Ukrainian People - Blog Posts

Then negotiate a peace. Stop trying to save a shred of territory because doing so is resulting in mass slaughter of incompetent barely trained Ukrainians. You fuckers are gonna capitulate at this rate, then Russia can do whatever they want. Negotiate. A. Peace.

1. Negotiating wouldn’t help.

We had the Budapest memorandum in 2014 when we got “security guarantees” from russia, USA and the UK in exchange for our nuclear arsenal and some other weapons. Did that help us in 2014? Nope.

Now, the year of 2014. Russians took our Crimea, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. We tried to negotiate with them and signed the Minsk Agreement. Did it ever help us in 2022? No.

Peace treaties with russia are worthless.

2. Giving up this “shred of territory” (which is the size of two Belgiums, by the way) would never stop the “mass slaughter of Ukrainians”.

Every day with russians on our land creates more torture chambers, mass graves, rape, forced deportation of Ukrainian children and concentration camps.

3. Does russia want to negotiate right now? No, unless all of Ukraine surrenders.

If all of Ukraine surrendered and became a part of russia, it would result in a complete genocide. Those Ukrainians who manage to survive will be sent by moscow as cannon fodder to Poland or Moldova. Is this the “mass slaughter of incompetent Ukrainians” you meant?

By the way, this is already happening with Ukrainians from the occupied territories who are sent by russians to the frontlines with no equipment, no training or even a health check.

If you mean “peace” as in a ceasefire, and letting russia keep the land it controls, it wouldn’t work either. Russians do not want to negotiate right now. If they did, they wouldn’t have started a new counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.

Even if russia agreed to a ceasefire, and stopped bombing us (which would be a miracle), it would not last. They would use some time to regroup, train more soldiers, produce more weapons and ask for reduce of sanctions. In a few months or years they will attack Ukraine again, using the occupied territories. Just like in 2022.

4. Historically, we’re looking at the Third Reich annexing Sudetenland right now. Or even attacking Poland - if we remember Ukraine in 2014, Georgia in 2008 and two Chechen wars in the 1990s.

I’m sure you’ve heard of wwii but here’s a quick recap: everyone tried to appease hitler, no one cared when the third reich swallowed Austria, Czechia, Slovakia and only when the nazis attacked Poland, the people were like ‘OH MY GOD HITLER IS TRYING TO CONQUER EUROPE! This is unbelievable, why haven’t we stopped him before???’

(Well, not everyone was like that. Many people said “why should we fight for Poland, who cares about that hitler guy”)

5. Do you want a russian war with NATO? Or would you prefer to just send Ukraine some old weapons (that you don’t use anyway) and let us stop russia by ourselves?

NATO either helps Ukraine win now, or they will have to really fight russia in a few years. Do you want to send boys from NATO countries to die in Warsaw, Riga or Tallinn? Do you want russians to come to your country, to bomb your house, to kill your mother and rape your kid?

6. And for fuck’s sake, don’t talk to me like that. I wasn’t born in a first world country, yes. But that doesn’t make me inferior to you.

it's always 'ukraine was being invaded', not 'russian-ukrainian war'. always. it always was, as if russians didn't bomb one of europe's largest printing houses in kharkiv last week and the invasion ended after 2 months. it's always invasion, as if russians don't bomb the whole ukrainian territory every single day - civil infrastructure, residential quarters, schools and printing houses. you're against terrorism, violence and war crimes until you're uncomfortable. because for some reason, the world is absolutely comfortable with russia killing thousands of ukrainians. of course, it's not comfortable to live in a world with a literal war in europe. but how comfortable is it to live in a warring country that is being destroyed every day? how comfortable are children to go to school only to spend half the day in a shelter? how comfortable are people waking up without knowing if they will even wake up tomorrow? or if their close ones will wake up tomorrow?

you're either with a terrorist state, or with ukraine. there is nothing outside of politics. you are politics. people's lives are also politics. being neutral is the same support for russia. choose a side.

One year ago russia blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam.

I'm remembering how desperate we all felt. We were screaming about it, sharing news. This is an act of terrorism and ecocide, huge flooded areas, unimaginable consequences for people and environment. But the world didn't care. Still doesn't.

