Protesting against Putin's war (February 27)
Only days after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, hundreds of Melbournians gathered on the streets of the CBD to protest against the war. Ukrainians were joined by people from former-Soviet republics and even ordinary Australians. Ironically, Russians made up a significant part of the demonstrators, walking in solidarity with their Ukrainian brothers and sisters in a show of condemnation towards Vladimir Putin's atrocities.
Although Australia is thousands of kilometres away from the Eastern European country, the effects of the war bleed into various parts of Australian society. Food and fuel prices have skyrocketed and for some time, news outlets neglected stories outside of the Ukrainian sphere. Ukrainian Australians, of course, remain the most impacted - whose memories of their motherland are now scathed and their childhoods permanently tainted by destruction and death.
Ukrainian Australians in disbelief (February 27)
Anna Furdetska (pictured left) moved to Melbourne from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in 2010, along with her mother Tetyana (pictured right) and younger brother Andrew. Anna spent the first 12 years of her life in a country that was learning to rebuild its identity, having only recently broken free from Russia. Now, her earliest friends are on the frontlines, defending their country's sovereignty.
"It feels so horrible we can't do anything other than watch it happen and hope our family and friends are okay," she said.
Some of Anna's family fled to Poland as soon as Putin announced the 'special military operation', while others resorted to using their cellars as bunkers.
"It's so scary. I can't imagine having kids in that environment," she said.
Ukrainian refugees adjust to new life (May 6)
Just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, Anna's grandparents arrived in Melbourne on refugee visas. Valentyna Furdetska (pictured left) and Volodymyr Furdetska (pictured right) were two of about 6,000 Ukrainians that were granted entry into Australia on humanitarian grounds.
(Translated from Ukrainian)
"We are so grateful to Australia for letting us in but it's so hard you know, Ukraine is all we know, it's our culture, all our friends, family are there," Mrs Furdetska says.
"Never would I think that we would be living through a war again, every time I think about it I want to cry, it's heartbreaking, our poor country and our people have been through so much."
Expressing sorrow through art (May 26)
Melbourne's Ukrainian community has been very vocal throughout this time, organising a variety of events including rallies, conferences, fundraisers and other cultural functions.
The Association of Ukrainians in Victoria is a not-for-profit organisation that has been running since 1949. Founded by Ukrainians that fled to Victoria to escape WWII, the organisation now welcomes those facing a similar fate.
Nearby their community centre in Essendon, a mural was painted on the side of a Chinese restaurant, calling for peace in Ukraine.
Praying for peace (May 26)
As Ukraine mourns the 113 churches destroyed since the war began, the Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in Essendon stands tall.
Established in 1975, the church has played an active role in welcoming Ukrainian refugees and maintaining Christian traditions for Melbourne's Ukrainian community.
Food prices reach all-time highs (June 1)
The war in Ukraine has also trickled into grocery stores as consumers see food price inflation hit an 11-year high in Australia. Since the last quarter alone, food prices have risen by 2.8 per cent.
This issue first arose at the start of the year as a result of labour shortages and COVID-19 but now the war is reducing the global supply of oil and wheat.
The World Food Programme's Executive Director David Beasley warns a global food crisis is brewing with 343 million people now facing famine.
"When a nation that is the breadbasket of the world becomes a nation with the longest bread line of the world, we know we have a problem," Mr Beasley said.
The war fuels rising energy prices (June 1)
One of the most noticeable changes for Australian drivers have been fuel prices, which have occasionally toppled over $2 per litre. Fuelled by Europe's energy shortage and the sanctioning of Russian oil, the rising prices are endangering trucking businesses as well as everyday drivers.
Fuel excise cuts have softened the prices, pushing them down to below $2, in many cases, but still higher, on average, compared to the start of the year. The effects could see a number of other price increases due to freight costs.
Australia's former Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed these concerns, assuring that he was aware of the cost-of-living impacts.
"[Rising costs] don’t just hit the economy and hit family budgets when they fill up, but they have a knock-on effect across the economy," he said.
Freight fright (June 1)
The cost of freight has a direct correlation with inflation with higher shipping prices causing increased food and supply costs. As sea deliveries are slowed in Ukraine due to the war, many supplies are transported to other European countries via road or rail, slowing the process. Already, the war has blocked 25 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain at local ports.
Shipping delays to Australia include everything from light machinery to white goods, according to ANU supply chain management expert David Leaney.
"We are months away from the traffic flowing smoothly again, and we are months away from actually solving the problem that’s causing the traffic jam. So I’d say we’ve got the rest of this year with delays and increased costs," he said.
Ukraine war coverage (June 2)
Leading up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and in the month afterwards, news outlets were running rampant in their coverage of the war. Every global news paper and website had Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's President Vladimir Putin plastered on their front pages.
Many news outlets had their own journalists in key Ukrainian cities, with about 3,000 still remaining in the country. The risk remains high for these journalists, as at least eight have already been killed while on assignment since the war began.
To other news... (June 2)
But the war in Ukraine has dissipated just as quickly as it began, in the eyes of many news outlets. It has now been over 100 days since Putin declared war on Ukraine and media organisations are turning to other news, in what many call 'Ukraine fatigue'.
As The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years on the throne, attention has turned to Britain, perhaps in search of lighter and more positive news.
This comes as Russia launches airstrikes on Kyiv in retaliation against the West's military support. So far, over 4,000 civilians have been killed since the war began at the end of February. As the news cycle continues and media organisations move on, journalists must not become numb to the atrocities occurring daily in Ukraine.
