January 22, 2016

Foreign correspondent Nolan Peterson speaks about “the secret war” in Ukraine

More

Archie W.

Foreign correspondent Nolan Peterson with Orysia Nazar Zinycz in Sarasota, Fla.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) is a non-profit organization that brings experts to speak to the general public on burning issues of the day. On January 12, the burning issue was “The War in Ukraine.”

The lecture was presented by Nolan Peterson, a foreign correspondent for The Daily Signal, who was the first U.S. journalist to be embedded with the Ukrainian regular army in combat with the secessionist and Russian military enablers in the Donbas region.

Before the program began, several Ukrainians met with Mr. Peterson, and discussed Ukraine and what Mr. Peterson calls “the secret war.”

Mr. Peterson showed videos from the frontlines and interviews with soldiers; he described their fears, the division of families and the horrors of war. He gave many facts which are not widely publicized in newspapers, noting the equipment used, the number of Russian military involved and the steady Russian propaganda.

His most horrific observation was that residents who actually experienced the devastation at the hands of the Russians nonetheless clung to the erroneous information published in newspapers and aired on TV that it was the CIA that ruined the area.

Mr. Peterson emphasized the youth of many of the Ukrainian soldiers during the question and answer portion of his presentation. Taking advantage of that opportunity, this writer added that most of the widows are young and some have small children and no income. I also cited the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America and its current project of “adopting” widows and children of the fallen soldiers.

Many concerned Ukrainians and UNWLA members have committed to three-year “adoptions,” at $100 per month. I suggested that any contributions to the fund from those in attendance and the general public would be most welcome.

The public responded positively with strong applause; several asked for UNWLA contacts. SILL board members said they were grateful for the information about the project and congratulated the Ukrainian activists.

Such lectures are held in Venice and Sarasota, Fla. Many retired State Department employees and university professors live in this area and are involved in SILL.

Comments are closed.