Hi!
Today, I want to test something new. You are reading a Public Letter where I share some information about the war and Ukraine.
In Public Letters, I use the information from my tweets on culture and the latest war news, and I can add something that I haven’t published before. I am not a journalist, war expert, or professor; I use the information that I read, and I show the places I visited.
This is a test letter. I would be grateful for your feedback. If the majority supports the idea, I will publish Public Letters regularly. It might be once a week/two weeks.
You can resend the Public Letter to your family, friends, colleagues, or ones you want. Ukraine is disappearing from the media (a too-long war here, the Israeli-Palestinian war). My goal is to remind you of Ukraine and not only show the latest war news but also the beauty and culture of our country we are fighting for.
I am grateful, Erich, for the idea of these Public Letters.
My usual Letters from Ukraine, where I share my feelings, personal experience, places in Ukraine to visit, photos, etc., will be sent to the members and supporters of this blog as usual. This support helps me to inform the world about Ukraine and show its tremendous beauty. Thank you if you are one of these gorgeous people.
Let’s start.
WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR
Cultural heritage: Alla Horska (1929-1970), a famous Ukrainian artist and representative of the Sixtiers (a generation of Ukrainian national intelligentsia who defended the national language, education, and culture).
In 1962, Alla Horska, together with two Ukrainian authors, discovered the burial places of those shot by the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) in the 1930s in Bykivnia near Kyiv. After that, the first arrests and persecution of the Sixtiers began. She was expelled twice from the Union of Artists. In 1970, she was found dead with numerous head injuries. Despite the official version that her father-in-law killed her (he was found dead, too), many believe that the Soviets killed Alla Horska.
In the picture: Alla Horska, Self-Portrait, 1950s
Freedom to create: Olha Pilyuhina, a modern Ukrainian artist, is the creator of tapestries in the technique of hand weaving. Her Instagram is here. Recently, Ukrainian brand KHUSTYNA has created a collection of designer silk scarves in collaboration with Olha. The collection includes nine unique designs, aiming to draw attention to carpet weaving.
The silk scarves are available on the brand's website. And I need to add that it is not an ad. You will never see ads in my letters or posts.
A place for your future visits to Kyiv: Khanenko Museum. Before the war, it held the biggest and most valuable collections of European, Asian, and Ancient art in Ukraine. Now, the museum collection is secured in a safe place. During the war, the museum has temporary exhibitions.
Instagram, Kyiv, 15-17, Tereshchenkivska St.
THE WAR IS HERE
I kindly ask you to read other sources, too. I recommend the ones I refer to: Kyiv Independent, Ukrainska Pravda, Institute for the Study of War, and General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Facebook).
The cruelest attacks on civilians during the week: On October 21, a russian missile hit a Kharkiv depot belonging to the Nova Poshta postal company. 6 people were killed and 17 were injured.
Khmelnytskyi oblast was attacked on the night of 24-25 October. In my hometown, 300 residential buildings, all the schools, and kindergartens were damaged, and 20 people were injured.
russia launched a massive attack on Kherson on October 27: 90 attacks, 516 shells fired, 24 aerial guided bombs, and 11 civilians injured.
Frontline: russian forces try to encircle Avdiivka despite of heavy losses they had in the area. They also made unsuccessful attempts to regain the positions they had previously lost on the Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia fronts. Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations near Bakhmut, in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and marginally advanced on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. You can find detailed information from the frontline in regular assessments of the Institute for the Study of War and daily reports of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Facebook).
Pay attention to this: russian forces attack Kherson daily, the city is being gradually destroyed, and there is no international coverage on that. If you are on X, please follow Zarina Zabrisky for regular updates on Kherson.
On the night of 24-25 October, the explosions damaged the windows of an administrative and a laboratory building near Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant.
Okay. I finished. I really hope that it was not boring. Any thoughts on how to make these Public Letters more useful are appreciated (for example, what you want to add). Of course, if you consider that I should go on. Thank you!
If we let Ukraine be forgotten, russia might win this war and ruin the democratic world. Please help me to make sure that people remember about Ukraine.
From Kyiv,
Yara (or Yaroslava)