A few days before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, soldiers of Ukraine's 122nd Territorial Defense Brigade — the unit that is often the first to intercept Russian missiles launched from occupied Crimea and the Kherson region toward Ukrainian cities — received nearly 400 letters of support from schoolchildren in the state of Pennsylvania.
A Ukrainian soldier with the call sign "Aizer" is sitting in a frontline dugout, reading a letter from an American girl named Marcia. "Dear Hero of Ukraine! Thank you for your courage and sacrifice as you protect your country. Please know that people around the world are thinking of you and praying for your safety every day. May you feel the strength of our gratitude and the hope for peace. Stay strong, stay safe, and know that you are not alone."
The initiative began with a 17-year-old Ukrainian student named Arsenii, who is currently attending an American school. Arsenii lives in the United States with his mother and younger sister while his father serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“It was very important to my husband that we leave with the children and be safe. That way he could focus on his service with peace of mind,” Arsenii’s mother, Anzhela, told Ukrainska Pravda.
Arsenii says he spent a long time thinking about what he could do to support Ukraine from across the ocean. After consulting with his father, he decided to suggest that his classmates write letters to Ukrainian service members. The idea was supported by both teachers and the school administration — and, as it turned out, by the vast majority of students.
"I miss my dad. A lot. I want to see him and hug him. And I think I'm not the only one among those whose parents are on the front lines. Everyone wants to see their parents and hope they're safe. And the smallest, easiest thing I can do is just make cards that say this directly. They're cards — they're simple to make. I can do this. And many students can do it too. That's really how the idea was born," Arsenii said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
Arsenii and his mother say they did not expect such strong support from the school community. They thought they might collect a few dozen cards. Instead, they received nearly 400 in just three days.
"We hoped there would be letters. We knew there would be some support. But this turnout was a huge surprise. It was incredibly touching — joy and tears — because you realize, wow, this is amazing. Especially when we saw that many letters were written in Ukrainian. They tried so hard they drew our Christmas symbols, our flag. You understand that the children approached this so sincerely, that they actually studied our letters. It was very moving — to tears," Anzhela said.
Brenda DeVincentis, a school administrator who helped Arsenii organize the effort, said the students didn't just write messages — they also immersed themselves in Ukrainian culture and language to prepare their letters.
"So, the students here have been exposed to what's happening in Ukraine. But I don't think, like with a lot of wars, that it doesn't hit home because we don't have somebody that we know. We don't have a family member that's in Ukraine fighting," she explained. "So this opened their eyes to — wait, I do know somebody who has a family member or friends or other family that is directly affected. So that opened up their eyes, their hearts, their minds. That gave them a conversation to take home to their parents, because, you know, Arsenii is quiet. He is very private. So when he walks the halls, when he's in a classroom, he doesn't talk about his struggles. He doesn't talk about his pain, his family's pain. And this just opened up the eyes of our students and our faculty, the adults, the families, the community, that it does matter. Every word matters. Every ounce of support. Every ounce of love does matter to someone, and especially right now, to the Ukrainians."
It wasn't just Arsenii and his mother who were surprised by the scale of participation — the school principal was as well.
"Well, this is definitely the first time that we have done something of this magnitude for a specific group. So we've written letters to American soldiers, and we are very much a school who really supports our students, and if our students' parents especially are in the military, we want to support them, but this is the first time that we did an international campaign like this," said Luca Passarelli, principal of the middle school Arsenii attends.
Several students told Ukrainska Pravda that they were primarily inspired by their Ukrainian classmate Arsenii, as well as by the desire to support Ukrainian soldiers and let them know there are people in the world who are "praying for them, sincerely caring, and supporting them."
"God's my biggest inspiration in life. So really, I felt motivated through that. I also was really motivated by Arsenii. What he is doing is amazing. He's a great kid. And I really wanted to have all the brave soldiers know that there's people that are there for them, and that we support them through everything and that we're all praying for them here," said Arsenii's classmate Catherine Spor.
Her friend Emery Calton went even further — she wrote not just one letter, but thirty.
"I wanted everybody to have a letter. I wanted everybody to get that motivation. I didn't want it to just be, like, for some, I wanted it to be everybody. So I tried to write as many as I could," Emery said.
Another student, Aiden Turner, said: "My inspiration was probably Arsenii. We moved here in the 10th grade, so we had a bunch of classes together, and we were classmates. And when I found out, I wanted to help in whatever way I could."
The soldiers themselves say this support from American children sends an important signal — that despite critical statements from the White House over the past year and political debates in Washington, ordinary Americans still support Ukraine.
Myroslav Otkovych, communications officer for Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces Operational Command South, who personally delivered the letters to frontline positions, said: "This is truly very touching. These are intangible things that demonstrate real support from American society. No matter what's going on in political circles, we see what American children really think about us, about our struggle. And children, as we know, are the future. That's why I think that our future friendship with the United States is in safe hands."
"Moments like this really boost morale. It's very touching that even young children in another big country worry about soldiers, understand the situation, and support us. It motivates us to keep fighting and gives us positive emotions. Even a small child understands what's happening here," said the soldier with the call sign "Aizer".
Other soldiers, after reading the letters, said they hope that American children will never have to see their own parents go to war.
"For example, I have a child. He is home now, and I am at the front," said a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign "Zioma". "My wish for them [American children] is that their parents are always there for them. Not like here. Things are a little different for us now. There are times when you go on leave, come home, and realize you haven't been home for six months, and your child is growing. And you're not there to see it. And you're constantly on the phone with him. He just started first grade, and it's now very interesting to talk to him. We even do his homework together. But I wish it wasn't like this. I wish I could be there, hug him, tell him stories. So that we could sit down and play. So I wish for children that their parents are always there. That they listen to them, that everything is peaceful. That everyone is together. And of course I wish for victory."
Arsenii's mother also spoke about victory and returning home.
"It's good here. We're supported, it's calm, there is electricity and heat, there are no drones or missiles flying. We are safe, and we're grateful for the opportunity to be safe. But in reality, we are with Ukraine. We want to return, and we are waiting very much for this victory," Anzhela said.
After receiving the letters from the American students, the Ukrainian soldiers wrote a joint letter of thanks in response.
"Dear children, thank you for your support. We wish you peaceful skies and that your parents never have to go to war. Study well, listen to your parents, grow up healthy and happy. Once again, thank you for your support — you motivate us. The Armed Forces of Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!"
The reply from the Ukrainian soldiers is expected to be delivered in a few weeks. The teachers and students in Pennsylvania are eagerly awaiting it.
Kateryna Lisunova for Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia