Get Involved: Supporting Ukraine and Its People Is Easy – and Makes a Huge Difference

People all over Europe and the world are rallying to support Ukraine, its people, and its fight for freedom and independence. Here are links and information on existing groups and actions and how you can get involved.

by LibertiesEU

March 17, 2022

Europeans are asking their leaders to do what is possible to help Ukraine, as well as asking themselves what they can do to help ease suffering and bring an end to this horrible war. At train stations in Berlin and elsewhere, locals welcomed Ukrainian refugees with offers of accommodation; people in cities across Europe are donating food, clothing and other basic necessities.

If you would like to help, doing so is easy and every show of support, no matter how small, is important.

Donating

Donations, both in money and in supplies, are urgently needed. Here is some important background information on how to donate effectively.

Humanitarian assistance can be given through the following organizations:

The UN Refugee Agency
Caritas
Red Cross Ukraine
United Ukraine (medical supplies for soldiers & civilians)
Mission Lifeline
Voices of Children (focus on traumatised children in eastern UA)

Ukrainian journalism can be supported by two GoFundMe accounts:

The Kyiv Independent

Various Ukrainian media outlets

Donations from Berlin can be aided by UkraineHelpBerlin, which offers a list of donation options for those in Berlin. Zentrum Liberale Moderne has set up a list of many organizations accepting donations to directly help Ukraine.

Donating supplies is easiest done through charities and initiatives that exist in your city or area. In Berlin, the following places are accepting donations of supplies:

Pileki Institut (Mitte) (Twitter, Instagram)
Sage Restaurant (Kreuzberg)
Regis24 (Kreuzberg)

Volunteering

The groups #LeaveNoOneBehind and UkraineNow offer people a variety of ways to get directly involved, from legal services and help dealing with local authorities, to translation services and accommodation.

Arrival services are an area where help is needed in multiple ways. If you’re in Berlin, you can register to help through this page.

Here is a template page of useful information for refugees to distribute at arrival stations. And this template will help you identify as a volunteer.

Telegram channels now exist to coordinate arrival help at Zoo, Südkreuz, Ostbahnhof, and Hauptbahnhof.

Translation services are much needed to provide assistance to refugees.

A translator in Berlin has started a simple volunteer page to fill in and submit.

MedWatch and Berliner Stadtmission also need volunteer translators.

Psychologists are also needed to help refugees. In Germany, krisenchat is seeking volunteers in this area. And if you are seeking help, they provide services in both Ukrainian and Russian.

Transport, both in and out of Ukraine, is critically important. If you are able to assist in transportation efforts, both #LeaveNoOneBehind and UkraineNow offer ways to get involved.

So too does HelpBus, an initiative of seven individuals to involve bus drivers, owners and people’s donations to help with transportation efforts.

Providing Accommodation

Offering a room or flat to Ukrainian refugees can be done through the following groups in Berlin and beyond:

HelpUkraineBerlin

Elinor Network (Germany)

A Telegram group dedicated to Ukrainian refugees

Accommodaton group specifcally for BIPOC/LGBTQ

Wunderflats

Sign, Share, Support

Signing petitions takes less than a minute and while it may feel almost trivial, it’s anything but. When we all stand together we amplify our message and make it harder for those in power to ignore.

This link provides easy access to a number of petitions related to Ukraine.

Regardless of where you live, you can sign Avaaz’s global petition “Stop This War” here.

You can also join protests against the war through Demonstrations for Peace and StandWithUkraine.

For other general ways you can help Ukraine, “Real ways you can help Ukraine as a foreigner” – made by Ukrainians – is a great resource.

Tagesspiegel has put together some helpful pointers for volunteers in Berlin.

This link helps you contact your politicians directly. After all, they’re the ones who will be making so many important decisions about this crisis.

Supporting Ukrainian civil society is also important. The Kyiv Declaration is an appeal from 100 Ukrainian civil society leaders with six demands to help protect the freedom, democracy, and people of Ukraine.

Supporting it is as easy as helping to spread the word on social media. Just share this message on your networks:

I stand in solidarity with Ukrainian civil society organisations who have come together to create the #KyivDeclaration, calling on the international community to respond to six urgent appeals.

Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3HxRJvY – please share #KyivDeclaration #StandwithUkraine

More information

Media:

Following and supporting good-quality media and journalists is important in order to get the most accurate picture of what’s happening. It’s also extremely important given the amount of disinformation being spread about the war. (Here is a 6 step guide on how to spot disinformation.)

The following are links to media outlets that are considered to provide factual, reliable reporting on the situation in Ukraine:

English-language media outlets in UA: The Kyiv Independent, The New Voice of Ukraine

German-language media: Dekoder (independent RUS media translated to GER)

Ukraine-based journalists: Olga Tokariuk, Christopher Miller, Nika Melkozerova, Illia Ponomarenko; Katrin Eigendorf (German correspondent in Ukraine)

Aid organizations in Berlin:

Flüchtlingshilfswerk Berlin (Twitter)

Vitsche Berlin (UA students and activists) - Twitter, Instagram

Ukraine-Hilfe-Berlin e.V.

Chabad Lubawitsch (Jewish Org in Berlin)

MoabitHilft

Willkommen Reinikendorf

Legal info & advice (for Berlin and in general):

Legal information on entering Germany

10 key legal pointers for staying in Germany (Berlin Hilft)

General info for refugees & supporters (UA+EU)

Free legal advice (Refugee Law Clinic Berlin e.V.)

Read more about Ukraine:

6 Step Disinformation Guide: Don’t Get Swept Away by Falsehoods about War in Ukraine

Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Should Spur EU Leaders to Strengthen Democracy at Home

We Are With Ukraine

6 Step Disinformation Guide: Don’t Get Swept Away by Falsehoods about War in Ukraine

The invasion of Ukraine opened the floodgates to disinformation. Follow our 6 step guide to protect yourself and avoid being swept away by untrustworthy news stories.

by Eleanor Brooks

March 16, 2022


Disinformation is playing an outsized role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and there is mounting evidence that Russians are being deliberately misled by their government and state-controlled media outlets. Russian propaganda is also amplified by state-run media within the Europe Union, for example, in Hungary.

Disinformation poses a major threat to democratic societies in peacetime as well. Conflicting versions of events muddies the water, which makes it difficult for people to know the truth about what is happening. Without an accurate picture, it is harder for citizens to speak out and make their voices heard about issues which matter to them. Disinformation can also distort public debate, threatening free and fair elections.

What is disinformation?

Disinformation is false information that is shared with the intention of misleading people. The sharer of the “news” knows that it is false and intends to deceive their audience. Unlike misinformation (misleading, inaccurate or completely false information that is shared without the person knowing it is incorrect), the sharing of disinformation isn’t done in good faith. Rather, it is a deliberate intention to create division and stir up fear by knowingly spreading content that is incorrect.

6-Step Disinformation Guide

Conspiracy theories have become more sophisticated as of late, so in order to be alert to disinformation it is essential that you adopt a critical mindset to all the online content you consume. Before sharing anything, take a pause and go through this checklist.

1. Know your author

As a first step you should consider, who is the author?

Is the author regarded as credible? Is this person simply stating their opinion or sharing anecdotal evidence? You should be extra cautious about information circulated on social media, messaging apps and messaging boards.

Just because someone has a high follower count or a verified account on social media, it doesn’t necessarily mean their content is trustworthy. You should be particularly wary of accounts that have recently joined the platform.

2. Know your outlet

On which platform or outlet did you find the information? Consider the trustworthiness of the outlet you are using and verify the information against other sources.

If you read something on social media, check to see if the same story is also published by larger, well-established news outlets. If you read a story in a politically extreme outlet, are other news outlets running the same story?

3. Verify the evidence

Is the claim supported by reliable evidence? Look closely at the evidence that is offered – do the details match the current story e.g. location, weather, setting? Watch out for repurposed content from an older news article or an entirely different event.

4. Crosscheck images and videos

If you have a hunch that the evidence provided is dodgy, listen to your instinct. There are plenty of tools and strategies available to verify whether an image or video is legitimate.

