Our support can be crucial

It is not the first day that we are sending copies of Den to the ATO area with the help of volunteers. From there we receive photos of our servicemen who are holding the newspaper. It is pleasant for us to see these bright faces and know that we have such readers. So, we decided to send another piece of our warmth and gratitude to them, except for the newspaper. We absolutely spontaneously came up with an idea to sign postcards for the men who are risking their lives in the east.

At first only the employees of Den/The Day signed the postcards, and several days later we signed it together with our readers and simply caring people in the lobby of movie theater “Kyiv.” We had prepared for the event very thoroughly: specifically for the action we had printed both postcards that are well known to our readers and new ones that are not yet on sale in our online shop. The idea was equal to our expectations by 100 percent. We finished the Friday evening with a big pile     of postcards covered thoroughly with words of gratitude and support in small hand writing.

Alevtyna Biletska, press secretary of Foxtrot Company was the first person who signed a postcard that evening. Alevtyna came purposefully to the action and turned out to be the most accurate participant. “We have been cooperating with Den for a long time. We have joint social projects. I can see that the publication is doing a lot for Ukraine to stand in this struggle, therefore I decided to join this action today,” Alevtyna says, “Postcards are a good idea. I have seen many times how our servicemen show pictures and postcards that are sent to them. Therefore I would like other publications to join this activity, organize points where the energy of warmth and love for our soldiers could be collected.”

Many people who came to see a movie took part in Den’s action. Some of them after buying the ticket to the movie immediately came up to our desk, inquired about the action, and signed a postcard. Those who were in a hurry to the movies threw money for our servicemen to a transparent box and promised to buy and sign the postcards later. Our friends, regular readers and visitors of Den’s photo exhibits, actively came to our desk as well. They included, for example, Svitlana Mykhailiuk who brought with her a picture by her eight-year-old son Mykhailo. The boy drew the Black Sea with bright fishes and an octopus and wrote that Ukraine is united and wished our servicemen “courage and bravery, and to return home safely.”

Oleksandr Melnyk, a monumental artist, one of the heroes of our photo album People of the Maidan. A Chronicle, read about the action on Facebook. He has signed three postcards for the servicemen in the frontline, and also brought postcards with his works and works by Oleksandr Ivakhnenko.

“Postcards and letters are a live connection; I want to send my live word in such a way that it reached the person who is risking his or her life at the frontline, for me, among other people. I have written that although I am 65, but I feel awkward that I’m not there. I have lived a life; probably I should be there to risk it, not these 18-year-old boys. I am grateful to all of them for defending us, I wish them to be healthy and come back healthy, I wish God protect them. Postcards are an individual personalize connection. It is very good that you’ve came up with this idea,” Oleksandr Melnyk says.

Liudmyla Osadchuk is a lawyer. When she has free time, she visits wounded soldiers in hospitals, talks to them. She came to the action because she has seen with her own eyes how much joy such messages from people bring. “I know that for them every postcard is like an award. They don’t need gratitude from state officials, they need gratitude from ordinary people at home, so that they knew that they are defending us and that we need them. Because every postcard like these is a huge positive for them. They are extremely glad to receive them. I wrote in my postcard that year 2014 has totally changed my life, that I had never thought before that I would be looking for balaclavas and army boots, and be it not for them, we would not be here too. I am immensely thankful. I asked them to take care of themselves, so that we could later meet them in the park, in the street, but only not in the hospital.”

MANY PEOPLE WHO CAME TO SEE A MOVIE TOOK PART IN DEN’S ACTION. SOME OF THEM AFTER BUYING THE TICKET TO THE MOVIE IMMEDIATELY CAME UP TO OUR DESK, INQUIRED ABOUT THE ACTION, AND SIGNED A POSTCARD. THOSE WHO WERE IN A HURRY TO THE MOVIES THREW MONEY FOR OUR SERVICEMEN TO A TRANSPARENT BOX AND PROMISED TO BUY AND SIGN THE POSTCARDS LATER

Eight-year-old Ivan Marchenko wrote to the servicemen a long letter and drew a picture. “I wrote to the military men about myself, about my family, where I study. I also wrote that I think that each one of them has a family and I wish all of them to return home as soon as possible. I want every day to be light for them. I think the military servicemen will be glad that we remember them,” Ivan told and handed his letter to Den’s employees.

Many people came. Several minutes before the end of the action a woman came up to our desk, and we recognized our long-time friend and partner of the newspaper, Liudmyla Hararuk. An owner of jewelry design studio, which makes unique prize of the prizes for the Den’s annual International Photo Exhibit, signed a postcard to the frontline, too.

“Of course, I expressed my gratitude in the postcard. I also expressed my admiration with their courage and fearlessness, and wished them to come back alive, because we need these people very much. Such letters and postcards are spiritual support, because our warriors must understand that although they bear some offence with the government which does not especially respect or support them, they are supported by ordinary people, and this is very important. Spiritual support is the most important,” Hararuk said. “On the whole, I have an impression that two parallel Ukraines exist now. One of them is dividing the offices, another one is living an interesting life, supporting the army, organizing charity concerts and exhibits. Probably, this will be a competition of two parallel worlds. Of course, the real world will win.”

We are thankful to everyone who joined the action and signed postcards for Ukrainian military servicemen. There cannot be too many warm worlds, so it is very possible that soon the newspaper will repeat this action. Follow our announcements on the pages of Den/The Day, the newspaper’s website, and the official FB page of the publication.

Those people who for some reasons could not get to the action in the movie theater “Kyiv,” have an opportunity to buy postcards on Den’s website www.day.kiev.ua or in the office of the newspaper, where you can sign the postcards for our servicemen in the east right away. The newspaper will send the raised money for the needs of Ukrainian servicemen and postcards to Starobilsk Civic Organization “Volia.”