We will not yield.

As the second Trump era begins, The Counteroffensive will stand against autocracy; we will take care of our people; and we will take action despite fear and danger.

I’ve always had an immigrant’s love for America.

The sort of foolish, naive love that blurs the edges of its faults.

The kind that papers over the worst episodes in our shared history, and looks deeper to our shared ideals — even when we have so often come up short.

When Trump won the first time I decided to leave journalism and joined the Army. I enlisted just a few days before his inauguration: Jan. 13, 2017.

In my mind then, and in my mind now: we have work to do.

Trump’s election is not a time for despair. We don’t have time for that. It is a time for action.

The Counteroffensive’s motto is: Authoritarianism and Empathy Can’t Mix.

I promise that we will not give up. We will not yield to fear, no matter how bleak the coming days will get.

• We will continue to put people first: narrative journalism that illustrates how ordinary citizens are resisting tyranny.

• I will continue to take care of our team, putting our safety and well-being first.

• We will not abandon Ukraine, and we will not stop our reporting, regardless of the official position of the United States government.

But we have work to do.

The future of Ukraine’s sovereignty, of European peace, of America’s role in the world, of Taiwan’s existence as a free country — you have a hand in all of the above.

• Call and write your representatives.

• Protest when your government does something you disagree with.

• Dissent, strenuously — by voice and by print.

• Contribute to causes you believe in.

Use your rights as a free people, the kind that the Putins, Kims and Xis of the world fear most.

I will return to Kyiv shortly with a suitcase filled with hazardous materials contamination suits and gas masks. We need more.

And we need more batteries, as it looks like Ukraine will be plunged into darkness and cold this winter for 18-20 hours a day.

We need to purchase a cheap car for evacuation purposes. I gave away my used beater of a car to a Ukrainian friend who needed it desperately.

If you agree with our mission, this is the time to subscribe or hit the tip jar. As a small team, every dollar you contribute means direct impact for us.

Help us resist the coming darkness, both literally and figuratively.

It’s not the end.

Nothing is inevitable.

What happens next is up to you.