February 2025
February 24, 2025 marks three years since russia began its most recent invasion of Ukraine, starting with an attempt to take Kyiv “in three days.” Instead, it has been three long years of Ukrainians withstanding military invasion, assault, and humanitarian persecution. The current invasion actually began more than a decade ago, on February 20, 2014, with the annexation of Crimea. Looking further back, russia’s aggression toward Ukraine, its people, its culture, and its borders is more than three centuries old. Let’s pause and take a moment or remember all the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice through these years.
Today, russia, holds about half of what it gained in the first month of the war, and has made clear that it will continue its slow grinding advances regardless of their huge human toll. Ukraine is keeping up its fight, despite hundreds of thousands of casualties and fewer people left to join the resistance. What Ukrainians lack in sheer numbers, they make up for in innovation: They are now making their own air and sea drones, drone jammers and detectors, and more. Because of the toll war has taken on its economy, Ukraine relies on financial support to manufacture these tools from governments and nonprofit organizations around the world.
This is why we must continue our mission to save lives and strengthen the resolve of Ukrainian people! Please join us at noon on February 23rd at the Capitol in Denver for a rally in support of Ukraine on the third anniversary of the invasion. If you don’t live in Colorado, please seek out and attend a rally in your region. Let’s make our voices heard!
Read on to learn more about how your contributions are making a difference in Ukraine, our current Drone Detectors initiative, the moment of silence for the fallen heroes, how the USAID closure will affect Ukrainian people, the award-winning documentary Porcelain War, and much more. To read longer versions of our news stories and learn more about our work, visit our blog.
Thank you for being part of our community. Together we are stronger!
Andriy, Kyle, Natalie and all of us at
Sunflower Seeds Ukraine
Spread Seeds of Help!
P.S. This newsletter intentionally does not have any news about the ongoing ‘peace negotiations’ that we can’t influence, and instead focuses on what we can control - helping Ukrainian Defenders. If you’d like to know our point of view on potential agreements with russia - please read our blog post from last month.
YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK: JANUARY 2024
In January 2025, we provided 282 Ukrainian Defenders with 1,169 medical, protective, tactical, optical and other items, including:
106 individual first-aid kits (tourniquets, chest seals, hemostatic dressings...)
204 protective equipment items (knee pads, earmuffs, tactical gloves...)
191 tactical gear items (load-bearing vests, backpacks, water canteens...)
173 uniform components (including actual uniforms, boots, hats…)
29 optical devices (binoculars, range finders...) and other special items
This month, we reformatted our distribution team in Ukraine. Nazar, our former warehouse volunteer, graduated from university and, when he turned 25, joined a special operations unit in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was replaced by two new student volunteers, Artem and Bohdan, who are now managing the distribution system. Thanks to each of you who support our mission to save lives and sustain resolve in Ukraine. We will continue helping Ukrainian Defenders thanks to your contributions.
HELP PROVIDE DRONE DETECTORS TO UKRAINIAN DEFENDERS!
Did you know that kamikaze drones carrying explosives now account for most of the casualties of the war, rather than bullets or artillery shells? russian strike drones attack medical evacuation and resupply vehicles, trenches and hideouts, and even individual Defenders. The best early warning system against strike drones are drone detectors. These devices detect drones by scanning for the radio frequency (RF) signals emitted by drones and their controllers. The detectors can be worn on the body, carried in a backpack, or installed in an evacuation vehicle. Some of the best models cost only $100 and are manufactured in Ukraine, helping support the war-torn Ukrainian economy. Please help us save lives today, "Give Detectors."
TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CHIP HELDMAN
To read more about Chip’s story, go to our Patreon page, where we post longer profiles of our team members, interviews with defenders, and other exclusive content
Meet Chip, one of our newest and most active volunteers. Chip, who lives in Louisville, Colorado, was introduced to our work through a pallet-packing event, and then spearheaded the effort to call our supporters during the Holiday Giving Campaign. Now, Chip is helping to coordinate the work of new volunteers, and taking his commitment to the next level. At the end of March, he’ll travel to Ukraine and spend time volunteering at our warehouse in Rivne. When he isn’t volunteering or spending time with his family, the father of a recent college grad enjoys reading and cooking.
Chip says that while he doesn’t have a direct connection to the military or Ukraine, he feels “solidarity with oppressed and marginalized people” and that Putin’s “wholly unprovoked war of aggression” has inspired him to do whatever he can. “In America's new political environment, it is more important than ever to provide Ukraine with the equipment and supplies it needs to defend itself,” Chip explains. “I've been very impressed with Sunflower Seeds as a dedicated and thoughtful organization,” says Chip, adding, “We could use more hands, and I would encourage anyone interested to get involved — it feels absolutely fantastic!” Click here to become a volunteer, and work with Chip and other team members.
