For the first time since the outbreak of war, or fundamentally a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I managed to visit Kiev. What I saw in town and what I heard from people is different from what I could read in the media.
Kiev has changed a bit since my last visit. This is peculiarly awesome at night, as the city is struggling with power supply problems due to Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
As a result, it remains mostly darkened at night, with only any lights burning at the station. There are more soldiers with long weapons on the streets for apparent reasons. You can inactive see individual buildings that carry signs of harm and fire.
Kiev remains darkened at night due to harm to critical infrastructure. The streets only illuminate the lights of passing cars. Still, the city is alive, traffic is not going to die for a minute (Fig. B. Thesławski /Neast.eu)But despite all this, the city lives. In conversations with another passing people – in a common compartment in a train, in a taxi, in a hotel or on the street most frequently repeated by me, the question was “how to live?” or “how to live?” and what is interesting is usually the first answer is that it is difficult, but no 1 intends to give up.
The city is trying to decision on with its rhythm. Cafés open in the morning and tempt guests with freshly brewed coffee or food. Stores work, in any places there are children playing with each other. If it wasn't for the fact that people are on the streets a small besides small for a 3 million Kiev, then wars would actually be unnoticed. Especially in the central parts of the city, where I expected to be destroyed by many rocket fire, there is now no sign of any after the war. In addition to posters informing the city's inhabitants of possible mines or another explosive charges (with the omnipresent dog Patron) it is hard to separate between the current Kiev and the pre-war ones.
A dog with a grateful name Patron (bottle) became an online superstar, helping the Sapers detect explosives. Today, the heroic quadrangle adorns the streets of Kiev on posters informing of explosives. The city itself, at least in the center, is very small damaged, and you can see that the Russians have never managed to enter here. In any places, the effects of shelling are seen on buildings, most frequently around crucial buildings or critical infrastructure elements. The destroyed Samsung building close the train station shows how imprecise a precise weapon can be.
Nevertheless, Kiev and its inhabitants amazed me very positively. The city amazed me with how good it is now. Although power cuts show that Russia's strategy of attacks on critical infrastructure has any effect, Kiev remains relentless. store shelves are full of products, both Ukrainian and Western. The subway, the trams and the buses go. Graveyards play on the streets, church services are celebrated, and even the Ferris wheel set other the Kiev-Mohylan Academy was spinning on the weekend.
Ukrainian loved Ukrainian
What is peculiarly heard “in the ears” erstwhile talking to Kiev residents is amazingly advanced level of designation of Ukrainians for... Ukrainians. Until recently, Ukrainians, in deficiency of sympathy with themselves, were able to stand up to Poles. Now it's changing.
The Ukrainians now have a strong religion in each other. They have become highly cordial to each other, and in talks they emphasize the successive successes of their fellow countrymen. Whether it's military on the front, whether it's organizational successes, associated with the fast clearing of the tanks' refurbishment plant after the shelling or reconnection of power and hot water after the Russian fire one more time cut off civilians. Despite the power outages, our guide with a grin sent a kiss towards “Kyyivteploenerho”, an institution liable for power and heating supply to Kiev, calling them heroes.
The main reason for Ukrainian pride in fresh days was of course the capture of Kherson. In the light of candles (again due to the lights off) they made a toast to his liberation, and immediately later to the Polish independency Day (the Ukrainian warriors officially entered Kherson on 11 November). Hence, it is not amazing that, above all, the words of appreciation and admiration of the Ukrainians are directed primarily towards their soldiers and the ZSU. They are the ones who are the first toasts to be toasted and who talk of them with the highest respect.
Romantic candlelight dinner on the day Ukrainian troops entered Chersonia. The deficiency of light did not take the Kyivians' joy of success.From the stories of the Ukrainians besides disappears “non-dasism”, which we as Poles surely realize perfectly. For many years, changes in Ukraine were impossible. From those at the highest level, blocked by all-powerful oligarchs to those tiny ones like patching a gap in the mediate of the main road leading through the provincial city. Now the Ukrainians are convinced that everything can be done. They believe in each another and believe that allies will not leave them, due to the fact that as I have heard here many times, they fight not only for themselves, but besides for us. due to the fact that Russia in Ukraine will not halt and go further, towards the Baltic States or Poland. And that is another reason for them to be arrogant that they can successfully defy this “second planet army”.
Some things don't naturally change. Among individuals, you can hear complaints, most frequently about elites, or a group holding power, that in 1 place or another it does not do something as it should. 1 of the taxi drivers wholeheartedly supported Petr Poroshenko, who lobbies for expanding the defence budget and who is to be suppressed by Zelenski's surroundings. In the vast majority of people, despite the hard situation, we will hear alternatively good words about the countrymen, and even about politicians, which in Ukraine has so far been an absolute phenomenon.
The nation is hardened in the heat of battle
The Ukrainians themselves admit that they will come out of the conflict much stronger as a nation. It is fascinating, as one more time Russians supply Ukrainians with further heroes and foundations for functioning as a nation independent of Russian tradition. In fact, this tradition is hostile. The smiles of the people in the streets show the strength to bring the war to a victorious end. Everyone truly believes that, and I think that conviction is the most crucial thing I brought from Kiev.
Interestingly and worthy of emphasis, hostility towards Russia does not make Russian language in the city in any peculiar way discriminated against. More than half of Kievians, which they themselves admit, talk Russian all day. An expanding number of people are proceeding a surżyk, which shows attempts to control to Ukrainian in people who did not usage it all day. However, repeated in Russian propaganda (or unfortunately besides Belarusian) belief that Russian language was banned in the country, can be inserted between fairy tales.
Ukrainians are not going to give up
The optimistic, nevertheless, moods of the Ukrainians are besides reflected in their relation to the continuation of the fighting. Repeated by Western media speculation about an effort to “force” Ukraine's peace talks are not taken besides seriously here. The reason is democracy. My interlocutors have convinced me that power cannot force the citizens to lay down their weapons and president Zelenski knows it. due to the fact that if he did, he must face another Majdan and national protests. These could be peculiarly dangerous, considering how many weapons are presently in Ukrainian hands.
Obtaining Chersony, although important, in no way determines for the Ukrainians the minute erstwhile they could start talking to Russia. The conditions of peace (which must function somewhere in the media circulation, due to the fact that I have heard them from respective people) are a return to the 1991 borders, a reparation from Russia for the losses suffered and a court for war criminals.
As you can see, these are the conditions that only full failure and surrender could force on Russia. Naturally, they are not Ukrainians, and their representatives will gotta negociate with Russia (and with Western allies who will most likely gotta take any work for peace) and most likely these conditions from Ukraine's position will constitute “maximum” expectations. It is not a place to wonder if specified conditions can be met at all. The war is on, and much can change in it. However, this does not change the fact that for this minute Ukraine remains determined to defend its lands. due to the fact that as everyone has told me here, Russia never goes back, and any area presently will be just a break for them to catch their breath.
