Putin Invaded Ukraine But United The Whole World, Here Are 47 Of The Most Important Things That Have Been Done So Far

As the world watches the 6th day of Ukraine fighting Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the European Parliament in an emotional message. The country has shown time and again that it is an equal member of Europe, and he expressed his belief that Ukraine deserves to be a part of the EU.

"I believe that we, today, we're giving lives for the desire to be equal, as much as you are. We are giving away our best people," he said. "Nobody is going to break us. We are strong. We are Ukrainian."

"We have proven our strengths. We have proven that as a minimum we are exactly the same as you are," Zelenskyy added. "Prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go. Do prove that you indeed are Europeans."

The tremendous courage of the President and citizens of Ukraine have inspired people, governments, and companies worldwide. There has been a massive outpour of support, with people mobilizing on social media, calling out false information, and getting together to aid Ukrainian civilians in the most meaningful ways.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than half a million civilians have fled Ukraine. The EU estimates that up to four million people may try to leave the country and has relaxed its rules on refugees, saying that the member states will welcome them with "open arms".

BBC states that refugees are crossing the borders to neighboring countries to the west — Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Moldova. Poland has so far taken in over 280K refugees and expects a further 50K to arrive every day. "Countries used to have time limits on how long refugees could spend in reception centers, but most are saying they are likely to waive them and that Ukrainians can stay in them for as long as they need to."

Governments also made essential and unprecedented decisions to assist Ukraine in its fight for freedom. From gathering resources to provide all possible help to agreeing on sanctions that are already weakening the Russian economy, even Switzerland has abandoned its historic neutral position on global wars to support Ukraine.

"Never since the second world war has the rights of one country been so violated by another. You cannot stand aside. To play into the hands of an aggressor is not neutral," the Swiss president, Ignazio Cassis, said. Switzerland stands in solidarity with Ukraine and hopes that sanctions will encourage the Kremlin to rethink its actions.

Other neutral countries such as Finland, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, and the Vatican also condemned the Russian war on Ukraine. Finland and Sweden, which are not part of NATO, announced they will send military aid to support the troops resisting an invasion by Russia.

"It’s the rebirth of a new Europe," Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, told NBC News. "It’s a historic shift. I think this will have major consequences moving forward for the future of Europe, for the future of the transatlantic alliance, for the future of NATO — just when all of those things were fraying."

Hackers from around the world joined the fight too by disrupting Russia’s digital infrastructure. The Independent reports that hacking groups such as Anonymous and the Cyber Partisans "have claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on Russia’s banks, state broadcaster RT, and a Belarusian rail network reportedly used to move troops from Russia to Ukraine."

"DDoS alone will not bring down a regime", one German Anonymous splinter group said, but "Putin, who is using hacker squads and troll armies against Western democracies, is getting a sip of his own bitter medicine". Their goal is to obtain information and "keep the Russian IT apparatus busy" so that Putin's hacker troops "cannot do anything in Ukraine or the West".

Russia becomes even more isolated as the sporting world moves to ban the country from competing in events. FIFA and UEFA have joined the International Olympic Committee to prohibit Russian teams and athletes from participating in international competitions. "FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice," the two organizations said in a joint statement.