1994: Crimean Tatars mark the 50th anniversary of russia deporting their entire population from their homeland. From the 18th-20th of May 1944 the Tatars were loaded onto cattle trains and removed from their native land.

2024 is the 80th anniversary of Stalin's Crimean genocide.

Since 2014 Crimea has again been occupied by russia.

I still can't process the fact that russians kidnapping Ukrainian children, adopting them in russia, changing their names and other personal information from Ukrainian to russian, "re-educating" them and raising them as russians is our reality.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_abductions_in_the_Russo-Ukrainian_War

BBC article

https://www.politico.eu/article/save-ukraine-children-abduction-russia-war-rescue-operation/

Was a city

The same place in 2021:

russia is currently executing civilians in ukrainian vovchansk. russian forces are taking civilians captive, executing people trying to escape captivity. they are also shelling the entire place with cluster munitions to kill any survivors left

- Where are all Ukrainian writers? Why there are so few of them?

Just one example of hundreds similar cases:

Geo Shkurupiy was born on April 20, 1903, a Ukrainian writer of the avant-garde genre. Shot by the NKVD (the Secret Police of the USSR) on December 8, 1937, in Leningrad. His place of rest is still unknown. His wife, Varvara Bazas, was assigned the WTM category — "the Wife of a Traitor to the Motherland". Together with their son Georgiy, they - as an "enemy of the people" family - were forcibly evicted from Kyiv by the Soviet authorities.

No Genocide

Crimean Tatars in Ukraine commemorate russia's deportation of their entire population from their homeland from the 18th-20th May 1944.

2024 is the 80th anniversary of Stalin's ethnic cleansing of Crimea.

Sources:

The Kyiv Post

The Atlantic Council

OSCE

Tomorrow I'll have to leave my home because of russians. Again.

Ukraine is going back to blackouts today, just like we did in fall and winter of 2022-2023, due to russians attacks on our energy infrastructure. We appreciate our energy workers so much, this is what they're dealing with.

Long post about so-called Ukrainian “xenophobia” towards russians. If you’re not from East Europe\Ukraine - PLEASE, READ IT.

Me and my friends are really tired from seeing shit like this, so here’s simplest explanation to (almost) every popular agrument and answer to it.

Starting with definition. Xenophobia = hate for something foreign just because it is foreign. We DO NOT hate russians just because they're russians.

We hate russians for their warcrimes: both of the past and present.

(Litteraly the day I wrote this thread on Twitter it was another missile attack in the morning)

To put it plane and simple: russians and everything russia related aren't bad for just being russian: russians and everything russia related are bad because they destroying our lifes, cities, kill, rape, stole, occupy, torture and etc.

"But not every russian is related to military! Most of them against war!"

Oh? Really?

But even without numbers: you need to understand that more often so-called anti war russians are just ignorant to what their country doing. Be against war isn't about just words and position - it's about proving your position action. And by taking none since 2014, russians made it clear that they're okay with war.

"Anti war" russians most likely still paying taxes, and those money lately goes to army. "Anti war" russians, again, didn't do anything to stop war. Hell, most of liberal russians are direct imperialists.

So, if you see russian online and even if they're proclame themselves to be antiwar, in 99% cases they aren't.

Also, I simplifying most of things to better understanding, but you also need to know that without context of East Europe\russia-Ukraine conflict history a lot of imperialistic russian shit can pass though your ears. Just be aware of it.

"But how can they do anything against in such authoritarian country!"

Let's head back to simple math. According to russian sources, there was almost 15k detained (note: detained =\= convicted) for anti-war actions.

It all may sound scary... Until you look at looses of ru army.

So it is MUCH more safer in russia to be anti-war that is to be pro-war. Does it bother russians? Not at all.

and don't get me started on how lame it is for country with 144 million population to be afraid of abvously much lesser police force)

***

So, in summary:

Ukranians don't hate russians for being russians. Ukranians hate russians for being bloodthursty, ignorant mass who actively support war and\or don't do a shit to stop it.

Most russians, even "good" ones - likely a war supporter. Yes, they may not a straight forward z-one, but almost 100% an ignorant person who supports war by their money and absence of action against it.

We, Ukranians, have neither the strength nor the desire to look for a needle in our son's haystack.

