Standing with Ukraine

March 3, 2022 | 7

This is going to be a quick post, and we’ll resume regular LEGO news and review programming soon, but this has been heavy on my mind.

Last night, I was listening to The Daily, a podcast from The New York Times. The episode was In Ukraine, the Men Who Must Stay and Fight, about the stories and experiences of 3 Ukrainian men, who remained in Ukraine, either by choice, or forcefully, or because there was no other option.

It was quite a harrowing listen (as is all news coming out of Ukraine, following the brutal invasion by Russia, but what struck me was the first guy. His name was Eugene, and he was reluctant to stay and defend his home, but was determined to do all he could.

In recounting his story, he just sounded like a regular guy, he said he enjoyed puzzles, and building LEGO – something that I immediately resonated with, and my heart just sank, thinking of all the people like me in Ukraine, who are uncertain of their lives and future.

I then wondered, do any Ukrainians read my blog, and checked Google Analytics. On a normal day, I get maybe 10-15 users from Ukraine, but following the start of the invasion (22 February-ish), that number has begun to dwindle to about 5-7 a day.

It’s a small amount, but I’ve been thinking about these readers, and am honestly surprised that I still get visitors from Ukraine during a full-blown invasion, as cities are bombarded by artillery.

I hope that my content and articles can be a some form of solace, and entertainment, to take your minds off the awful situation that you’re in at the moment, even if LEGO should probably be the last thing on your mind.

I also think a lot about the fan designer of the Home Alone set, Alex Storozhuk who is from Ukraine. I spoke to him on a roundtable interview, just a few months ago, and found him warm, engaging, and like me and you, a huge fan of LEGO.

The last I heard from Alex on Twitter, was him asking for prayers on Twitter, and only a week ago, was celebrating the A-Frame Cabin passing the recent LEGO Ideas review.

I think about Alex a lot, and hope he and his family are safe.

I can’t do much, but today, I decided to donate a significant portion of advertising and affiliate revenue to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. The revenue comes from you, the reader, when you order LEGO through my affiliate links, so I want to acknowledge your contribution in this donation.

I am beyond lucky to be a world away, in a safe condition, being able to go to work, be with my family, and enjoy my LEGO, and there’s more I wish I could do to help.

I may do a small minifigure/set raffle soon to raise more funds, but I need to figure out prizes and whatnot, and I’m in the middle of a big reorganisation project, so my stuff is all over the place and hard to access.

Please be patient. If you have the means, please consider donating to the Red Cross.

In other news, The LEGO Foundation, Ole Kirk’s Fond, and the LEGO Group have made an emergency DKK110 million donation and have halted shipments to Russia following sanctions and an unpredictable operating environment.

See below for more info on LEGO’s donation, and where the funds are being chanelled.

This just awful all around, and a sobering reminder that war is terrible, and normal, everyday people get caught up in unnecessary violence. It’s also a reminder of LEGO’s stance of not producing military sets.

A stickered tile in the LEGO Volkswagen T1 Camper Van has a great message.

LEGO donates to Ukrainian children and families

In response, LEGO have quickly acted, with The LEGO Foundation donating DKK 110 million (approx US$16.38m) to support Ukrainian children and families affected by the devastating invasion in Ukraine, thousands of whom are fleeing to neighbouring countries.

This donation aims to support general humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian people as well as education and protection of children. The 110 M DKK will be distributed to partners including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, and the Danish Red Cross to address the immediate basic needs and mental support for the millions of civilians affected by the crisis. The exact focus of activities will depend on how the situation evolves and as UNICEF, Save the Children, and the Danish Red Cross identify the greatest needs, in the days and weeks ahead.

Special thanks to Dave from BrickNerd, for permission to use his photo of the LEGO Sunflowers (Ukraine’s national flower) depicted as part of the Ukrainian flag.

Be sure to check out their post on Kyiv’s Comfort Town, for an insight into the local Ukrainian LEGO community.