Give till it hurts: How you can ease the pain of Ukraine’s refugees

IN THE midst of civilised Europe in 2022 there is now bloody, pitiless war. There is no human action that is more unjust and wrong than armed aggression. As many Russian people have bravely recognised, their leader has done a terrible, unforgivable, indefensible thing.

The Mail on Sunday hopes that he will fail, that his overweening arrogance will remove his unpleasant despotism from Russia, and that a just and lasting peace can quickly be brought about. But the shock is still appalling.

There we were, used to a gentle cushioned world of instant gratification, in which politics and diplomacy barely intruded into our lives. We heard rumours of wars, but paid little attention. And then war came with the menacing boom of explosions and the accompanying misery as homes and neighbourhoods were smashed and burned, and previously contented people were forced to flee into the unknown.

Nobody even begins to know how many innocent lives have been brutally ended, or how many more deaths and maimings there will be. Vladimir Putin has deliberately stepped far beyond the limits of civilised behaviour. His name now joins the list of the infamous and the cruel, conquerors, would-be conquerors and tyrants.

We had thought such events were confined to the past, or to the poorer and more unstable parts of the world. But here they are unfolding in modern cities not unlike our own. Thank heaven, it has not come to us, though Ukraine is less than three hours flying time from London and we would be wise to pay more attention to what is going on around us. We are not prepared for such things, nor are we especially well defended against them. These are matters for urgent consideration by Ministers and MPs.

But there is an even more urgent matter. Unknown numbers of Ukrainians are now refugees. This tally of misery is bound to increase, for any sane person will get out of the way of a modern army, with its terrifying powerful weapons and its cold indifference to civilians. Almost all of those fleeing are women and children, or the old, because men of military age in many cases wish to stay and fight the cruel invader – and in any case they are not being allowed to leave.

Ukraine’s free and democratic neighbours are doing what they can to take in these terribly mistreated people, following the hospitable traditions of European civilisation. But these countries are not rich and have limited facilities to house their distressed and frightened guests. That is why they need our immediate help. Even if they do not come far beyond their nation’s borders, Ukrainians fleeing from Putin’s tanks, planes and missiles need to be housed, kept warm and fed. Who knows how long the crisis will last or when they will be able to return? In the meantime it will also be necessary to provide the other essentials of civilisation – above all, schools and medical treatment.

So, having no doubt that they will respond, we appeal to all our readers to support our campaign to aid these refugees, swiftly and generously. Let us show that we in this country still uphold the virtues of charity and compassion. And in doing so let us heap coals of fire on Putin’s head – a man who claims to be a Christian but who has launched fire and death against the weak and the innocent in defiance of all Christian belief.

For all those who have spent the last few days asking what on earth they can do to counter the barbarism and spite now loose in Ukraine, here is something all of us can tackle. Give till it hurts.