Keep it in mind and please, do not get into conflicts, the nature and context of which you do not understand. Thanks for reading.

P.S Also there's a really good thread on Twitter that looks over this as a question of basic empathy, so please read it as well.

P.S.S And feel free to ask questions.

Fight for them as they fought for you

Mykyta Tatyanko "Zhyvchyk", a soldier of the 501st separate marine battalion, is still in captivity. He hit the front pages of all the world's media because he was simply helping the wounded during the shelling of the Mariupol maternity hospital. Because he just wanted to save someone.

In Mariupol, Zhyvchyk provided moral support to the locals. Ksenia, a resident of the city, met the soldier when a residential area was shelled. That day, March 12, her family was injured and slaughtered - her 16-year-old son and her sister's husband were killed instantly. "I was in a state of shock: I wanted to commit suicide because half of my family was killed in front of me, and the other half was not sure if they would survive," Ksenia said. The young defender helped the woman to keep her morale up. Mykyta convinced her that she shouldn't do anything to herself because many people around her needed help. "You are needed here, let's go help," Ksenia recalls. Ksenia told Mykyta's mother, Larysa, everything in detail, and told her that she had become the heroine of a movie about Mariupol. She also talked a lot about Mykyta in the movie, but she didn't give them any details. They are still in touch. Once she said: "Maybe you will be offended by me, but now Mykyta will be my adopted son." And Larysa was very happy about that, because now they both pray for him sincerely. Larysa was also contacted by one of the guys who was in the TRO and headed the security of the hospital in the city center. In a conversation with the soldier's mother, the defender said that in Mariupol, her son shared his food and medicine with the residents. Mykyta gave away almost everything he had.

❗In these pictures, he is 19 years old. At the age of 18, he voluntarily chose the path of the military, which even before the full-scale war, he was in the east part of Ukraine. Mykyta has been in captivity for almost 2 years, so he is now 21.

Please, share stories of our defenders in captivity. Many of them, including Mykyta have been there more than 2 years. You can only imagine what Russians do and tell them. Russians entertain themselves by breaking people, especially Ukrainians. They fiercely hate people who protect and fight for freedom. I hope our people find even more power in themselves to live through the hell of russian captivity. And when defenders all come back to their homeland, they will be themselves, in a healthy state like body and mind. There so many people are waiting for them. They deserve only good things after all of that.

The gorgeous Frank with important message in Kyiv.

11 years old Ilya tells about his experiences in occupied Mariupol (Donetsk region, Ukraine). Ilya's mother died in his hand after being injured by a russian bomb, he later was kidnapped by russian forces.

Not gonna lie, my morale is at the lowest point it's been since the beginning of the invasion. Russians are successfully occupying more and more territories and shell frontline regions every day. People are dying, our culture and herritage is destroyed. International aid dwindled significantly because of american bullshit. Mobilization law has been signed and there is a chance that my family members get conscripted soon. Don't even get me started on internal political problems. A bunch of articles in foreign media talking about our defeat and "peace talks" (what a joke).

It feels like there were no at least moderately good news in a while. On top of that, the feeling that we are screaming into the void is stronger than ever. I'm happy when I see a foreigner online supporting us and spreading the word, because it gets rarer. Ukrainians feel like none of what's happening gets outside our info bubble. Most likely no one but Ukrainians will see this post either. Honestly don't know what to make of all of this.

24.02.2022.

The day that changed my life forever.

24th of February 2022 should have been my usual day. No, not usual. A wonderful day. I should have been checked with a doctor, gave notice to teachers in high school of my absence, and then fly away on vacation, my parents wanted it so much.

On 23rd of February 2022 I felt happy. I had a secure, happy life, preparing to finals, hanging out with my friends, already having an offer from university.

Until 5AM 24.02.2022.

I had not a single class in my school since then.

I haven’t seen my friend group in 2 years.

I didn’t have my finals.

We did not have that vacation.

“Daughter, wake up. This old psychotic man attacked us. We are leaving.”

That was my first photo of the day, trying sarcastically keep myself normal. I remember that actual emptiness, reading my classmates texts about how their windows were shaking because of explosions, the sky was orange. They sent that video.

He called it “a special military operation”.

