As Southwest Florida prepares to celebrate Ukraine’s 33rd Independence Day on Aug. 24, we are excited to present the regional premiere of the documentary “Back to Bucha — Finding the Spirit in Ukraine” as part of local Ukrainian Independence Day events.

On the other hand, this celebration raises a thought-provoking question: Why do Southwest Florida’s House Republicans — Byron Donalds and Greg Steube — vote down bipartisan Ukraine funding as opposed to their East Coast Republican counterparts?

Recently, the House of Representatives held a historic vote to provide crucial aid to Ukraine. We are proud that Miami-Dade Republican Congressmembers Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Jimenez, and Mario Diaz-Balart voted in favor of this important measure. Notably, Congressman Diaz-Balart’s district stretches across the Everglades, connecting to the west coast, which we can consider a “yes” vote for the southwest, and his office has provided welcome collaboration with our efforts. These Ukraine-supporting Congressmembers highlight the Republican Party’s longstanding commitment to defending democracies worldwide and opposing Russian and Soviet threats.

Could it be that Southeast Florida’s Republicans, many of whom are Cuban-Americans, possess a deeper understanding of the dangers posed by Russia, given their families’ experiences with Soviet influence, much like Ukraine’s? Perhaps they place a higher value on liberty and the importance of supporting an ally through military and economic aid, especially when that ally is bearing the brunt of the fight. While it is easy to attribute disunity to disinformation, particularly with the relentless propaganda from Moscow and Putin’s regime, there seems to be a more complex and concerning reason behind the stark contrast in views among Republicans separated only by the Everglades.

We are among the Americans who have witnessed how bad things are in Ukraine. Without robust American weapons systems, it is a plausible reality that things can only get worse. Meanwhile we are left in the dark to Steube and Donald’s lack of support or strategy on Ukraine. This election season — we need to push for candidates to hear their strategies. And we must not accept this lowball defeatist attitude of cessation of territory. Time and time again the public has asked for a defined strategy for victory. And time and time again Ukraine has proven they have what it takes to gain back their Ukrainian territory when we provide them with American weapons. Gaining full restoration of Ukrainian territory is a completely attainable objective. We just need to send more advanced American weapons systems, much more, and now. We can only have peace through strength.

“Back to Bucha — Finding the Spirit in Ukraine” features footage from April/May 2022 and January 2023, showcasing the physical destruction caused by the invasion and the remarkable resilience of Ukrainians as they rebuild their lives and communities. The screening will take place on Sept. 24, at the Naples United Church of Christ from 1 to 3 p.m. followed by a Q&A session. Special guests, including stars from the film, are expected to attend via Zoom, with potential surprises in store.

For more information, please visit theoeco.org/BackToBuchaNaples.

About the contributors

Alexandra Zakhvatayev, a Cape Coral-based defense advocate for Ukraine, has recently returned from teaching at the Ukrainian Catholic University’s English Summer School where she led a discussion-based elective on Freedom.

Steve Richards, co-founder and managing director of the TheoEco Institute, is a producer and director of socially conscious documentaries. He recently directed two documentaries about Ukraine: “Trek to Bucha” (2022) and “Back to Bucha” (2023). He is currently working on a third titled “Beyond Bucha.”