Eganville – While the ongoing war between Russia and the Ukraine could perhaps be compared to the Biblical David versus Goliath story with one much larger combatant than the other, the outcome will be very similar according to a delegate from the Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa.

Andrii Bukvych, the Deputy Head of Mission, and his wife, Nattalia, were in Eganville Friday evening as the special guest for the Ukrainian fundraiser and he believes the incredible resolve of his people will help them overcome the overwhelming odds to secure victory.

“Stand free and united with Ukrainians,” he challenged those at the Eganville Arena. “Make your small, but important steps to help. As you do today. Our small step together becomes a great power that any, the most sinister tyranny, will never ever overcome.”

Below is a copy of his entire address.

“Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends of Ukraine!

Today’s event has brought together lots of very special people. Special because you are all people of big hearts, filled with kindness and empathy.

Let me address the words of deep gratitude to you, Mr. Tracey, as the lead organizer of this fundraiser. I can only imagine how much effort you have invested to organize today’s event.

But also thank you for keeping Ukraine on the radar in the Eganville community since the very start of the Russian full-fledged war. I know that each week the Eganville Leader newspaper saw a new story about Ukraine and the ways of how to help it in these trying times.

Please think about it. Hundreds of Ukrainians – civilians and soldiers – are losing their lives every single day. 313 Ukrainian children will never grow up. Nearly 220,000 people lost their homes; 8 million Ukrainians became IDPs (Internally Displaced People). Almost 6 million left for abroad.

But the entire world stands with Ukraine. Stands on the right page of history.

This means we will put an end to this war. This means we will win this war. Yet we can do it only together. And we must do it as soon as possible – to save people’s lives.

I am grateful to the organizers of today’s fundraising for their decision to transfer funds to be collected today to the United 24 initiative. This initiative has been recently launched by President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy.

It is a fundraising platform for those willing to support Ukraine directly. Each of you can try it.

It’s very simple – within one click you can transfer a donation. I assure you: each donation, no matter big or small, makes a difference!

Heartfelt thank you to all donators and guests, whose empathy and generosity fill the air today with a vibe of kindness and compassion.

Sometimes, we feel desperate witnessing atrocities and crimes of such scale as in Ukraine.

It seems that the best way to overcome the desperation from these atrocities is to help someone near you or as far as in Ukraine. The feeling of helping someone can always replace the pain in our hearts.

I believe you feel with all your heart that something wrong happens in Ukraine. You read news, see reports from the frontline, see all these ruins. Ruins that used to be green parks, homes of happy families, schools where kids were shouting and playing, hospitals where people were treated to get back to normal life, museums, theatres.

Now it’s all ruins. Smoking, lifeless. Sick reminder that a war equals a death and darkness. Never believe the propaganda that glorifies war. Any soldier who survived a real war would never wish it would happen again. A soldier knows that there is not a single good thing about war.

Good people do not choose war. Unfortunately, a war itself comes to their homes uninvited.

Sometimes you don’t need philosophical concepts and complicated intellectual theories to explain such complicated and appalling things as atrocities of war. Ukrainian journalists keep recording the words Ukrainian children say to their parents while spending hours in bomb shelters.

Mom, how many more bombs Putin has?

Mom, do Russian kids watch the war? Don’t they feel sorry for us?

Mom, you told me all dreams of kids come true. Mine don’t anymore. Am I grown up now?

Mom, our soldiers kill their soldiers. But why their soldiers kill women, children and ruin the houses?

For 114 days already, the brave Ukrainian men and women have been defending their homeland from the ruthless enemy. On February 24, Russian invaders crossed the border with Ukraine again like they did in 2014.

Despite having tremendous military advantage, Russia failed to break the resistance of Ukrainian Armed Forces and ordinary Ukrainian citizens, who are fighting for freedom, for life, for future.

In fact, our war with different form of Russian, Soviet and Russian-Soviet empire lasts for 300 years already if not longer. Ukrainian people always want to be free, to be sovereign and independent, while empire want us to be obedient, weak and dependent.

This is also a war of identities. A war of values. Ukrainians do fight and die to live and love. We do not live to fight and die. We want to be a part of European family of democratic states. We want to build our well-being, to speak our language, to praise our history, to create our culture, to make our own mistakes after all. We don’t need a dictator from metropole telling us what to do.

The war was designed by Kremlin as quick and easy exercise to exterminate the state of Ukraine, erase the Ukrainian identity with its unique culture, language and history.

They failed as today is the 114^th day of Ukraine’s successful resistance backed up by international partners. All these evil plans crushed at Ukrainian courage and valor. Russia has failed already, but is not defeated yet. Ukraine is prevailing, but the victory is yet to be achieved. If Russia will not be defeated the terrible consequences will reach far beyond Ukrainian borders. The world will no longer be as we know it.

Please mind. This war is the biggest one since 1939 and a pivotal point in the history of a democracy.

This war was also designed by Kremlin as another test for the democratic world. The test that unfortunately has not been passed in 2008 in Georgia, in 2011 in Syria, in 2014 in Ukraine.

Why is this war not only about Ukraine?

Russian war against Ukraine is about freedom against tyranny, values against money, peace against war. Unless the democratic world would stand united with Ukraine, the atrocities, conflicts, economic, energy, food crisis like cancer will spread all over Europe and beyond.

We will lose faith in values; we will lose rule-based order and the voting power on all major issues will be determined only by the size of one’s army or nuclear arsenal.

That shall happen if we fail the test today. Unless all free citizens of the world supports Ukraine in its fight till a complete defeat of a dying empire and its dictator, it is only a matter of time when war comes to Poland, Baltic States, EU and even at your own backyard some day.

The good news — the empire looks lousy when it comes to real combat action against free people who are not afraid and defend their own land and values. The bad thing — the empire has no human ethics, morals or dignity and there is no limit to their barbaric actions against the innocent and unprotected who became Russian targets in the first place. There is hardly one single war crime Russia has not committed so far, just after two months of barbaric aggression against Ukrainian civilians.

Do you remember I’ve told you? Ukrainians fight to live and love? Ukraine struggles to live no matter what. Since 24 February more than 25,000 couples have gotten married. More then 38,000 baby Ukrainians were born since the beginning of the war.

We are also continuing sowing and planting in Ukraine wherever it is possible. Land and weather cannot wait till Russia would realize how futile their attempt to break Ukrainians and their will to struggle.

President Zelenskyy wrote about what would happen in Ukraine. Life will win over death and light will win over darkness. And all of you here today, wonderful people of Eganville and area, have a very important thing in common with Ukrainians.

You want to live, you want to love, you want to create, you want to play and listen to the music. You want to be a part of this wonderful, yet undiscovered world, as Ukrainians do.

I see you are ready to stand and fight with other free people for our common values. I see you sincerely want to help people who are suffering.

After this re-invasion I am often asked here in Canada what the government can do to support Ukraine? What can Canada do to help Ukraine? What can I do to support Ukraine?

My message to you all — stand free and united with Ukrainians. Make your small, but important steps to help. As you do today.

Our small step together becomes a great power that any, the most sinister tyranny, will never ever overcome.

Today the Ukrainian flag is flying over the City Hall of Ottawa. It is my duty today to present the Ukrainian flag to the mayor of Bonnechere Valley, the Honorable Jennifer Murphy as a sign of recognition to the citizens of Eganville. If the flag would be raised at the town hall in Eganville as a sign of support and standing by Ukraine, Mayor, Mr. Tracey, it would be an honor for Ukraine indeed.

Dear friends, a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for coming, for your compassion and support!

Cлава Україні!”