I – and a lot of other people – believe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its unnecessary war on the country’s citizens is not only sad and heartbreaking, but incredibly vile and wrong. However, Elon Musk has stepped up again to show that good people in this world truly do exist.
Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, issued a plea to Elon Musk on Twitter earlier. His plea was then shared by the official Twitter account of Ukraine, which asked Musk for his support. “Your stance and your actions matter. An appeal by our Minister of Digital Transformation here.”
Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022
Elon Musk responded that Starlink service is now active in Ukraine, with more terminals were en route. I honestly don’t see how so many people hate Elon Musk. Yes, there are things that I may disagree with him on from time to time, but that’s human nature. Elon Musk genuinely cares about humanity and is willing to help those in need no matter where they are. Ukraine is just one of many that he has helped. You can read more about help he has provided people here.
thanx, appreciate it https://t.co/OWm2Yu2WKC
— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) February 26, 2022
How You Can Help Ukraine
In our haste to help those in need, I want to remind you to always vet and research who you are giving to. I recently had a fake Ukraine account on Twitter asking for crypto donations. Many people will fall for this. If you want to help Ukraine, go directly to its official channels. Ukraine is verified on Twitter — always look for the verification badge. Even still, vet the links and make sure it’s actually their account. Some verified folks on Twitter have been hacked before.
Ukraine also warned of Russian hackers and disinformation campaigns. Some of the disinformation that Russia is spreading includes false information about heavy losses in the armed forces and the spread of fake or manipulated content that claims Russian soldiers have seized strategic objects or cities. The country is using online bots and trolls to spread panic and fear — something that I’ve personally seen on Twitter for a long time from being in the Tesla community. Trolls and bots work overtime and can usually be spotted with their minimal followings and repetitive tweets.
In Ukraine’s tweet to Elon, there are dozens of these scammers. In another tweet, Ukraine announced one way you could help.
To follow up on @VitalikButerin's tweet, I've confirmed directly with Ukrainian Ambassador @olex_scherba that the addresses are correct and in the control of the Ukrainian govt. Give!!! Defending free and open societies may be the best thing we ever do with our BTC and ETH…
— Tomicah Tillemann 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@TomicahTD) February 26, 2022
The country is accepting donations of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether (USDT), which is a stable coin. (In crypto, stable coins aim to keep cryptocurrency valuations stable.) NPR also shared ways you can help Ukraine and its people. The article put together a list of charities that are actively helping with humanitarian relief. UNICEF Executive Director Cathrine Russell gave the following statement: “Heavy weapons fire along the line of contact has already damaged critical water infrastructure and education facilities in recent days.”
The full list of charities are:
- UNICEF
- Doctors Without Borders
- Ukrainian organization Voices of Children.
- Sunflower of Peace is raising funds for first aid medical tactical backpacks for paramedics and doctors on the front lines.
- International Committee of the Red Cross.
- Save the Children
- United Nations Refugee Agency is providing emergency assistance to families in Ukraine.
- CARE is raining money for its Ukraine Crisis Fund.
- International Medical Corps is expanding its primary health and mental health services.
I really think Russia is incredibly wrong here. However, we must not forget that as with all nations, the people are not the government. We must remember our humanity. This isn’t a left or right side, but a human side.
I have acquaintances who are Republicans and who are cheering on Putin. They call themselves Christian and think that Putin is aligned with God. In reality, they are lost within the brainwashing that so many have fallen to. This, I think, is a real threat. When you have millions of people who are brainwashed by the false narratives that have been pushed, you have a group of people that can be weaponized against a “threat” that isn’t a threat at all.
I asked this person how could they be okay with bombing schools? For this is what Russia has been doing. The common answers of “God’s will” or “no kids were there” or whatever just doesn’t sit right with me. How can God, this so-called all-loving being, be okay with the pain and harm that Putin is creating in Ukraine or other parts of the world?
My mother often said to me that life isn’t fair. She’s right. It’s not fair what’s happening to innocent people in Ukraine.
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
