In January 2023, Sjoerd Stoffels, education technologist (ICT) at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, was in Kyiv to bury his Ukrainian brother-in-law who had died at the front. Last summer, he was there again. Just like last month, when he took photographs of the 'Memory Wall of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Russian-Ukrainian War' in the capital city. “The atmosphere is now grimmer than it was in July, when it seemed like not much was going on. There are many more attacks, the air-raid alarm goes off several times a day. The citizens go for longer periods without gas, electricity and water on a daily basis again. But what is most noticeable, is the fear that international support will be withdrawn after two years of war. I noticed that that puts a dent in morale. My family are making the best of things, but the wound caused by the loss of my brother-in-law, will never heal. There was a missile attack close to my in-laws’ apartment in the first week of January. That was another serious mental blow for them.”
Crowdfunding
Last year, Stoffels and a friend in Germany started a crowdfunding action for his partner Iryna’s home country, which raised 6,500 euro. “It was spent on strong powerbanks so that people could charge their telephones and laptops when the electricity cuts out, and on trench candles, large candles that soldiers can use to heat themselves and their food in the trenches.”
Maastricht lawyers
His plan to involve Maastricht lawyers in the furnishing of proof of the deliberate Russian attacks on hospitals, a project by Ukrainian and international NGOs, went down well in Maastricht. "The Faculty of Law thinks that this is a good idea. It came to a standstill last year due to changes in positions in Ukraine, but during my last visit, the new local coordinator made it known that they would love to get help from Maastricht. When I returned, I informed the faculty so hopefully we can get to work again. I will personally continue to work as a kind of liaison between Ukraine and Maastricht."