From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 961)
From the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
Psalm 61:2-3
Sometimes, I wonder if there is anything I haven’t said before, anything that could make a difference. Yet even if my words will not change someone’s mind, I know I can’t be quiet. I need to keep knocking and keep telling about the dangers of trusting Russia.
A few days ago, AP reported that Kremlin has been deceiving young women from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka. They were promised a work-study program but instead ended up at a factory assembling drones. In the interview, some of the women complained of “long hours under constant surveillance, broken promises about wages, and of working with caustic chemicals that left their skin pockmarked and itching.” They also said there are some 16-year-old Russians working along them. If this is not slavery, then what is it? And if someone can justify war in Ukraine, how do they justify this?
I sometimes hear questions such as, “Why don’t you just give up territories?” I can understand when these questions are sincere and the person asking is just trying to make sense of it all. However, sometimes this question is presented as a fast solution, and the one presenting it feels like they have a sacred duty to persuade you that this is the only true solution possible. When you have such conversations with someone you know, it feels like a stab in your heart.
I came across an illustration (see the picture below) that explains why this “solution” will not solve anything. I wonder if those repeating these ideas will feel as strongly defending the suggested (and pretty accurate) translation.
Today, they held a memorial service in downtown Kyiv. It was in honor of Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian reporter who went missing in August 2023 and was later confirmed to be in Russian detention. The laws of the war clearly prohibit imprisoning civilians, yet this is just another law that’s being broken. It has been confirmed that Victoria Roshchyna died in captivity (circumstances to be discovered) while being held in one of the most cruel detention centers for Ukrainian POWs.
I don’t know if I can find words to sum it up. The level of this wickedness is insane.
Voice of Ukraine 