Yesterday, I interviewed Andrii Omelchenko of Atlant Support Center (Support center Atlant/ Центр Підтримки Атлант on Facebook, https://www.atlantsupport.org.ua/en/) to discuss the psychological consequences of the war in Ukraine, which impacts not only military veterans but also their families and emergency responders to rocket attacks or disasters such as the Kakhovka dam flooding. Those doing the dangerous work to save lives and defend democracy need to be taken care of as well. Atlant Support Center connects veterans with its network of specialized military psychologists to prevent the deeper consequences of PTSD and other psychological effects of the war in Ukraine.

For this interview, special thanks goes to Faith Koh, a student volunteer from the KCL Pro Bono Society Human Rights Project, who prepared the interview questions. Additionally, many thanks to Anna Lobach who introduced me to Andrii, the founder of Atlant Support Center. Lastly, thank you to Svetlana Kotenko, who was the first person I interviewed for Everything Will Be Ukraine / Все буде Україна last year, as she connected me with Anna. Everything Will Be Ukraine emphasizes connections and relationships to help Ukraine get the support it needs to defend itself and democracy worldwide, so this interview was a perfect example of bringing people together to support important causes.

This interview was also personal for me as Andrii contacted me on May 31 asking about scheduling the interview. It was only two hours earlier I had learned my brother Raj Islam passed away. A long-time first responder and specialist in disaster response, and also a strong mental health advocate for first responders and veterans, my brother understood that the hard workers should get the care they need. In supporting Atlant Support Center via Everything Will Be Ukraine and also causes Rajeeb supported such as Flanders Fields and The Code Green Campaign, I hope to bring more attention to these matters which, if unaddressed, can completely devastate the lives of those who save lives. In the comments I am including a screenshot from a campaign shared by my brother about Flanders Fields to help veterans. I did not realize it would be one of our last interactions, if indirect.

For more details about how to donate to Atlant Support Center, please read the comment to this post, which contains IBAN/SWIFT details for international bank transfers. If you encounter any difficulties in sending money and you would really like to contribute to Atlant Support Center, keep in touch with me as I am in direct contact with its founder, Andrii Omelchenko.