Glory to the Ukrainian Heroes Who Fight for America

In the village of Lyman, Ukraine, there is a grandmother whose home was bombed by the Russians. She sits in the bathroom because all of the other rooms have been destroyed and yet, she grows cucumbers in her garden in the backyard with care and love.

There is a traveling brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine called the Cultural Forces that brings art, music, theatrical performances and glimmers of joy to the frontline because Ukrainians value creativity, even amid the terror.

In Odesa, there is a young woman named Rusya, 20 years old, who lost a leg fighting but regrets nothing. She is proud of the sacrifice she made. Now Rusya trains other soldiers who have lost limbs at the Superhumans center in Lviv. She models on the cover of Vogue and is a symbol of strength, beauty and resilience.

There are three young women, Maryna, Daryna and Anastasia, who were held captive with hundreds of others in a basement of a school in Yahidne in the north of Ukraine for over a month. These 18-year-old girls watched people die before their eyes. They smelled the rotting flesh. They took turns stretching their legs and sleeping as there was no room for everyone to do so at the same time. They had limited food and water and no sunlight but survived. Now they are pursuing their studies and thriving as best they can in a war-torn country.

There is Yuliia Paievska, famously known as Taira, the paramedic and defender of Mariupol, who was captured by the Russians and brutally tortured but managed to smuggle her filmed footage to the AP beforehand. The world bore witness to Russia’s atrocities, thanks to Taira. Since being freed, she has not stopped advocating for one minute and received the 2023 U.S. State Department International Women of Courage Award.

There is Slava Vakarchuk, the soulful voice of Ukraine and lead singer of famed rock band Okean Elzy who has played over 400 concerts on the frontline and who sings his heart out at venues around the world to raise money and awareness for Ukraine.

There are children playing with Legos and singing the national anthem on the first day of kindergarten, but who are forced to race down to the bomb shelter because of sirens.

There is Danny, the Jewish Ukrainian soldier who attends Shabbat services at the famous Golden Rose Synagogue on Kotsyubinskiy Street/Sholom Aleichem Street in Dnipro. The sole survivor of a rocket attack on his team’s vehicle, he emerged with a major head injury but went back to the frontline after only one week with renewed determination.

There is Ilya Samoilenko, Azovstal defender and legendary commander of the siege that lasted 80 days, who lost an eye and a hand, who survived Russian captivity and has since returned to the fight for democracy and independence.

There is an homage to Victoria Amelina, one of the brightest Ukrainian authors, who was murdered by Russians in an attack on the Kramatorsk pizzeria in June 2023, and whose book, “Looking at Women, Looking at War,” was posthumously published with a forward by Margaret Atwood last week.

There are two Israeli soldiers, Alex and Vitali, who left their IDF uniforms to volunteer in Ukraine and share their precious expertise with their brothers-in-arms and spirit. Brothers, why? Because they know that Ukraine’s frontline is also Israel’s and the two wars are intertwined. 

This war against Ukraine is also America’s war and its frontline. On one side of this barricade, you have a fascist, imperial power that has explicitly stated its disdain for America and Western values and shown its genocidal intentions. And on the other side, you have the faces of the people I just shared above. They did not wish to fight, nor did they ask for this war. Though their stories may seem far away, they are not. All are featured in French philosopher and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Lévy’s most recent film, “Glory to the Heroes.”

In each of these faces, we see what is at stake for the free world. When we see the kindergarten children, Rusya, Taira, Maryna, Daryna, Anastasia, Danny and the resilient grandmother with her garden, nothing is complicated. No fancy geopolitical Ph.D. required. Simply a sense of right and wrong. 

The Ukrainian people fight so they can be free, but they also fight so we, in our comfortable homes far away, can also be free.  Supporting Ukraine is not for the left or the right in America; it’s for everyone who cherishes freedom.  

The Ukrainian people fight so they can be free, but they also fight so we, in our comfortable homes far away, can too be free.  Supporting Ukraine is not for the left or the right in America; it’s for everyone who cherishes freedom. 

Despite what some may say, President Zelensky has repeatedly and graciously thanked America for its support. Ninety-four times since Feb. 24, 2022, to be precise. Now it’s time for us to say thank you, Ukraine. Or try saying it in Ukrainian: “Dyakuyu” for your courage, resilience, dignity and determination; we’re with you.

Watch “Glory to the Heroes” and allow yourself to feel a sense of solidarity with these brave young women and men. Then, maybe you can call your congressional representative and say you stand with Ukraine.

Better yet, say you stand with America. Because Ukrainian values are American values and that’s what we should all be fighting for together.

Slava Ukraini and God Bless America.

Link to watch “Glory to the Heroes”.

Emily Hamilton is the Executive Director of Justice for Kurds and producer of three documentary films: “Why Ukraine,” “Slava Ukraini” and “Glory to the Heroes” by Bernard-Henri Lévy on the extraordinary resistance of Ukraine against the full-scale Russian invasion.