I collected random clothes, some hobby stuff just to keep my sanity, grabbed my pet, emptied my safety locker. I was scared that russians would intrude into our home and steal all my savings, so I throw away key to that lock. This key became my symbol of war, I have never found it even after return.

When I with my parents and pet got out of flat to car we heard for the very first time air raid siren. We would hear so many more of them, we would learn to differentiate them, but then we were confused.

It was my second photo. People were going away. Foot, cars, bicycles. I remember such a surreal picture. Some moms were carrying their toddlers, one woman was carrying a bucket of water with turtles, other people were carrying cages with parrots, with dogs, with cats, with exotic pets despite air raid siren, temperature, rain. Everyone was so confused and scared.

Few days later the road we were riding was occupied. Bridges destroyed. Factories burnt. Supermarkets demolished. Houses in ruins. Road in holes. On the side of the road burnt cars with “DO NOT TOUCH, POSSIBLY EXPLOSIVE”. That gut wrenching feeling seeing photos of dead bodies and recognising the place.

But back then it was still lively, not a road of death. I remember reading news then. First victims, first shelling. Invasion from East. Invasion from Kharkiv region. Invasion from Crimea. Invasion from Chernihiv. Invasion from Zhytomyr. And we were in Zhytomyr region at that moment. Explosions in Kyiv. The border was destroyed.

I felt nothing. Just emptiness.

This precious girl was keeping my head cool all the road. She was also scared and irritated, but she was so strong, such an amazing girl. I am so proud of her.

We were heading to my grandparents who lived closer to West Ukraine, so we would be safer. The road that takes usually just 4 hours but that time it took 13 hours. 13 hours of driving exhausted and nerved. We saw soldiers, trucks, jets, how barricades were built, signs were removed.

But we made it. We were lucky. Lucky to be alive, to have family alive and mostly close to West, further from russia. Even though, part of my extended family still was under occupation in Chernihiv region, suffering from such close border with belarus.

When we arrived, we were just silent. Then collected mattresses for shelter, asked grandpa to grab some patrol (we knew that they would definitely destroy reservoirs and literally next day the started doing that), and just fell asleep in something that we arrived in, being so scared.

That day I also cut ties with russian friend who I am shamed to admit having. He was proving me that this is just a military operation, no one would be harmed.

Then, arrived spring that I will never forget but at the same time never remember. I remember 10 people in one floor house. I remember the whistle of rocket that woke us up. I remember sirens. I remember news. I remember losing hope. I remember first photos after deoccupation of Kyiv region. I remember how forgotten friend of my dad suddenly called him saying that his city is fully destroyed, his neighbour right on his eyes was exploded attempting to get into the car and evacuate.

I remember my first mental breakdown. How I was crying in the darkness, but quietly so no one would notice.

We were able to return home three months later. But we are just lucky. Someone would never return. Someone is not even alive to see their home again. Someone’s home is forever destroyed.

I was lucky that I have secured my place at foreign university before war, but my whole family is still in Ukraine.

War is not over at all. 20% of Ukraine is occupied. So many displaced civilians, so many deaths. No one could even count, we do not have any access to bodies. Only way to identify is to deoccupy and find mass graves. No other means. Children are suffering from PTSD even in such a young age. Almost in every city, big or small, you would find graveyards covered in Ukrainian flag, grave of the soldier.

Maybe media does not talk that much of us, but it doesn’t mean that everything is alright. Avdiivka is destroyed, right now operation searching for people under debris of the civilian house after attack is undergoing.

And this is happening all the time.

Who was punished for Olenivka? Who was punished for destruction of Kakhovka Dam? Who was punished for all fully destroyed cities? Who was responsible for all that absolutely atrocious videos torturing Ukrainian soldiers?

Please, remember, Ukraine is still on fire. People are still dying. Soldiers cannot even counterattack because they do not have enough ammo, just for protection. Information war is also waging, sharing all that misinformation, Nazi narratives, russian propaganda.

Remember.

Help.

Share.

russia is a terrorist state.

Glory to Ukraine.

Glory to the Heroes.

I will also join my fellow Ukrainians in sharing how 24th of February 2022 went for us.

