VOICES: Among the Ukrainians required to stay and fight in the war against Russia rather than evacuate, many vegans are among the soldiers to be drafted. But with vegan products scarce among the Armed Forces, who supports the country’s vegan fighters? Tamara Human of vegan organisation Every Animal explains.

On February 24, Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, vegan organisation Every Animal has been working to spread the vegan message of being as helpful as possible to both human and nonhuman animals alike.

And so was born the idea for Vegan Kitchen of Ukraine, an initiative dedicated to feeding refugees and people in need with free vegan meals and also supporting vegan soldiers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with vegan products.

To date, the Every Animal team has provided 17,050 free vegan meals and sent 333 parcels with vegan products to the country’s vegan soldiers.

A video about the Vegan Kitchen of Ukraine - which provides free vegan meals in eight cities of Ukraine including Kyiv, Rivne, Uzhhorod, Odesa, Lutsk, Dnipro, Vinnytsya, Ivano-Frankivsk - is available with English subtitles above. The Vegan Kitchen of Ukraine's official Instagram also shows pictures and video messages from vegan soldiers who received its parcels.

Throughout the war, Every Animal has continued to offer its free course on veganism called Vegan Express. The seven-day programme shines a spotlight on all the industries that exploit animals and gives advice, support and a free vegan guide to Ukrainians interested in making the change. 

The vegan NGO has also printed and distributed 100 copies of its children’s book about veganism - Hands, paws or hooves - for refugees. The book has proved so popular that the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association printed an additional 4,000 copies. The all-vegan Every Animal team produced Hands, paws or hooves in December 2021, and it is the only children's book about veganism in Ukrainian.

"We believe that the vegan community is very powerful and supportive. Thanks to vegans around the world, we can continue our work in Ukraine," said Every Animal.

How can you help?

You can donate to support their work by visiting Everyanimal.org/en/donate.

Every Animal said it would continue its work for animals no matter what because they believe in a vegan world and in vegan Ukraine.

“Слава Україні! (Glory to Ukraine)”

Visit the Every Animal website at www.everyanimal.org, or its official Instagram at www.instagram.com/kozhna_tvaryna/.

Tamara Human is the founder of Ukrainian vegan organisation Every Animal. You can find Tamara on YouTube and Instagram.

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