aiI am ashamed that I only became a 'conscious Ukrainian' after this full-scale invasion began. And it didn't even happen immediately. 

aiLiving in Kharkiv, only 30 kilometres from the russian* border, brought the full weight and fear of war to me right away. But, what it really means to fight for existence and independence has built up stronger and stronger over the last 3+ years. I had just turned 18 when this great war began, a kid. And now at 21, I am clear on who we are and what we are fighting for.

aiI see the picture of what has happened in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014: an active war, the occupation of Ukrainians, their homes and businesses already in play for 11 years. And putin will stop at nothing, at no one. His goal is to completely destroy the Ukrainian people and state.

aiHere's a crucial question for each and every Ukrainian: how ready are you to defend and protect our values and traditions, our children in the present and future? 

aiWhen I hear that so-called russian culture still has an audience in young Ukrainians, I am distraught, I feel very sad. After this horrific russian aggression against us, how is it possible that some Ukrainians are still welcoming 'things russian?' 

aiI think that we, as a nation, must seek mutual understanding of the diversity in our country. And, we must decide what laws and cultural expression is acceptable for our civil society given this latest Great War and the long history of russian against Ukraine and Ukrainians. Will we find resolution together as a nation? Is it better for us to fight and kill our enemy on the front lines, and ignore what is happening in civilian life while the war continues?

aiI am writing about the integrity of Ukraine! We are fighting on all levels: linguistic, cultural, informational, sovereignty... and so on. 

aiWith russia's war and war crimes since February 24 2022, there has been a great surge of Ukrainian patriotism and many steps have been taken to bring forward our Ukrainian language and culture as distinct from russia and the soviet union. We produce our own content, products, businesses... We have our own artists, writers, sports heroes... We value our own much more now because we clearly see that it could literally be taken away if we do not achieve victory, if russia is allowed to pursue its goals to destroy and replace us.

aiWe must not, we cannot stop fighting russian take-over. We have to keep moving forward. 

aiWe have little time! Every pause plays into the hands of our enemy. They do not stop and they improve every time there is a break. The russian war machine is insidious; it waits for our mistakes and uses them to its advantage. The enemy is aggressively creating tools, weapons, relationships... to manipulate and intimidate us.

aiUkraine must always find ways to counteract and be prepared for any scenario. Modern warfare is a long game of survival and endurance. It is important to be patient, adaptable and progressive, to be flexible and to build an unbreakable system of defence.

aiHaving paid an exceptionally high price, only in this way will Ukraine and Ukrainians prevail. Great victories are achieved through blood and sweat. We have no choice but to sacrifice what is most precious in order to exist as an independent state.