SOPOT, Poland–With President Trump set to meet Russian President Putin in Alaska for talks on the war in Ukraine, credit union support for CUs and members in that country, as well as for refugees from the war, continues.
It’s been three years since Russia invaded Ukraine and declared war, shortly after which a charity was jointly created by credit unions in Poland and the United States to provide whatever help they could.
Now, with the Trump/Putin summit about to begin, and with a possible peace deal either bringing an end to that war or some sort of negotiated peace, an update is being shared by that charity as it remains active in raising funds and continuing to provide support.
In February of 2022, the same month Russia invaded its neighbor, Brian Branch, the former CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions, joined with Sue Mitchell of Mitchell Stankovic Associates and Rafal Matusiak, president of Poland’s national CU trade association, the National Association of Credit and Savings Unions (NACSCU), to form the Via Stella Foundation.
Via Stella has provided assistance to Ukraine’s credit unions—many of those in Eastern Ukraine have been lost—their members and employees, as well as Ukrainian refugees who have poured into Poland. That assistance has included purchasing ambulances and medical supplies that have been delivered to the cities and towns whose own ambulances were redirected to the war’s front lines; financial assistance, medical care, housing, generators and more.
The World Council and Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions have also been active in assisting Ukraine’s credit unions, as have CUs that serve Ukrainian membership as well as other individual credit unions.
‘Back in Action’
NACSCU’s Robert Rusiecki, who has been helping oversee Via Stella from Poland, told the CU Daily that after a recent slowdown in activity due to other work being done by the trade association it is “back in action” in assembling aid shipments. He said it is now working to reestablish contacts in Ukraine to assess the “greatest needs.”
He said fundraising has remained steady, with most of the assistance coming from the United States.
Asked what Via Stella has been doing for the past year, Rusiecki said, “We’re halfway through the summer holidays in Polish schools, so about a year ago we bought dozens of school supplies for a school that serves a large number of Ukrainian refugee children. We also financed some school meals for them. And during the winter break, we paid for a winter break trip for a dozen or so of these children.”
Where the Funds Go
Beyond that, he said the organization has been sending additional aid to Ukraine, including three more ambulances and five large generators. Its medical support for women who are refugees in Poland is also ongoing, he said.
For the ambulances Via Stella typically purchases used vans and then refurbishes them as ambulances.
While ambulances in Ukraine are often specifically targeted by the Russians, Rusiecki said, “As far as we know, the ambulances are still serving the communities they were donated to.”
He said the National Association of Credit and Savings Unions has reached out to credit unions in Nikopol and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, for an update.
‘Strong Support’
According to Rusiecki, NACSCU remains in contact with Ukraine’s credit unions, and the Via Stella Foundation has worked to provide assistance to the country’s credit unions with various operational issues.
He said Poland’s credit unions have “strongly supported” their CU counterparts to the east, particularly Chmielewski Credit Union in Lublin, Poland, which has also supported ambulance donations.
When Russia invaded Ukraine Poland and its citizens responded with extraordinary support, including providing refugees with all the rights of Polish citizens with the exception of the right to vote. It’s now been more than three years, and when asked whether Poles have become fatigued by the war, Rusiecki said it’s a “tough” question, and emphasized he was expressing only his personal opinion when he said.
“’Tired’ isn’t a word I would use in reference to war. Speaking of tired, it’s more in the context of the overall situation in the world, and therefore in Poland. A person can only worry about a limited number of problems at a time, and that limit has already been crossed. When it comes to Ukraine, of course, different people have different opinions. But the bottom line is that regardless of these opinions we are aware of our place on the map of Europe.
‘The World is Real’
“We may not cry wolf all the time. That’s not who we are, and we know that’s no use doing that,” Rusiecki continued. “But deep down, we know the wolf is real and waiting for its chance. The fact that it’s increasingly ravenous and already a bit battered only makes matters worse.
“We’ve felt its teeth too often and too painfully to be convinced otherwise or to forget it exists.”
Looking forward, Rusiecki said Via Stella continues to provide aid to both credit unions and refugees. He said many of the refugees have integrated into Polish society, and those who did not find a place have either returned to Ukraine or moved to other countries.
“Meanwhile, the war continues in Ukraine,” he said. “People are dying and infrastructure is being destroyed, so the need there is greatest.”
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