·Check to see if an image has been photoshopped: by checking an image's metadata you can see if it has been doctored. Use EXIF tools on your smartphone such as the app ExifWizard

·Reverse image search – take a screenshot and search for the image using Google’s reverse image tool, or other similar tools such as Tineye.com or the Google extensionRevEye

· Use an Amnesty International tool which verifies YouTube videos

5. Check your facts!

If a story seems fishy to you, there are plenty of trustworthy fact-checking websites who debunk conspiracy theories and misinformation.

·Snopes

·FactCheck.org

·Bellingcat  (ANTI RUSSIAN BIAS)

·Google Fact Check Tools: lists recent fact-checks by various online publications

6. Report it!

If you spot a fake story online, report it to the platform and send it to a fact-checking website. If one of your friends posted the story – send them this guide!

Why is it important to combat disinformation?

Equipped with your heavy toolbox, you might be wondering if all this is going a bit overboard. But now more than ever we need to be vigilant, which is why Liberties has been working hard to campaign for EU legislative reform combatting disinformation. The twin crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine invasion have been a breeding ground for conspiracy theories and disinformation. As a result, even well-intentioned people have been a source of misinformation by sharing falsehoods and manipulated content.

Disinformation sows seeds of distrust. But it is even more dangerous if people believe it and share it. By resisting and reporting disinformation, you are doing your part to protect democracy. Spot it, and stop it!


Read more articles on this topic:

Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Should Spur EU Leaders to Strengthen Democracy at Home

We Are With Ukraine

#DemandingOnDemocracy, populism

Doesn't Ukrainian President Zelenskyy 'own a suit?' Economist CAPITALI$T asks and gets slammed on Twitter.

Mike Snider, USA TODAY

While watching Volodymyr Zelenskyy's affecting appeal for aid from the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, investment advisor and financial pundit Peter Schiff thought the Ukrainian president could have dressed up a bit more.

Zelenskyy has gained respect for his social video posts in which he is plain-spoken and plainly dressed. He famously told the U.S. at the outset of Russia's invasion, "I need ammunition, not a ride."

But Zelenskyy's dressed-down approach was inappropriate, said Schiff, who is chief economist and president of investment firm Euro Pacific Capital.

"I understand times are hard, but doesn't the President of the #Ukraine own a suit? I don't have much respect for current members of the U.S. Congress either, but I still wouldn't address them wearing a t-shirt," he tweeted. "I wouldn't want to disrespect the institution or the Unites States."

 

© Provided by USA TODAY Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a virtual address to Congress.

His hot take took a lot of hits on the social network. By the way, that's Schiff's misspelling of "United States" in the tweet.

Olga Lautman, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, responded, "Is this a joke? Kyiv is under brutal assault with mass civilians being killed and Zelenskyy should worry about a suit?"

Political analyst Cheri Jacobus tweeted simply: "delete this tweet."

Meanwhile retired U.S. Air Force colonel Moe Davis tweeted: "Seriously! The man’s in the midst of an invasion and someone wants to critique his wardrobe? As for disrespect … it’s “United States.”

As the reactions came in, Schiff, a former GOP Senate candidate in Connecticut in 2010, continued to stand up for his opinion, noting that Zelenskyy could "reach into the same closet he keeps his t-shirts" to get a suit.

The suit wouldn't need to be pressed, he tweeted, and, "if there were not suits available, maybe a long-sleeved shirt with a collar."

Arts and culture writer John Law suggested that Schiff had posted "the dumbest thing I'll see on Twitter all year."

But Schiff countered: "Then you don't spend much time on Twitter."

Several media outlets wrote about the response to Schiff's comments. Among them was The Wrap with its headline: "Financier and Radio Host Peter Schiff Dressed Down for Criticizing Zelenskyy’s Casual Attire."

USA TODAY has reached out to Schiff’s company for comment.

By late afternoon, the conversation continued on Twitter. "You've earned the ratio & neg comments you're getting," tweeted personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox.




But Schiff suggested since Zelenskyy had time to comb his hair, shave and put on makeup, that the Ukrainian president "could have worn something less informal than a t-shirt. That's all I suggested."

It remains to see who will get the last word about this on Twitter.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Doesn't Ukrainian President Zelenskyy 'own a suit?' Economist asks and gets slammed on Twitter.

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