Hi!
The other day I talked with a woman I know very well. She is a writer (talented one). This woman (writer) has a 4 yr old daughter. And a husband. He is fighting near Bakhmut. Together with his brother.
We have a lot of such women. Whose husbands, loved ones, brothers, and sons are at the frontline. Some of them will never return. Today I've read somewhere the simple phrase:
- Heroes ARE dying.
Ordinary people are dying, too, in this war. A lot of.
Do you know what I am afraid of? The long war. Long wars take a lot of life.
Recently I read the letter of the Son, who wrote about his mother, who died in Dnipro. She was walking near the multi-story house that was hit by a russian missile. I don't know the size of the wound in this boy's heart. I don't know.
I, a very ordinary woman who tells her story through her window, don't know how many wars we (people) need to settle down and be happy about what we have.
Today I had a short walk to the city center. Without laptop. Just me & phone (I like the picture above, it's very appropriate when we talk about wars).
There were many people on the street. Kyiv is alive, busy, and attacked from time to time.
I will never forget this time (it would be impossible, yesyes). I will never forget the morning of the invasion, the horrors in Mariupol, big letters CHILDREN, long queues for bread and water (dear world, I will never forget that bread and water are very important things), the everyday bombing of Kharkiv, the tanks near houses in Sumy, my former colleagues trying to escape, the ruined houses in Dnipro, Hostomel, Borodianka, Irpin.... the horrors in Bucha... New Year's Eve in Kyiv with explosions instead of fireworks, blackouts, and no water days.
I can continue for a long time.
I don't know. I don't know why I decided to write all of it to you today.
So please have a rest after this war reading. I will show you more pictures I took today. It's Kyiv. Alive and free.
And old. Kyiv is a very old man. But strong enough to survive this war.
Take care,
Yara (or Yaroslava)