What I learned after traveling to Ukraine from Sacramento: They won’t surrender to Russia

On a recent trip to Ukraine with a delegation of humanitarian and faith-based advocates, our group heard from Ukrainians who told us about their lives and hopes as their nation resists the relentless military attacks carried out by the Russian government.

Now, back in my home in Sacramento, I am convinced that the common will of Ukrainians is strong and that they will carry out their fight to the end.

As the editor of Slavic Sacramento, a website that covers the Russian diaspora in northern California, I saw firsthand on my three-week trip how dangerous it is for journalists covering this war.

Voice of America (VOA), the U.S.-funded broadcast network, interviewed me while I was on the ground in Ukraine.

“(Gurzhiy’s coverage has not gone unnoticed,” VOA wrote. “Moscow’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, blocked access to Slavic Sacramento in Russia earlier this year, along with several other news networks, including VOA’s Russian service and the BBC.”

As I told VOA soon after arriving in Ukraine on May 7, I plan to produce a documentary on Ukraine based on interviews I conducted and footage I took.

I was touched by the heroism displayed by Ukrainians fighting great odds. We were shocked and horrified by the destruction left in the wake of the Russian attacks. We visited sites where Ukrainians were massacred. We saw a war playing out in real-time.

Where is it all leading? That’s what we tried to find out.

The western regions of Ukraine are inundated with aid from America and Europe — warehouses are overflowing with humanitarian aid and tactical and military equipment.

In the city of Rivne, chaplains coordinate the logistics of containers of humanitarian aid that enter the country from Poland and other Western nations. According to Protestant pastor Oleg Abaturov, numerous boxes with essentials and food are regularly transported to the eastern regions of Ukraine and distributed among refugees and the military.

In Bucha, we saw the destruction left after the departure of the Russian army. Particularly shocking were the testimonies of local residents who recounted the cruelty of Russian soldiers. We saw mountains of Russian tanks and other military equipment destroyed by the American Javelins.

Never has Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, been as deserted as it is today.

When I left Kyiv, ambassadors of European nations had already returned there, and the American flag was again raised over the U.S. Embassy. This is a sure sign that the world partners are convinced of the resilience of the defenders of Ukraine.

Despite the popular belief that freedom of speech is available today in Ukraine, the work of journalists is strictly regulated. As in neighboring Russia, restrictions are dictated by wartime rules.

It is forbidden to photograph or film military installations. Exact figures on the numbers of losses of the Ukrainian army are strictly classified by the state.

When we were approaching the southern city of Nikolaev, fragments of rockets and other deadly projectiles were found in the fields and roadsides. We saw hundreds of destroyed houses, shops and private businesses.

During our night over in Nikolaev, a Russian rocket hit the neighboring block, destroying dozens of residential buildings. As one of the homeowners told us, rockets fall in the city every other day.

In the forward positions of the Ukrainian army units, we found extremely motivated troops defending their country.

Ukrainian defenders, as they say, rush into battle. One of the commanders of the territorial defense unit told me that “after the liberation of Donbass and Crimea, we are ready to march on Red Square in Moscow.”

Ukranians have no other choice but to fight and defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is no other way.