I didn't go to sleep that night. The day before I had a check-in call regarding my uni project. All of my group mates did. I don't remember what I was doing so late at night but the fact is - I didn't sleep. My partner was already in bed but still scrolling her phone. Suddenly she sits up and says that russians on social media are saying that "we all will be fucked", and that Ukrainians are commenting on hearing loud bangs in their cities. We sit in silence shocked for a couple of minutes. Then we hear it as well. A loud bang. The kind that shakes the ground. We hear car sirens. A moment passes before we hear another one. I started packing my backpack with my documents and money. My dad says it won't be necessary, that they are just attacking the strategic military buildings. I don't remember how the rest of the night/early morning went. I don't remember if I've slept. In the morning the president had announced that the war has started.

Two weeks later I would leave for Belgium with my partner to not sit on my family's shoulders, to not be a burden. Everything is going relatively well for me: I found a job, I have a place to live, I am not struggling with food. Of course I had to sacrifice my degree for the lack of language and my hobbies for the lack of free time. That is why I don't draw much anymore. I just hope that in the future I will be able to do it again.

Two years passed and I feel like people abroad got used to the war. I am not fully aware of the whole situation but from my side it feels like people are forgetting about us. Like we are receiving less support. Like we are starting to loose. I just hope that it's not true and that it just feels that way.

Though Internet has been really hostile to Ukrainian voices lately. And there is so much misinformation. My partner met a woman near the station who pretended to be Ukrainian to beg for money. She didn't speak any Ukrainian or, for that matter, russian, just English. She didn't expect someone to talk back to her in Ukrainian.

I just hope that we will win the war and it will happen soon. My whole being hurts when I read the news about russian war crimes and the tragedies that just keep happening to my people.

If you have anything to spare, consider donating to the Ukrainian army. Reach out to your government, show up to protests. I'm tired of seeing only Ukrainians doing it. We can't do this alone, we will need everything that we can get.

https://u24.gov.ua/

Слава Україні! Героям слава!

І мирного неба!

I often think about Hlodan family. Please take a moment to learn about them.

On April 23, 2022, on Easter Eve, russian missile hit the Tiras residential complex in Odesa, Ukraine. Eight people were killed, including Yurii's family - his wife Valeriia, three-month-old daughter Kira and mother-in-law Liudmyla. Yurii survived, because at the moment he went to the shop.

Look at baby Kira's tiny pink hat. Cute little onesie. That baby was so wanted and loved. Mother's post on Facebook form February says "These were the best 40 weeks ever. Our girl is 1 month old now. Daddy got her her first flowers. It's a whole new level of happiness".

Yurii donated diapers, one of the few things he could find in destroyed apartment, to the charity. He also took photo albums, his wife's collection of sugar packets, handwritten notes.

Yurii spoke about his wife very lovingly and tenderly: "Her ability to communicate with different people, to understand people, the way she knew how to talk, how beautifully she wrote... You can’t even imagine how she wrote! And what kind of mother she was... You can’t even imagine! This is a mother, this is a friend, this is a daughter - with the best qualities... I simply cannot find another person like her. Person like this can only be given by God once".

After losing his family, Yurii decided to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 5 November, 2023, his colleague Oleksandr Yakovenko reported that Yurii was killed at the front. The whole family is gone.

today I woke up at five in the morning

my alarm clock is russian ballistic missiles

and then more missiles. and more. and shahed drones after that.

I know you most likely won't see it on the news in your country. But despite the low media coverage, Ukraine needs you now more than ever. Now that we receive no military aid from the US. Every penny counts. Please, if you have any funds to spare, consider donating to one of the Ukrainian non-profits listed here. Thank you. The attacks continues still, but we're alive so everything will be alright.

"Ukraine is getting too much attention" "it's not that bad suck it up" "but what about [insert country]" "I bet if russia did [something russia has done 20 times] the world would react bc Ukrainians are white" "but what oil prices" "there are only 647 dead Ukrainian children in 2 years" "what about russian protesters" "white privilege" "that's not genocide this is anti-imperialism" "what about 8 years of bombing bambas children" "but Azov regiment" "I don't want WW3 we must appease russia at all costs" "Ukraine rejected peace deal with russia" "they are all nazis anyway" "kill yourself"

This is how it feels.

