Yana Rudenko’s Post

💯 No security guarantees are as effective as NATO or nukes. Ukraine has only two options: 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐎, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐊𝐲𝐢𝐯 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, on September 27, Zelenskyy shared with Trump. In 1995, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from the UK, the US, and russia. In 2014, russia illegally annexed Crimea and occupied the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with no consequences for violating international law or the security guarantees given to Ukraine. In 2022, russia launched a full-scale invasion. "Which of these major nuclear powers suffered? All of them? No. Ukraine. Who gave up nuclear weapons? All of them? No. Ukraine. Who is fighting today? Ukraine. Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons and that will be our protection. Or we should have some sort of alliance. Apart from NATO, today we do not know any effective alliances. NATO countries are not at war. People are all alive in NATO countries. And thank God. That is why we choose NATO. Not nuclear weapons," Zelenskyy said today. As the young generation of Ukrainians, we clearly understand and agree that our security comes down to two options: NATO or nuclear weapons because we have no other option. (Our president has finally stated this directly to everyone because we have no other option.) 🫶💙 Let’s do NATO. #StandWithUkraine

Today, it’s Ukraine. Tomorrow, it could be you. Time and again, Europe and NATO send weak signals to the evil powers watching us from around the world. Appeasement, Self-imposed red lines, Condemnation without action— These don’t work. Peace through strength means: Unity without hesitation, Clarity about consequences, Sanctions that are effective, Setting firm red lines for violations of international law, the rules-based order, and human rights. Let’s win this war to prove that breaking the rules will not be tolerated. Today, it’s Ukraine. Tomorrow, it could be you.

This is how news make victims of war feel 👇 I am bold enough to share my emotions—the real human face of war—even if it might harm my personality, career, or more. But who cares when there’s a greater cause at stake? Yesterday, hearing reports about North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine left me completely paralyzed — I couldn't even write about it. Today, I understand why: it's my deep-rooted fear. When I see phrases like “Buryat battalion”, “North Koreans joining”, “Ukraine”, and “the USA is concerned”, it brings back memories of my own occupation, and the fear I had for my life — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝. You continue being concerned while Ukrainians defend you with our hands tied behind. #LetUkraineStrikeBack

Now Ukraine must fight ☢️ 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐍𝐔𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 — 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚 Is this NATO’s deterrence strategy? Is this the USA’s approach to escalation management? russia is forming a battalion of North Korean citizens within the Buryat Brigade. This new battalion, part of the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the russian army, is expected to include around 3,000 North Korean soldiers. For now, it is 3,000 ... Ukrainians are now not only protecting Europe from russia but also defending against North Korea. 🤔 ... Was North Korea also threatened by NATO? Over the past 2.5 years, North Korea and russia have strengthened their military alliance. North Korea has supplied russia with ballistic missiles and millions shells of ammunition but now with personnel. Is it acceptable? There are already reports of 18 North Korean soldiers fleeing from russian forces near the Ukrainian border in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. For these North Korean soldiers, any form of captivity is likely better than returning to their homeland. While the West is playing in "de-escalation" real escalation is happening just in front of our eyes. #Military #Security #StandWithUkraine

☕️ Happy Monday morning from Odesa, a vibrant city of one million in a sovereign and democratic European state It is a new reality. It is a new standard. Because it doesn’t shock and make news anymore. ✨ War-work-life balance ✨ russians launched a ballistic missile attack on the Odesa port: ships were damaged, with 𝟏 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟖 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 Just like that But it is the first night in 48 days without a single drone in Ukraine’s sky WOW. That is smth new! #Security

𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐧. 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧. 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲. I want to scream this to the whole world so that everyone knows the extent of this injustice and audacity — but who is listening? Journalists are the voices of truth and reality. The thought of a journalist being 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 is beyond comprehension. A Ukrainian journalist, Viktoria Roschyna, "𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝" 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 after a year of captivity. Although it happened on September 19th, her father only received the devastating news today. She was only 27. In August 2023, she was captured and imprisoned in the russian-occupied Zaporizhia region of Ukraine, where she was reporting on illegal elections orchestrated by moscow, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Kherson, and the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. "Viktoria died as she was about to be exchanged during one of the upcoming prisoner exchanges. russia did not inform of the cause of her death." said Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov. "Her return was agreed, and the last information we know, she was being transferred to Lefortovo prison [in moscow] to prepare for her return home." added Petro Yatsenko, representative of Ukraine’s prisoner exchange coordination staff. What could they have done to kill this young woman? Will we ever truly know? russia is a terrorist state. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧. #Journalism #StandWithUkraine

