March 2026
Dear Friends of Ukraine,
About a month ago, close to the anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we received a message from a Ukrainian Defender: our longtime supporter, volunteer, and Colorado native, Ron Carter. You may recognize the name: Ron was a guest speaker at our Chautauqua event and several of the rallies in the past years, where he shared his experiences training frontline Defenders and medics, before he joined the Ukrainian Defense Forces last year. Recording himself on rotation from his military assignment at the front, near the administrative center in the city of Zaporizhzhia (an area under heavy threat from russian drone strikes), Ron delivered this message:
“Foreigners think of Ukrainians as very resilient. After 4 years, of course Ukraine is resilient, but Ukraine doesn’t have a choice: Ukraine either dies or it fights back. It’s not Ukraine who needs to be resilient. It’s those who support Ukraine that need to remain resilient. … Without your help, without your continued support, it’s easy for us to not have the tools we need to be successful, not only in defeating the enemy, but also in simply surviving. So thank you very much for helping us survive.”
His message serves as a powerful reminder of the real importance and impact of your support in our mission to save the lives and strengthen the resolve of Ukrainian Defenders. To hear Ron’s full message about resilience and appreciation, go to our Youtube channel.
Read on to receive another powerful message from our Director of Ukrainian Operations, Oksana, learn more about how your donations were used in January, how night vision optics can give Defenders the tactical edge, upcoming SFSU events in your area, and how you can get involved. Or read no further and click “Donate Now” above to help.
Kyle, Andriy, Slava, Ulana, Becky, and all of us at
Sunflower Seeds Ukraine
Spread Seeds of Help!
P.S. If you haven’t had a chance to fill out our communications survey, please do so by the end of this month for a chance to win a prize from Ukraine! We’d love to hear about what communication resonates with you, what doesn’t, and how we can improve.
In January 2026, we provided 1,481 items to 485 Defenders:
224 individual first aid kits (tourniquets, hemostatics, chest seals...)
397 protective equipment items (electronic earmuffs, drone detectors, power banks...)
638 field gear items (backpacks, sleeping mats, safety nets...)
153 uniform components (uniform pants and shirts, boots...)
9 other items (mostly binoculars and drone detectors...)
In particular, the power banks you helped us procure last month have been a huge hit, even compared to more expensive items like drone detectors. Thank you to all of our donors who contributed to our efforts this month, and to all of you that support our mission to save the lives and strengthen the resolve of Ukrainian Defenders!
Front line tactics have evolved considerably since the start of the war. Instead of direct infantry on infantry engagement, operations are now often centered around reconnaissance of infiltration units. Ukrainian Defenders try to remain unnoticed in remote positions and report enemy movements to allied drone operators, who then engage the enemy remotely.
The nature of these operations is that spotting the enemy before they spot you means the difference between life and death. Your support can help equip Defenders with night vision devices (NVDs) to give them the tactical edge:
$50 provides an NVD helmet mount
$100 provides a digital NVD monocular
$500 provides an NVD thermal monocular camera
$2,000 provides an analog NVD binoculars
If you’re able, please consider supporting this campaign and help us bring the tactical advantage to those protecting freedom and democracy.
Please join us at the Ukrainian Easter Market on Saturday, March 28th and for a special weekend of Ukrainian folk music (Concert, March 28th/Workshop, March 29th) with special guest Nadia Tarnawsky. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Sunflower Seeds Ukraine. For more details on these events and additional events, please visit our events website.
February Events and Community Outreach
In February, supporters from around the world rallied in support of Ukraine as we marked four years since the full scale invasion. In Colorado, hundreds came out to the Rally for Ukraine in Denver.
Over 40 University of Colorado students and 100 community members helped to convert solar chargers for Ukraine and decorate them with messages of hope and support through two Solar Chargers for Ukraine events in February.
Representative Joe Neguse was among the many attendees of the Ecocide in Wartime Ukraine Exhibit at the University of Colorado’s Art Museum. Special thanks to Ukrainians of Colorado and Professor Sarah Wilson Sokhey for sponsoring this important exhibit.
For more information on future and past events, read our full blog post.
Calling future team members - Sunflower Seeds Ukraine needs you! Without the tireless efforts of our all-volunteer team, we wouldn’t be able to provide more than a thousand pieces of essential equipment to Ukrainian Defenders each and every month. We wouldn’t be able to raise funds, host events, organize donation pickups, pack pallets, answer emails, ship web store orders, connect with donors, or share our story in this newsletter. Our small team has, and continues to have, a mighty impact, but we always need more help. That’s where you come in. We have a range of part-time in-person and remote volunteer positions, from videographer to medical aid procurer to inbox assistant, posted on our website. Take a look and drop us a line if you’d like to contribute. We look forward to hearing from you.
For those of us fortunate enough to live in a country where our daily routines are not determined by air raid sirens and the unpredictability of our electrical supply, it can be hard to understand the psychological toll that comes with enduring year after year of war. Our Director of Ukrainian Operations, Oksana, wrote a message in which she shared some of her many conflicting emotions over the course of yet another winter of war: fear, shame, exhaustion, hope, gratitude. Below is a small excerpt from her message:
Action saves us all, no matter how small. Small steps make progress every day. This winter, besides my family, several things kept me going - our volunteerism, the realization that our SFSU Bee Team does not stop; the presence in Ukraine of people who help, care about others, radiate goodness; and, don't be surprised, feeding birds that suffered from negative 20-30-degree Celsius frosts (and as a bonus, contemplating them). It calmed me down and instilled faith in the future.
Please consider reading Oksana’s full, unedited message over at our blog.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
To read longer versions of our news stories, visit the blog on our website, where you also can learn more about upcoming events and volunteering opportunities.
Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested, or use this form to manage your communication preferences. The web version of this and all previous newsletters is here. For more frequent updates about our work, please like our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram, and subscribe to our Youtube channel and Patreon page. Browse our website for multiple ways to help, or send us an email if you have any questions.
*The misspelling and lower casing of proper names like ‘russia’ in this newsletter is intentional and used as signs of disdain and disrespect. Similarly, the uppercasing of words such as ‘Defenders’ is intentional and used as a sign of respect and appreciation.
