Aid for Ukraine from Saxion: "This is all we can do from here"

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As a kind of cynical joke, Oleksandr Kuprii and his Ukrainian friends no longer talk about Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. "It's the sixth day," we then say to each other, says the first-year Applied Computer Sciences student. The sixth day since he was awakened at five in the morning by a calling friend, and a phone that then overflowed with messages. "It's war, they said. I could hardly understand what was going on."

His hometown is Bucha, a city of about 40,000 inhabitants about 20 kilometers from the capital Kiev, which he left for Enschede in August of last year. He brings out his telephone, in the normally dull, but especially now, safety of an average Saxion office. The device is his lifeline, for example, to his parents, who have fled to the relatively safe western Ukraine. "My parents are not military people. Fleeing was the only thing they could do: it became too dangerous."

But his phone is now also his connection to 24/7 newsfeeds and witness accounts. A video appears on his screen, of what is roughly the main street of his hometown. Or rather, was the main street. Dozens of yards of stranded tanks, broken street and destroyed houses. The destruction is everywhere and immense.

He is silent for a moment and then shows another image from Google Maps, just to underline: this is how it was, a neat green street.

Bucha is five kilometers from Hostomel airport and apparently of strategic interest, and it is therefore one of the most heavily fought cities in Ukraine. That he is here and knows his city will never be the same is tough, says Oleksandr, who speaks mainly by remaining silent.

Distraction
Last week he had vacations, now he is attending lectures again. It may feel strange, now that his homeland is on fire, and complicated it is too. At the same time: "It may be crazy to say, but it is also a distraction."

From Saxion, the students are getting all the support they need, Oleksandr says. "I have been emailed by my study coach, by someone from the academy, and have asked teachers for some postponement. That was no problem at all."

He and his fellow Ukrainian students are in close contact with their fellow countrymen in Enschede, a fairly large community according to Oleksandr. Last Saturday they demonstrated in Enschede, Sunday they were in Amsterdam.

To make as many people as possible aware of what is actually going on in their country, he says. "This is not a military parade, not a show. This is real war. And it's pure terrorism; a lot of the actions of the Russians are purely about scaring people."

Donate
Raising awareness is not the only thing they do. The Saxion students are in close contact with Twente for Ukraine, and have now started their own aid campaign, from Saxion. With a group of ten students ("and it's still growing") they collect stuff for Ukraine at Saxion, which from there go to the central location at the Getfertsingel in Enschede. From there the goods go by car to Ukraine. They are very much needed there, according to Oleksandr.

Will the war be over soon? He hardly dares to speculate. "It's mostly hoping," he says. "Hoping that it's over as soon as possible, maybe it's over soon. In the meantime, this is all we can do from here."