Young person’s reflections from the past year on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

On this day one year ago, I woke up early. It was going to be just another typical day of schoolwork and meeting friends. Tired as I was, when I saw the news, I woke up quite quickly. It had started. I remember little of the next days, mostly the feelings of despair and disbelief. Like many others, I was glued to my laptop, endlessly browsing through social media and news to make sense of the situation. 

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, I did not fully understand the importance of peacebuilding. War was something that I read about in history books and the wars of today were fought far away, and I did not quite see how I could make the situation any different. And I know I wasn’t the only person to think this way, it seems like the Finnish public collectively woke up to realize that peace should not be taken for granted. 

I went to a protest the following Saturday to show my support for Ukrainians. So did many people in Russia, where they were arrested and subjected to inhumane conditions and even violence by law enforcement. In Helsinki, a friendly police officer told us protesters to watch out for the slippery road. The absurdity of the situation highlighted the importance of democracy and freedom of expression. I was also reminded of the fragility of these values. While we were able to protest peacefully with law enforcement protecting our right to do so, just a short train trip away in Russia people were met with a very different attitude.

At some point after recovering from my initial shock I, like many others, started to think about the what-ifs. In retrospect, it seems quite ridiculous, but I was mostly concerned about my dog. He is afraid of plastic bags and strangers on the street and I can only imagine how he would react to bombs. Perhaps thinking about the safety of me and my family was too scary to even think about. I had never imagined a possible reality where I would have to suffer in a violent conflict and I still can’t fully grasp how terrifying it is. But the truth is that the terrifying thoughts that troubled me are a reality to so many people in Ukraine and other conflict areas and that simply is unacceptable. War brings about so many negatives. Death, suffering and trauma, among others, last for decades after the conflict is over.

After a period of shock, the war became almost a fact of life. Something I read about in the news, much like every other violent conflict in the world. The UN Youth of Finland gave a statement on the 28th of March last year against selective solidarity, which I was guilty of, too. Selective solidarity is referred to as the diverging attitudes towards victims of war of people coming from different backgrounds. The more similarly we perceive the victim of a violent conflict, the more sympathy we feel and are ready to offer assistance. Although selective solidarity is a very natural behaviour of us humans, this does not mean that it is right. Instead, we should keep in mind that every person suffers equally and helping victims of one conflict should not result in forgetting about others.

All in all, the war in Ukraine made me realize how incredibly lucky I am to be able to live in a country that is safe, takes care of me when I need it and gives me the chance to say what I think. I was also reminded that not everyone is as lucky as I am. 

In Ukraine, so many young people are in the trenches fighting in a war that was started by those who will not ever have to fight themselves. Just like so many people in different parts of the world in other conflicts, I don’t even know about it. Even in Finland, there are a lot of people, refugees from all over the world, who have suffered from war and violent conflict. As a society, we have to work in order to help these people heal from their trauma and be able to live.

It’s easy to feel guilty about the privilege of safety and freedom we Finns have, but dwelling on guilt helps no one. Instead, we have to keep working towards peace in every conflict. This year showed me and many others why peace work is still relevant, and how we as humans should not rest until all wars are ended. Wars, after all, are not natural, they are started by us humans. And humans have the capability to end them too. This is why multilateral organizations like the United Nations are so important. Without discussion, there’s no cooperation. And without cooperation, there will be no peace. 

About the author: Kristian Keinänen is a political science student living in the Helsinki region. He is a board member of UN Youth of Finland as well as UN Youth of Helsinki. He is passionate about global politics, democracy and civil society.

*This text represents the views of a young person, and the UN Youth of Finland aims to provide a platform for youth voices to tackle topical issues and themes related to the United Nations and international affairs.