Because one does not have to be a genius to understand that this plan would bring only a short pause before a much bigger war. If no one but Ukraine uses force to stop Putin, why would he stop? He will come up with another excuse for why his army must move further. And if he knows that neither the U.S. nor the EU will intervene, what will stop him? I often hear the argument: “I just want people to stop dying.” I want that too — far more than you —b ecause I am one of those people. But if Ukraine withdraws without a fight from the cities in Donbas that it has fortified for years, why do you think that will save lives? About 300,000 people live there. They will either have to flee or stay and undergo “filtration,” which means many will be tortured and executed. Men will be forcibly drafted into the Russian army. And then that army will march further, forcing Ukrainians to kill Ukrainians. Tell me — how does that save lives? It also means the Russian army will gain the ability to bomb territories that are currently safe. The war will not end. Ukraine will simply lose its fortress cities without a fight. Those who “just want to go home to their families” and support this idea will eventually find themselves fighting again — this time in even worse conditions. And who says that if they go home, they won’t be quietly taken in the middle of the night and simply disappear? That would be the most logical thing for Russia to do if it takes over. Genocide is the only way to break a nation’s spirit. In the 1990s, they killed 25% of the Chechen nation. They killed millions of Ukrainians before. They killed in Bucha and Izium in 2022, and in other occupied cities — you can find the photos if you want. Why do you think they won’t repeat it? There is nothing that would protect us from this scenario. That is why there is absolutely no reason for me to support this plan. We need peace — not the horrors of occupation.

Russia has just amended its criminal code to allow prosecution of children as young as 14 years old for “sabotage” — with penalties reaching life imprisonment. For Ukrainian teenagers living under Russian occupation, this is not a theoretical threat. It is a direct extension of a system designed to criminalize their identity. In occupied regions, children already live under surveillance. Their phones are checked, their social media monitored, their behavior evaluated through “profiles” created by occupation authorities. Any sign of Ukrainian consciousness — reading independent media, refusing a Russian school, supporting Ukraine — is routinely treated as suspicion, disloyalty, or “extremism.” Now these same children can be branded “terrorists.” We have seen what this leads to. Two 16-year-old boys from occupied Berdyansk — Tigran Ohanyan and Mykyta Hanganov — were accused of sabotage, tortured, and killed. Their bodies have still not been returned to their families. Their story shows exactly how Russia applies these laws: not for justice, but for intimidation and control. For Ukrainian children, the message is simple and terrifying: you can be punished not for what you did, but for who you are. This is a grave violation of international law and a direct attack on childhood itself. No state committed to human rights can ignore a system that treats teenagers as enemies of the state for resisting an occupying regime. At @SaveukraineUs , we continue to rescue children from these territories, protect them from persecution, and help them heal from trauma. But thousands remain trapped under policies that now give legal cover to abuse. The world must speak about this clearly. Criminalizing children is not security policy — it is state violence. Please share this post. The more people know, the harder it becomes for these crimes to remain hidden.

Russian 're-education': how Ukrainian children are being broken under occupation What if a child’s mother tongue, books, memories — even their love for their country — were labeled “extremism”? This is the reality for Ukrainian children living under Russian occupation. While the world focuses on the front line, Russia is running a parallel war: a war on identity. On occupied territories, children are monitored, pressured, threatened, and “re-educated” according to detailed instructions issued to teachers and occupation officials. Their phones are searched. Their social media activity is logged. “Suspicious” thoughts, words or actions are written down in so-called “social passports.” And the same manuals that call Ukrainian children “dangerous” also recommend sending them to Russian military-patriotic programs — factories that turn teenagers into future soldiers. This is not just control. It is the systematic destruction of a generation. Save Ukraine is fighting to save its children. But we cannot do it alone. 📣 Watch and share this video. Silence helps the perpetrators. Awareness protects the victims. 📲Scan QR code in the video There you will find the full text of Russia’s indoctrination manual and the stories of children who survived it. Or read full “instruction” here: saveukraineua.org/news/guideline… Every share, every voice helps bring another child home.

