Thread by @AliVelshi

1/16
“Ukraine hath not yet perished, nor her glory, nor her freedom,
Upon us, fellow Ukrainians, fate shall smile once more.
Our enemies shall vanish, like the dew in the sun,
And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.” #velshi

2/16
That is a verse from the Ukrainian national anthem, translated to English. The State Anthem younger than Ukrainian democracy itself, written about 30 years ago as this nation aspired to, but had not achieved democracy. #velshi

3/16
The lyrics portray a patriotic and resilient nation - but one that has fought for its right to exist not just since it’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but for hundreds of years prior. #velshi

4/16
This is my last show from the region. I’ve spent more than five weeks covering this unforgiving war, and will forever hold a special place in my heart for the Ukrainian people. #velshi

5/16
They simply yearn to be free, to live where and how they want, and to choose their government in the pursuit of justice and equity. #velshi

6/16
It’s pretty basic stuff, but hard to do when a massive, powerful, colonizing power next door has never recognized you as a sovereign nation. Which is ironic because Kyiv—and the Ukrainian culture—has been around a lot longer than Moscow and the Russian culture. #velshi

7/16
The basic rights for which Ukrainians have been fighting since 2014: life, liberty and personal security, are fundamental rights that many Americans take for granted every single day. Most of us couldn’t ever imagine our freedom to live being stripped away from us. #velshi

8/16
Good fortune, perhaps. And maybe some naivete about the fact that basic rights don’t just happen—they are earned and defended. The ultimate right to live freely evolves from seemingly smaller rights that are easier to erode. #velshi

9/16
Like the right to read what you want in the library or to learn what you need to learn in school, even if it doesn’t fit the narrative you previously believed. Like the right to vote, to vote easily or even to register to vote. #velshi

10/16
Like the right to jurisdiction over your own body and access to a safe abortion. Like the right to love who you want, and to proclaim your sexuality and gender identity to the world without fear for your job or your safety. #velshi

11/16
The right *not* to be killed unjustly because of the color of your skin. The right to be paid fairly. Or the right to a free and fair election without interference from anti-democratic forces at home or abroad. #velshi

12/16
The Ukrainian people have been minding their own business for more than 7 years, just trying to choose their own government and live peacefully. That’s what most of us in the democratic world want. But freedom, it seems, isn’t free. #velshi

13/16
Each of us - as global citizens - has an obligation to stand up and defend these rights. Even if they don’t apply to you. Because none of us are free if one of us is chained. #velshi

14/16
When we allow basic rights to erode, fundamental freedoms follow. And when fundamental freedoms collapse, so does democracy. And when democracy is extinguished, as we see happening here, so is life itself. #velshi

15/16
We must not stand by as the people of Ukraine — and their freedom – perish. As their anthem suggests, I suspect fate shall, once again, smile once more on them, and they shall rule in a free land of their own. #velshi

16/16
As they say in these streets of this country, Slava Ukraini— “Glory to Ukraine.”

Goodbye, from Lviv. I’ll see you back home. #velshi