Local Foundation Holds Charity Event on Three-Year Anniversary of Russia-Ukraine War

By Ale de la Fuente

Reporting Texas

Liberty Ukraine Co-founder Tonya Levchuk united the Ukrainian and Austin community after a tense first few weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term.

The Liberty Ukraine Foundation held a charity event titled “Defenders of Freedom” downtown on Feb. 23. The night featured homemade traditional food and live entertainment from singers such as Texas native Bria Blessing, whose family moved to Ukraine when she was a teenager.

“My biggest hope is that every single individual person will use their voice,” Blessing said. “Everyone has a voice.”

The foundation works directly with Ukrainians on the front lines, providing supplies and support through funds raised at events such as this one, which was held on the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“It was important for me to understand how our aid helps them,” co-founder Tonya Levchuk said, “to hear and see how it impacts their lives and how it helps save their lives.”

The event’s main focus went to fundraising for evacuation vehicles, which cost around $13,000 each after repairs and upgrades. To date, Levchuk has purchased over 62 vehicles, and thanks to the efforts at the events held both in Austin and New York City, that number is expected to hit 70 in the upcoming weeks.

“What amazes me the most when I’m visiting the frontlines and I drive there and I see our vehicles, because we all brand them,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Ah! That’s ours!’”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a well-known ally to the Ukrainian people, made a special appearance at the charity event, condemning the early actions of President Donald Trump. Just 10 days later, President Trump paused military aid to Ukraine after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned hostile.

“The truly historic claim about all of this is that I don’t recall any incident in recent world history where the party that was invaded was asked to pay up instead of the invader,” Rep. Doggett said in his speech.

Levchuk returned days before the event, having spent a month in Ukraine searching for a missing family member, a harsh reality many Ukrainians have faced since the war began in 2014. However, she always made time to visit the soldiers.

“It inspires me,” Levchuk said. “I tell them stories about our events, about our community, about our amazing team and volunteers, and that’s what gives them hope.”