Russia isn’t even trying to hide it anymore. It’s openly trafficking Ukrainian children. On official platforms, Ukrainian orphans are displayed like products in an online marketplace. Full-face photos. Age. Eye color. Health status. Even “obedience level.” Filterable. Sortable. Selectable. This isn’t care. It’s state-sponsored child trafficking. Since 2014, children from occupied regions have been systematically abdukted, renamed, and placed with Russian families. Now, with updated laws, Russia can even alter their surnames and birthdays. This isn’t just illegal—it’s a war crime. At Save Ukraine, we’ve rescued over 750 children. But thousands are still out there. 📢 Watch this video. Share it. Raise your voice. No child should be reduced to a clickable profile. No child should be stripped of their identity and forced to forget who they are. #BringKidsBackUA #SaveUkraine #StopRussia #ChildRights #ChildrenNotPawns #WarCrimes

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Russia has proposed exchanging Russian prisoners of war for Ukrainian children who were abducted from the occupied territories. The conditions put forward by the Russian side defy common sense, morality, and any Christian values. I participated in the Minsk negotiations as the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. Even 10 years ago, representatives of the FSB sat across from me at the table. It was clear: they were acting under orders from the top — to create the illusion of negotiations, drag out the process for years, and bring no results. Even then, children were used as tools of pressure. That is why we constantly emphasize on international platforms: Ukrainian children must be released unconditionally. Children are not currency, not trophies, and not a "humanitarian resource." They are people. They are Ukraine.

Russian occupiers are threatening Ukrainian prisoners of war with reprisals against their children — children who remain trapped in occupied territories. Families of POWs are offered a cruel deal: the promise of their loved ones’ survival in exchange for spreading propaganda on social media, painting a false picture of “good life” under Russian occupation. We discussed these horrifying realities yesterday with Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during her visit to Save Ukraine’s Hope and Healing Center in Hatne. Three women from the Mariupol garrison shared their personal stories. Captured by Russian forces, their children were left behind in occupied territories. Only the thought of their children gave them the strength to fight for their own survival — so they could one day bring their children home. And they found us. @SaveukraineUs was the only organization able to help rescue their children from occupation. Each of these families has endured an incredibly difficult journey — from captivity and occupation to freedom. Thanks to the active leadership of @IrynaVereshchuk , the courage of these survivors, and our joint efforts, we are now working on legislative changes. These changes will allow thousands of former POWs and rescued children to obtain documents, access housing, and rebuild their lives more quickly. Save Ukraine has developed a unique model to rescue children from occupation. We have already brought home nearly 660 children. But our work doesn’t stop at rescue. We support every child and every family through the full process of rehabilitation and reintegration. And we believe that our growing partnership with the state will help us save many more Ukrainian children and families who still remain trapped under occupation. #SaveUkraine #BringKidsBackUA

We did it. We opened the exhibition “The ART of HEALING” — a space where art helps children who’ve survived war feel alive again. At Save Ukraine, we ask ourselves one main question every day: How can we help a child recover faster — and deeper?⬇️

@TheOnlyEsta 💙

This is Judge Theodore D. Chuang… Yesterday he ruled AGAINST Trxmps admin’s efforts to dismantle the USAID‼️ Drop a 💙 to show your support for him

The first I've heard of this....It deserves more attention.

@Klitschko Thanks for the reminder. Back on track now.

You fail because you failed to focus. Always keep your eyes fixed on the challenge. #FaceTheChallenge #Willpower

@JPLindsley @joeroganhq @joerogan I don't watch his podcasts, but that is an episode I would make an exception for.

Hey @joeroganhq @joerogan: You like inspiring stories of people doing the most excellent things. Would you ever consider listening to a few voices of Ukrainians who continue to excel, even as Russia hits the hell out of them with North Korean missiles and Iranian drones? Why not talk with @Klitschko -- or @Stako_tennis , who now fights in the trenches but who once defeated @rogerfederer at Wimbledon? Or the how about the warrior Gandalf, @Samoilenko_I? In Ukraine, you must might find your best allies for freedom against deep state corruption! WATCH -- ⤵️

A reminder that genocide was the intent all along. The world can't just stand by and watch.

