Jonas Öhman Brings His Story of Resolute Determination to the
U.S.
“The status quo ante will not come back. You are seeing a huge change in Europe in
response to Russia — not based on American pressure, but because the threat
perception of Russia today is completely different: We understand that Putin
is not talking about Ukraine alone, but about all of us and our way of freedom.”
Joschka Fisher, former German foreign minister speaking to the New York Times.
(Emphasis added.)
Against this warning, Jonas Öhman, the founder and head of Blue/Yellow for Ukraine came to North America recently to promote his organization’s work and to raise funds to aid the Ukrainian military. Öhman’s background in the Swedish military and his organizational and inspirational skills make him an effective spokesman as Blue/Yellow has garnered over 25 million Euros in donations since the war began in February.
As part of his tour, Öhman spoke at the Ukrainian Cultural Center on May 20 and detailed his intriguing personal story. A native Swede who had served in his country’s military, Öhman knows that most European soldiers are well equipped to do their job. This was not the case for the Ukrainian military prior to the Russian annexation of Crimea.
After his military service, Öhman pivoted to more creative roles and worked as a journalist, interpreter, and filmmaker. A turning point for him was his decision as a student in the early 1990’s to move to Lithuania–a country he fell deeply in love with, eventually becoming a dual Swedish/Lithuanian citizen. But living in Lithuania and being a student of history, Öhman was keenly aware of the threat that Russia and Putin posed to eastern Europe. Öhman recounted how, in 1991, Lithuania was able to stand up to Russia and secure its independence. But after Russia attacked Georgia in 2008, Öhman realized the grave threat that Russia represented to Lithuania, Ukraine, and the region. And when Russia “annexed” Crimea in 2014, Öhman saw the need to provide military training in Ukraine which he began with former Lithuanian military volunteers.
To Öhman, then, it was not surprising when Russia invaded Ukraine in February of this year. Since that time, his Blue/Yellow for Ukraine has been supplying non-lethal military equipment and medical supplies on an “as need basis.” A good example of his group’s nimble work was in 2015 when Russian separatists attacked and eventually occupied the Donetsk airport after a months-long struggle over the facility. The Russians took control of the airport with heavy artillery and Ukrainians were forced to retreat. It was then that Öhman was contacted by a Ukrainian doctor with the message, “We need thermal vision now!” This equipment would enable accurate airstrikes to be called in. Despite being in the U.S. when he received the call, Öhman and the Blue/Yellow team in Vilnius were able to supply the equipment within 24 hours, and the airport was eventually reclaimed by Ukrainian forces.
It is this kind of flexibility that Öhman believes greatly supplements “traditional” forms of assistance that are being supplied by the U.S. and Europe. The phrase “less is more,” originally coined by architect Mies van der Rohe, is at the core of Öhman’s strategy as the best way to aid Ukraine.
In a recent essay in Real Clear Policy, Öhman argues for continued support for groups such as his. He writes, “…Western support efforts, though definitely a positive development, are heavy-handed. Much of the support gets stuck in transfer. NGOs have been approached by very combat-able units asking for Javelins, stuck somewhere in Kyiv’s centralized distribution system. Further, large scale support does not always allow for the complexity of a fighting army’s dynamic and changing everyday needs to be recognized. And in Ukraine, agility matters. Certain NGOs have been successful in organizing systems aimed at providing accurate support within three to six hours from request to delivery to the units at the Eastern Ukraine front.” It is this kind of focus that has resulted in Öhman receiving several commendations from the Ukrainian military and government.
Öhman believes his organization can make sure that assistance does not arrive “too late” and he references U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur who said, “The history of failure in war can almost always be summed up in two words: ‘Too late.’ “ Öhman’s sole purpose, then, is to ensure that assistance does not arrive “too late.” It would be foolhardy to bet against him, his organization, or the Ukrainian people.
Attending Öhman’s May talk was Koledov Serhiy, Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago; Ihor Diaczun, Ukrainian Congress of America – Illinois Division; Olga Ruda, journalist for Ukrainian People Magazine, and Rima Ziuratis, Secretary, Friends of Blue/Yellow for Ukraine