TAKE A STAND: RALLY WITH US ON THE 23rd!
At the end of this month, people around the world will rally in support of Ukraine. Here in Colorado, we will participate in the Stand with Ukraine Rally taking place at the Colorado State Capitol at noon on Sunday, February 23rd. The event, hosted annually by Ukrainians of Colorado, will feature powerful speeches, music, and a collective show of support for the Ukrainian people. Please invite your friends and family, share the event on social media, and come with signboards, flags, and wearing your Sunflower Seeds Ukraine gear. Let’s show the world we care and remind our elected officials that our voices and a sovereign, independent Ukraine matter!
PORCELAIN WAR: ART, WAR, LOVE, HOPE
Porcelain War, a documentary of love, art, war, and hope in Ukraine stole our hearts and captured our imaginations. Sunflower Seeds Ukraine volunteers were honored to attend the Boulder, Colorado, screening of one of the most decorated documentaries of 2024, including the winner in that category at the Sundance Film Festival. Now, Porcelain War is on the shortlist for Best Documentary Feature Film in the 97th Academy Awards.
We were fortunate to attend on the evenings when several of the film's producers and key participants spoke about their experiences in making the film. Our team of volunteers and everyone in attendance was captivated and motivated to do more to help Ukraine. According to one of our volunteers, "They didn't just document events, they captured beauty in so many forms."
At its core, the film is about art, war, love, and hope, but it touches on so much more, weaving together profound human experiences that will leave you deeply moved. Porcelain War is playing in theaters across North America and Canada. For locations near you, see www.porcelainwar.com. Please support the documentary by watching the film, taking action to help Ukraine, and cheering it on by watching this year’s Academy Awards ceremony on March 2!
From left to right, Paula DuPre' Pesmen, Slava Leontyev (holding Frodo the dog) and Anya Stasenko are joined by Sunflower Seeds Ukraine volunteers Ulana Bihun and Slava Fedor.
MOMENT OF SILENCE: REMEMBER THE FALLEN, HONOR THE LIVING
Sunflower Seeds Ukraine exists to save lives of Ukrainian Defenders and strengthen the resolve of Ukrainian people. Many of our own friends and people we care about gave their lives standing up for Ukraine, for their families, for Ukraine’s future. It is important to remember how great the price of liberty is, and the ultimate sacrifices they made. Freedom is not free.
To remember the fallen and honor the living, we invite you to take a Moment of Silence at 9 a.m., daily, weekly, or whenever it works for you, to honor the memory of Ukrainian men, women, and children whose lives were cut short by the russian invasion. The Minute of Silence was inspired by the daily practice of Iryna Tsybukh “Cheka,” a Ukrainian combat medic of the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, who was killed just days before her 26th birthday (@moment_of_honor on Instagram).
Please take the time to pause, stand, or simply bow your head for a moment of remembrance. However you observe this minute, it is a small but deeply meaningful ritual that is practiced every day in Ukraine. Or if you’d like to remember the fallen by honoring the living - support our campaign to Help Ukrainian Veterans!
USAID SHUTS DOWN : WHAT NEXT?
To read more about the critical value USAID has provided to Ukraine and Europe, visit our blog.
On January 20, 2025, the new administration signed an executive order that shut down USAID, the primary provider of U.S. humanitarian aid around the world. In recent years, one of USAID’s largest recipients has been Ukraine, which has received $35 billion in aid since the start of the invasion.
USAID’s funding has been highly effective, matching every $1 taxpayer dollar with $3 on average from donors and strategic philanthropic partners. Its humanitarian aid provided emergency food, shelter, medical care, and drinking water for millions. It funded nurses, teachers, and emergency responders, while also helping facilitate the evacuation of civilians from dangerous areas and providing care for disabled veterans of the war.
USAID also was responsible for opening the humanitarian corridor in the russian-blockaded Black Sea, allowing grain to once again flow from Ukraine to the food-insecure countries that rely on it and avoiding a global humanitarian catastrophe. There remains a persistent need for aid in Ukraine, and with the new administration signaling its intent to withdraw from that responsibility, a higher burden now falls upon those of us who remember our values and and that they are worth fighting for.
Photo reprinted from NPR.org, another one of the valued programs the new administration is trying to defund.
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*Misspelling and lower-casing proper names in this newsletter are intentional and used as signs of disdain and disrespect. Similarly, uppercasing of words such as Defenders are intentional and used as signs of respect and appreciation.
Note: Sunflower Seeds Ukraine is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 99-3371103) registered in the state of Colorado, in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service. Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by U.S. law.
