From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 920)
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Psalm 20:5
Our first school week left me too exhausted on a Friday night to write an update. I fell asleep on a beanbag in my son’s room, only to drowsily move the beanbag to our apartment hallway a couple of hours later because of the air raid. Over 50 drones were attacking Ukraine last night.
Yesterday, the Russians bombed Kharkiv. Again. The bombs fell on an apartment building and the surrounding area downtown. They killed 7 people, including a 14-year-old girl. Almost 100 people received injuries.
This may be reported because of the high number of victims, but every day, dozens of places away from the frontline (especially in the Sumy region) are bombed by the Russian army dozens of times just because they are within the reach of the Russian weapons.
Meanwhile, the Paralympic Games are taking place in Paris. My husband and son have been following them and cheering for Ukrainian athletes. My husband noted that the Olympics get much more coverage, while the Paralympics are even better at highlighting the strength of the spirit. Ukrainian athletes compete next to the “neutral” participants. How does it make them feel? A Ukrainian paralympic swimmer, Oleksandr Komarov, who won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and set a new Paralympic record in his class, shared his feelings, “Sharing a podium with a “neutral” swimmer? On the podium, I knew that our Ukrainian national anthem would be played, and I felt confident, so it was a moment of pride. I am from Mariupol. I stayed in the city through difficult times under the bombardment. All my awards and medals burned down in Mariupol. That’s why it is hard for me to be around “neutral” participants, because although they appear to be “neutral,” they support the war and rejoice in the deaths of Ukrainian people.”
Lots of Paralympic athletes come from Kharkiv or use it as their training base. How did the bombing of the city make them feel?
Voice of Ukraine 