Voice of Ukraine

From: Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (696th day):

A colleague from India asked me yesterday, “Maia, are you in Kyiv, Ukraine? Are you safe there?”
Our dialogue went like this:

• No, Paul, the war is still going on, and nobody in Ukraine is safe. We still have regular missiles and drone attacks.
• But are you safe in Kyiv?
• No, there is no place in Ukraine that is safe. Ruzzian missiles and drones can reach anywhere. Kyiv is often a target. Even if Kyiv is the most protected by anti-missile defense, when ruzzian missiles get intercepted in the air, the pieces still fall on residential buildings.
• But the media is not talking about war in Ukraine anymore. It seems like the war is over.
• Well, it’s not over, and humanly speaking, we don’t know when it might end.

Maybe in India and many non-western countries the war is not in the media anymore at all. In the West media can also manipulate perceptions of “losing battles”, or “non-existing battles”, or “lack of reasons” to support a country that is fighting for its survival.

I saw an interview with one of the Ukrainian writers, Serhei Zhadan, who said he didn’t want to go abroad anymore, he is tired to keep convincing people that ruzzia is an aggressor and that Ukrainians have a right to be alive. We all hit a wall of discouragement now and then. But we can’t afford to fall apart, quit, or give up. Freedom and the future are worth fighting for – for our kids and grandkids.

You don’t have to rely on perceptions created by media – you have hearts, brains, and friends who are in the midst of the reality of war. Somehow, while everyone understands the long-term danger of allowing putin to change world order by destroying Ukraine, many try to use Ukraine as a pawn in getting what they want from their governments. Very short-sighted but understandably human. Please do your part by not supporting politicians who play this game. Whatever other important agendas are out there, they don’t have to jeopardize stopping a bully who threatens not just Ukraine, but all democratic world.