👀 We are looking forward to NATO Summit in The Hague in 2025 Yesterday, I had the great honor of being invited to lunch with Anna van Zoest and her team at Atlantische Commissie / Netherlands Atlantic Association (great meeting you Lara Hendriks, Maarten Muns, Rogier Platter Victor Niekrake) They shared with me the core of their work, which involves studying and analyzing relations between 🇺🇸🇪🇺🇳🇱 the United States and Europe, NATO, European security issues, and the foreign and security policies of the Netherlands. (Additionally I didn’t know they had a young council and their own magazine!) I, in turn, shared my personal war story and spoke about the projects I’m most engaged with in the Netherlands – ABBA Student Association and DroneAid Collective. We are all looking forward to the NATO Summit which is coming to The Hague in 2025! There will be a lot of great events and initiatives around the main event. I hope the focus won’t shift from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and bigger steps will be made towards Ukraine’s full NATO membership 🤞 💙 Ukraine future is in NATO; 💛 NATO future is with Ukraine. For me, it is inevitable. During our conversation, we discussed russia's invasion of Ukraine and the evolving levels of support for Ukraine, the historical pattern of russia's impunity, exemplified by Chechnya (Ichkeria), and whether Europe can count on continued U.S. support or if the U.S. might shift its focus more toward the Middle East or Indo-Pacific regions. ___ Bedankt voor de uitnodiging Anna! Ik heb een geweldige tijd gehad en een waardevol gesprek met jou en je team. Heel succes!

✅ Unilever is leaving 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 finally! Any company operating in 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 contributes taxes that fund 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞. It’s simple: Your profit > Taxes paid > Missiles are built and launched by 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚ns, 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 people in Ukraine, and not only ... Unilever has sold its 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚n operations to a local manufacturing group. The terms of the deal, pending approval from the russian government, have not been disclosed. However, it is reported that the sale could be worth more than €500 million (£418 million) to Unilever. This is the right decision, but it’s long overdue. For example, Unilever paid 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 $331 million (£253 million) in taxes just in 2022. “It’s about time Unilever chose to stand on the right side of history, but let’s not forget it took them more than two years – and millions in Russian taxes paid into Putin’s war machine. Closing operations now doesn’t erase the past." - Valeriia Voshchevska, the leader of the campaigns against Unilever “To show genuine accountability, we’re calling on Unilever to donate their russian profits to aid Ukraine’s rebuild and recovery. Actions, not headlines, will tell us if they’re serious.” It is victory of not Western values that this company doesn't have but Ukrainian campaigners and demonstrators. #Ethics #Business #FreeTrade

Veterans were there for us. Now, we should be here for them. 🇺🇦 Currently, Ukraine has 1.2 million registered veterans, and after the war, this number is expected to rise to 5-6 million, including their families. There will be hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian veterans facing challenges such as PTSD, amputations, and employment difficulties. It's vital to start gathering and implementing best practices now to support our veterans. Today, I had the great pleasure of visiting the nationaal Veteranen Platform and BNMO Doorn meeting Jeannine Jansen, Joyce van Assen, Ronald Odenkirchen and Fred Lardenoye DroneAid Collective is a social initiative that empower Ukrainian veterans with new tech skills. DroneAid is a supportive community which provides both a sense of belonging and purposeful missions that aid in the recovery process. 🇳🇱 We are working to strengthen ties with Dutch veterans because no one understands the experiences of veterans better than their fellow veterans. Please, consider making a charitable contribution. 👇 A link is below #Veterans #Rehabilitation #Health

🤔 Is 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 really different? The "Who Aids?" poster was published in 1940 in Punch Magazine, referencing the Soviet invasion of Finland 🇫🇮, also known as the Winter War, which began on November 30, 1939. Was it already World War II at that point? So, how did it all begin? The Soviets made a series of demands, including that Finland surrender significant border territory in exchange for land elsewhere. The excuse? "Security reasons"—specifically, the protection of Leningrad, which was just 32 km (20 miles) from the Finnish border. 👀 Familiar? Today, russia is using the same old Stalin narrative "No NATO expansion because we feel threatened," all while 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. "Don’t strike our airbases because we feel threatened," yet 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐛 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. When Finland refused, the soviets invaded. After initial setbacks, the Soviets scaled back their ambitions, ditching their puppet Finnish communist government in January 1940 and indicating they were ready to negotiate peace. But after reorganizing and adopting new tactics, they resumed their offensive in February 1940 and broke through Finnish defenses on the Karelian Isthmus. 👀 Familiar? Again, when moscow isn’t winning, they start "negotiating" — only to regroup and strike again. We’ve seen this pattern at least in Finland and Chechnya. Soviet propaganda painted Finland’s leadership as a "𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞." 👀 Familiar? According to them, everyone’s a 𝐧𝐚𝐳𝐢 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 - except for the 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, of course. Remember when Finland joined NATO? Remember when Sweden joined NATO? Nothing happened — because it was a strong, decisive move. 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 only understand strength. Ukraine must join NATO. #History