

Apparently, the Heritage Foundation wants you to think that everything is hunky-dory in Ukraine. They are doing things like this:
Biden gave $700 to Hawaii victims, but he took $900 from them and sent it to Ukraine.
On the left is Kyiv, on the right is Maui. pic.twitter.com/DMGly5RN7k
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) August 22, 2023
The Heritage Foundation could have shown other scenes in Ukraine, of course. At the hands of the invader, Ukrainians have endured mass murder, mass rape, mass deportation, etc.
Heritage might have shown something like this:
No, these aren't WWII images. It’s Russian missiles in Pokrovsk, another frontline city that Russia aims to erase. pic.twitter.com/MYQRPj9LJy
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) August 7, 2023
Heritage might have shown something like this:
Russia strikes one of the main hotels in Zaporizhzhia. I stayed there last time I was in town. The war on Ukrainian civilians goes on. pic.twitter.com/Co2Nee4HR1
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 10, 2023
Heritage might even have shown pictures from Bucha, where Russian forces committed some of their worst atrocities. If you can stomach it, even for a second, go here.
Is there normal, non-atrocious life in Ukraine at some times and in some places? Yes, of course. I thought this was an excellent explanation, though it should not have been necessary:
Look! Ukrainians are enjoying life. The war is a lie and we shouldn’t give them any more weapons and funds, say many when I post videos of normal life in Ukraine
— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) August 11, 2023
The Heritage Foundation and others are perversely determined to pit Ukrainians against Hawaiians. Here’s a longtime Republican official:
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1690237393901690880?s=20
National Review’s Dominic Pino has ably answered the Heritage Foundation: “More Demagoguery against Ukraine Aid.” I would also recommend a piece by Andrew E. Busch, of Claremont McKenna College: “The Feeble Case against Ukrainian Aid.”
So too would I recommend a piece by Peter Rough and Luke Coffey of the Hudson Institute: “Why a Ukrainian Victory Matters to Americans.”
The BBC has recorded some reality in Ukraine: “Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a Russian missile struck a theatre in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday morning.” A typical day. “Fifteen children were among 144 people wounded.”
For that report, go here.
And here is the Associated Press, on another day: “Seven people — including a 23-day-old baby girl — were killed in Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.”
For the AP report, go here.
It is important to know names and faces — at least some of them. Otherwise, victims are mere statistics. Here is Sophia:
Sophia, 6, was killed by the Russian missile in Chernihiv today.
Sophia was the only and long-awaited child of her parents, Olga and Oleksandr. Her mom is in hospital. Her dad is defending Ukraine in the Army, a family friend wrote.
RIP, Sophia. Deepest condolences to all who… pic.twitter.com/aFpH4IOzVI
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 19, 2023
Here is Volodia:
This is Volodia, 8, who died today as a result of a Russian missile attack on Ivano-Frankivsk. He received numerous shrapnel wounds and died in hospital. The boy was a second-grade student at a local school. His teacher called him a little comedian because he was cheerful and… pic.twitter.com/X9Mkitg4F1
— Гюндуз Мамедов/Gyunduz Mamedov (@MamedovGyunduz) August 11, 2023
Don’t like seeing these things? Tough.
This is something to take account of:
James Nachtwey was in Ukraine at the start of the war, photographing the bodies of civilians that Russian troops had executed. Nachtwey said that of all the military brutality he captured in his career, the Russians “stood apart.” https://t.co/0Q8sRZLC53 pic.twitter.com/lRbYlTzsXG
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) August 13, 2023
This is something to take account of, too: “Kyiv Reports At Least 500 Children Killed Since Russian Invasion.” (For that article, from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, go here.)
Ukrainians are still fighting — still fighting and dying. Trying to repel the invader, trying to save their country. A name, a face:
Ukrainian actor Oleksiy Khilskyi was killed in the fighting for Ukraine.
Oleksiy was wounded twice, but still returned to the front. He was in the hottest spots – he participated in the offensive on Kherson, fought in Bakhmut and Soledar.
Eternal memory to the Hero🕯️ pic.twitter.com/xAlywtvomn
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) August 20, 2023
Another name, another face:
Vitaliy Shumey is being treated in Spain after losing part of his skull in a Russian attack. His case has attracted attention in Ukraine, with his care paid for by the @FCShakhtar_eng soccer club and public donations. @CurrentTimeTv #ShakhtarDonestsk https://t.co/nGZTDINa0O
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) August 21, 2023
If possible, don’t get numb to the evil that Russian forces are perpetrating against Ukrainians, and don’t let the fog-makers fog up reality.