Anyway to Support Ukraine Companies?

[Mr. White]

1/72 as a scale is a new one to me. Looking back over the past year most of my minis purchases are in 1/72 and from either the Ukraine (Strelets and Red Box/Dark Alliance) or Russia (Zvezda). Minis are un-important in a time like this but it's crazy to me that these two countries are now in armed conflict.

I can try to buy models in support, but my purchases tend to be through US shops and sellers and not these companies directly. For example, living in the US, I wouldn't even know how to buy Dark Alliance directly to support them. Does anyone have any idea how?

Regardless, My thoughts are with the suffering citizens of both countries. Sad state of affairs.

[swiftnick]

I have bought dark alliance figures direct via Ebay. I suspect delivery might be an issue at the moment.

[Szary]

Well, your heart is in the right place, but you are nowhere near appreciating the real gravity of the situation.

Russians have shown really little concern for both civilian life and infrastructure. I have spoken with Ukrainians living here and they all stress the direct impact on lives of their families back at home. In many places there's no electricity. Most people are in makeshift bomb shelters, many peoples lost their homes and there are civilian casualties, Russians even hit some hospitals. There is a full-scale mobilisation going on and many people left their jobs to try to save their country from destruction. Due to long-distance bombardments, there is no "safe" zone up to EU borders, which is currently almost clogged due to refugees fleeing the approach of Russians. Reports say that gas is basically unobtainable because people try to stock up before booking it for the border. People in the draft age are restricted from leaving the country. Banks are blocked and people are unable to get their money out even in small quantities. It's not a sanitised "intervention", but a brutal and bloody total war of conquest.

I do not want to go on further in fear that administration will decide that I am bringing in politics into the thread, but I hope you understand that it's very unlikely that any order made currently directly in Ukraine will be received by you for a long time. I hope that people involved in those companies stay safe and make it through, I've been a great fan of their offerings.

If you, or anyone else, wants to support Ukrainians, I implore you to look for humanitarian organisations involved in the crisis or Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which is also accepting funds. I can only vouch that one can't help watching this murderous rampage on a nation abandoned by the international community but so far valiantly trying to hold its own.

[Westfalia Chris]

All, this is a very sensitive, real-life and current-affairs topic and thus really not in the scope of appropriate discussion as per the forum rules, although we certainly do appreciate that the war in Ukraine is an issue on many people's minds right now.

I dare say there are more pressing concerns in Ukraine right now, and I would suggest, as indicated by Szary above, to look up a registered charity of good repute and donate for the humanitarian relief effort to at least help a bit on that side.

I will lock this thread now, for the reasons cited above.