Russian invasion of Ukraine is ruthless, pointless, devastating war which caters to the ego of one person—Russian president Vladimir Putin. The president who has used rigged elections and political manipulations to stay in power for over 20 years. The president who now frantically shuts down independent media, cutting Russians off any alternative sources of information about the war.

Meanwhile, Russian missiles rain down on the land that’s so dear to me—to many Russians, in fact. 

Almost every Russian I know has friends or family in Ukraine. Many of my Russian friends were born and raised there. When I think about this war, I think about my country attacking families of its own citizens. 

Russians and Ukrainians share history, culture, and Russian language. We watched the same cartoons as kids. At history class at school, we all learned about the morning of June 22, 1941, when Soviet citizens—including Ukrainians and Russians—woke up to the sound of German air strikes. 

On February 24, 2022, Ukrainians woke up to the sounds of Russian rockets. 

It feels like a bad dream. Like many Russians, I’m emotionally devastated, angry, and ashamed. I’m asking myself whether I am responsible for this; whether I could have prevented this.

I don’t know the answer to these questions. I can’t, in fact, stop the war, despite the title of this page. But there are things I can do. We all can. 

There’s a list of charities organized by American business people of Ukrainian and Belorussian descent. My friends from the IT industry and Slavic diasporas across the USA have vouched for them, and I regularly donate to these initiatives.

Please consider to contribute:

Cashforrefugees.org

Initiative by Semyon and Natasha Dukach from Boston. They distribute money to people crossing the Ukraine-Romanian border in search of a shelter, putting much-needed relief in the hands of real people here and now. There’s no overhead, no administrative costs. Non-tax deductible.

Ineedhelpua.org

Andrey Borisevich from Fort Lauderdale, FL, organizes grocery drives to support those in Ukraine without access to basic supplies and food. A team of volunteers in Poland purchase groceries, essential goods, and first aid supplies, which they deliver to the Ukrainian sorting center in Warsaw.

501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt organization. 

Novaukraine.org

Nova Ukraine has established partners on the ground in Ukraine who provide humanitarian aid for Ukraine and help ordinary people and families with children affected by war.

San Francisco-based 501(c)3 registered non-profit.

All proceeds from my novel The Man By Her Door will go to one of these initiatives.