Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin's Russian military invaded the European nation, beginning a prolonged conflict that has lingered on for over a year. Though more than five thousand miles from Columbus, the war in Ukraine has had a far-reaching impact on the country, leading to a thirst for the freedoms many Americans take for granted.

Christian Raffensperger, the Kenneth E. Wray Chair in Humanities at Wittenberg University, comments, "Ukrainians want what Americans have, the freedom to manage one's own affairs and not worry about foreign intervention."

Under the oppressive rule of the Russian Empire, Ukrainians were regarded as "Little Russians" and never officially recognized as a people by the government. This resulted in long-term policies including the closure of Ukrainian churches and the changing of Ukrainian street signs to Russian