Our everyday struggle and fight for life aren't glamour decorations that can easily be erased. Don't silence our voices when Russia is staying unpunished for its crimes throughout the whole of Russian history. Support us, donate to our army and medics (safelifein.ua, prytulafoundation, ptahy. Before it's not too late. We running out of time and weapons. Please don't look away!

Art by Nikita Titov (Нікіта Тітов).

"Mstyslav Chernov didn’t mention Gaza during his speech" people, are you insane? The man and his team survived a siege of a city, documented russian war crimes, miraculously managed to escape and you give him all the bullshit instead of other Oscar winners? You are all mentally ill.

Odesa. 2 march 2024

russia killed 7 adults and 5 children (the smallest is a four-month-old baby)

My two years today

Two years ago I was in Ukraine with my family. We will never gather at the same table as before. I have no opportunity to come home, my grandmother died, several acquaintances are missing, my cat also died without veterinary care. The city is empty, my younger sister goes to school under occupation, where she is forced to draw thank you cards for russian soldiers and the teachers mock her for her Ukrainian accent. She constantly cries and asks me to pick her up, but I don’t know what to say. My mother had a stroke, but she was not admitted to the hospital during the occupation because she did not have a Russian passport, and they did not manage to help her in time. Parts of her brain are permanently disabled, and she barely recognizes me or moves. I'm glad she's alive, but I no longer have support in my mother, this happened too soon.

Abroad, I was once attacked by russian emigrants in Lithuania. They saw my passport when I was buying tickets, and then they followed me and started pushing me and calling me a Nazi. A taxi driver helped me and took me away from there. The last time I was in Ukraine, a rocket fell near the house where I was visiting. Neither I nor anyone in the house was surprised or frightened, it was just the deep despair of millions of people from hopelessness.

I don’t remember well half a year during the occupation, but I remember how we made a fire to cook food, that there was no water, buses with loudspeakers drove through the streets, calling for surrender. How they came and took our medicines from our houses. How we went to rallies and had grenades thrown at us. I saw two huge piles rising above the ground - with the remains of cars and, apparently, with the remains of bodies and everything else. This picture is very unclear, I almost threw up, and after a couple of minutes a russian military man came up to me and asked if I loved russia. I answered "yes". What else could I say?

Now I am undergoing treatment from a psychiatrist and am trying to work to donate to those in need. Every day there are only more and more and more of them... those who have lost their home, limbs or loved ones. It pains me to see requests for help with funerals.

I feel nothing today except emptiness

I’m so fucking tired.

We shouldn’t be “racist” to Russian. We shouldn’t be “xenophobic” to them. We shouldn’t be russophobic. We should have helped them. We should be more accepting. We must be forgiving. We cannot have a trauma response. We cannot avoid Russian.

We cannot do that and that. Also that.

We must do that and that. Also, that.

We cannot complain. We cannot show our suffering. We are at fault. We must negotiate. We must be silent. We have all deserved. We should have been destroyed. We need to understand. We need to be grateful.

Today I had to publicly defend a Ukrainian 14-year old child simply because he feels uncomfortable to engage with Russian art accounts. Child whose country for most of his life is at war with Russia. Child who spent night sheltering from rockets.

But he doesn’t have a right to be uncomfortable with oppressors.

He is xenophobic.

He is racist.

But Russians that arrived at his posts and started mocking him, are not.

“They are victims of bullying, so it is justified response”

Everyone can have a justified response. Everyone, except us. Because we must be a perfect victim. Or not victim at all? Maybe we are the one that attacked? Maybe we are nazis? There would be always 1001 arguments we do not deserve to be called victims.

World was watching us suffering for centuries. They disarmed us, left us defenceless and then, didn’t even help us a lot until we started screaming. Sometimes I feel that even now, people are still watching at us like at some drama, putting million expectations.

I’m feeling absolutely helpless. Whatever we do, we cannot do. No matter how we react, we should have reacted differently.

We owe everyone everything and no one owes us anything. Wonderful world to live in.

I’m losing motivation. I’m losing hope. I want to scream and cry. But it is also hopeless.

Why us? Why now? Why?

They are silent because it is about Muslims.

BBC not even trying to hide its bias anymore.