@Klitschko @joerogan I hope he invites you as a guest. Not that I listen to his podcast, but I know many people do.

. @joerogan , I disagree

The fight against propaganda from certain sources is an uphill battle, especially on this platform. But people need reminding.

@Klitschko Congratulations! The @klitschkofund is doing great work helping young people to attain their potential, and #WeAreAllUkrainians is helping defend innocent people from genocide. Keep going!

The will to change things leads us to action - not merely reaction. One way of achieving significant change is thoughtful giving. Check it out. Thrilled to be included in The Business of Philanthropy by #BadrJafar, where leaders discuss how philanthropy is changing the world. #BusinessOfPhilanthropy #StrategicGiving harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-b…

My little brother’s birthday is today. He never lived to see the age of 22. Thank you to Naugatuck River Review for allowing me to share this #poem I wrote a few years after losing him, thank you to Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet for helping me polish it for publication. #poetry #grief

On CNN, Jerry Heil: “It’s very important topic that isn’t discussed enough.” Russia kidnapped over 30,000 Ukrainian children, and still not returned them home. Only 388 have returned home. Please don’t ignore this. #AllEyesOnKids

@Gerashchenko_en Preserving cultural artifacts is a defense against genocide. Many generations will benefit from this work.

I wanted to tell you about a Ukrainian historian Leonid Marushchak who rescued about 2 million works of art from frontline museums. This is the kind of work that often goes unnoticed. But this is true heroism of its own kind. This story deserves to be known. During the war, Russia had already destroyed an incalculable number of valuable works of art. Hundreds of thousands were stolen and taken to Russia. Since the first days of the full-scale war, 38-year-old historian Leonid Maruschak has been rescuing museum expositions in front-line cities and villages. Often risking his life, being under constant shelling or not far from the line of combat, for 2.5 years, he managed to save about 2 million exhibits. Leonid and his team do all the evacuation on their own: they get permission from the Ministry of Culture for the removal, order special boxes for transportation, pack the exhibits in them and take them out in parts by minibus. In some museums, such as Bakhmut museum, it took dozens of trips to get everything out. 🔸 in the first days of the war, when Russian occupiers were advancing on Kyiv, Maruschak saved Alla Horska's works, collecting them from various Kyiv museums, galleries and even an abandoned military factory; 🔹 from Sloviansk, he took out the works of ceramist Natalia Maksymchenko; 🔸 he moved works by Ivan Aivazovsky, Tetiana Yablonska and Arkhip Kuindzhi from a museum in southern Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture's archives; 🔹he evacuated exhibits from the Bakhmut Local History Museum, including a massive (weighing several tons) stone statue of a 13th- to 14th-century lion; 🔸 despite the loss of a minibus, the team transported the collection of the museum of the city of Beryslav, Kherson region; 🔹 after the de-occupation of Kherson, Leonid took away everything that remained from the looted local history and art museums; 🔸 from Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, he rescued a park sculpture Deer by modern sculptor Zhanna Kadyrova. Leonid will return to Pokrovsk in September to evacuate more statues. He says he is motivated by anger to fight for cultural heritage and return to the frontline territories. "Because you go and realize that only your arrival can change everything. Otherwise, all the works will stay where they are. So they will simply be stolen or destroyed," the historian says.

@Klitschko Keep up your great work with the @klitschkofund! Your mental health initiatives for kids are especially needed right now. ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic…

Independence is a fire that burns in the heart of every Ukrainian. It has never gone out, not even in the darkest times of our history. It’s with us now, when we are once again defending our freedom. Thoughts of our children give us strength. Their dreams, creativity, and ambitions are already shaping the future. They show the world that we cannot be broken. They choose freedom and independence. It is up to them to decide what Ukraine will be like after the war. Now it’s their time to discover the skills to act, rebuild, and create a country that future generations will be proud of. Klitschko Foundation is here to help, teach, and support. Let’s fight for our dream, our independence, and our future together! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes! #Ukraine #WeAreAllUkrainians