From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 897)
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
I remember this day sixteen years ago. It was the Olympics season as well. We were celebrating our friends’ wedding and discussing the news. On August 8, 2008, Russia invaded Georgia. We didn’t understand much. The situation looked disturbing yet safely distant at the same time. You could hear some people saying, “Ukraine will be next,” but it seemed ridiculous. Six years later, during the Winter Olympics, Russia started its operation to occupy Crimea, and in 2022, its poison spread throughout the entire country. They say that the 2022 invasion was postponed by a week or so because China (the host of the Winter Olympics 2022) forbade Putin to start the war during the Olympic Games.
The story of the Ukrainian canoeist Anastasia Rybachok continues (I shared it yesterday). So, at first, they told her to cover up part of her canoe where it said, “I am Ukrainian,” but after the media picked up this incident, they told her she was not allowed to compete in her boat at all. Thankfully, another canoeist, Lyudmyla Luzan (Anastasia’s partner in double sculls), allowed her to use her boat. Both athletes finished first in their quarterfinal heats, and the semifinals will take place on August 10. We’re holding our breath and hope for the justice to prevail.
Voice of Ukraine 