Letter from Kyiv: ‘I am writing this from an underground shelter’

At present, it’s a miserable place with few job alternatives, media censorship, and one of many worst circumstances of human-rights violations in Europe. Аll as a result of the “Russian World” stumbled on it eight years in the past when pro-Russian separatists declared it a “republic.” I used to be very blissful that my dad and mom might begin dwelling a traditional life once more.

And now? They’re compelled to hunt shelter each time they hear a siren that warns about attainable airstrikes. They’re experiencing the nightmare of shelling and heavy fights once more. All due to the grasping dictator who couldn’t think about his fantasy empire with out my nation.

On Feb. 24, round 5 a.m. I woke as much as a name from my boyfriend’s mom. She instructed me that Kyiv was below assault, and requested us to go to a secure place. Like a whole lot of Ukrainians, we couldn’t say that we had been caught without warning.

For months we had been studying information about Russian troops close to the Ukrainian border and attainable Russian invasion. Many Ukrainians didn’t wish to imagine on this. On the identical time, we had been making ready: studying directions on the right way to behave throughout wartime, going to first-aid coaching, getting our backpacks prepared in case we needed to depart our dwelling urgently. Lots of people signed up for territorial protection, to get skilled so they might be prepared to assist the army in case of invasion.

So after that decision, my boyfriend and I checked the information, took our backpacks, and left our flat. We didn’t plan to evacuate, we simply went to a safer place in Kyiv the place we might proceed working and be close to a bomb shelter.

Wanting again at that second of on the brink of depart the home, I used to be not panicking. Fairly, I used to be offended, offended as a result of I didn’t know if I might ever come again dwelling, offended that he did it — Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to launch a full-scale invasion and this implies there will likely be a whole lot of civilian casualties. As a result of he doesn’t look after atypical folks.

Life below the shelling

I’m penning this from an underground shelter the place I and 20 different persons are staying for the evening. For the reason that begin of the invasion, the nights have been particularly harmful and if folks have a chance, they sleep in underground shelters. Some sleep in metro stations as they too function bomb shelters.

Those that keep at dwelling can select to sleep within the loos or corridors — the primary steerage now we have been given is to not be close to home windows, since you will be injured by the glass in case of an explosive wave.

There have been assaults on residential areas in several cities round Ukraine. In Kyiv, a number of condo buildings had been broken. In Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts — within the north of the nation — kindergartens were attacked.

Kharkiv within the east was so closely shelled over the previous few days that it’s now troublesome to depend the casualties. That’s regardless of the declare from the Russian authorities that they “got here right here to guard the folks.” We spend time hiding in bomb shelters to keep away from this “safety”.

Some retailers and supermarkets closed down after the invasion. However on the identical time, many of the huge chains are organized in order that they may have some retailers open with a continuing provide of wanted merchandise. You’ll be able to’t say that there’s a scarcity of meals, at the very least not within the cities. No less than, not for now. Public transport in Kyiv is working and dealing totally free in order that residents can enter the metro as a shelter or use different transport. 

The banking system is working and a few supermarkets in Kyiv even have an choice of money withdrawal from a cashier. Every day now now we have a curfew. This implies which you can’t go to the streets and will keep at dwelling or shelter throughout sure hours (often from 8 p.m. to eight a.m.). However on Sunday we had the entire day as a curfew in an effort to trace Russian soldiers in civilian clothing who had infiltrated town.

Within the occasion of a attainable assault, we will hear a siren. We even have official media channels, social media, radio, and even some cellular apps that alert us when we have to disguise within the shelter. 

I’m now getting a whole lot of help messages from my associates around the globe. It’s nice to see lots of people gathering in peace rallies of their cities to help Ukraine. They don’t imagine Putin’s lies anymore. I’m simply unhappy that it took a lot time for folks around the globe to see the true nature of Putin’s regime. And it took so many harmless lives.

Ukrainians are totally different

Open the map of Russia, and evaluate the dimensions of Ukraine. Compare the size of the military budgets of the 2 international locations and the variety of army forces. You’ll most likely be amazed how Ukraine continues to be standing and preventing for thus lengthy towards one of many greatest army forces on this planet.

Putin himself was most likely hoping for a quick victory here. Sure, we acquired a whole lot of military-defense help from the world over the previous couple of months, however it isn’t about that. It’s about one thing extra significant, one thing that Putin did not consider, one thing that makes us considerably totally different from Russian invaders.

The overthrow of the federal government occurred after then-President Viktor Yanukovych refused to signal a political affiliation and free-trade settlement with the European Union. Extra Russian stress, in fact. However this was not even the primary cause for the Revolution of Dignity.

The principle cause occurred when demonstrators — principally college students who had been making ready to remain in a single day on the sq. — had been surrounded and attacked by riot police on the orders of Yanukovych’s authorities.

At the moment, in 2014, we understood: If we don’t act now, in the end we could have a dictatorship identical to our japanese and northern neighbors. You’ll be able to watch the film “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” on Netflix to know these occasions higher.

Simply think about this — a metropolis inside the metropolis. On this interior “metropolis” of protestors surrounded by barricades for protection, there was a spot for a kitchen, a spot to sleep in tents, a spot for artists, a spot for an “open college” for lectures and open-air discussions. This “metropolis” was nicely provided by meals and drugs, which had been donated by atypical residents and by enterprise.

The system of protection was nicely organized with a altering of the guard. Ukrainians had been united and had been decided to combat for his or her rights, to combat the dictatorial regime that would oppress its residents, censor the media, and prosecute those that had been on peaceable demonstrations. And this dictator was afraid of us.

There’s a meme circulating proper now in Ukraine: In a photograph our ex-president Yanukovych is speaking to Putin. And he tells Putin: “I do know them. You might be fucked”. Yanukovych fled to Russia due to our Revolution of Dignity. We gained. It was not simple and we lost over 100 people. However we gained our proper to stay in a democratic and free state the place residents matter.

Proper now, I can see the identical — and even stronger — degree of unity and group. A few of my associates are preventing, some assist with evacuations, some work on logistics to provide much-needed merchandise, some translate Ukrainian information and share it with the world. Ukrainians are superb at uniting towards a typical enemy.

That is what Putin doesn’t get: We’re not Russians. We are able to stand for ourselves. And now we have our personal historical past. During the last 30 years of this historical past, there have been six totally different presidents all democratically elected in Ukraine. In the meantime, Putin has been ruling in Russia for 20 years.

We have now a monitor file of profitable campaigns for our rights. We have now a robust civil society that’s pushing reforms — from healthcare to anti-corruption. In fact, it’s not a mattress of roses: We nonetheless have weak authorities establishments, a corrupt judicial system, and so forth. However we’re evolving. And our civil society is powerful. 

And now members of this robust neighborhood are preventing for his or her life. I don’t know what will likely be subsequent. However I’m certain that we gained’t quit preventing for our nation, for its independence and freedom.

And I’ve one thing to say to the Russian folks: It is best to combat towards your personal dictators. Freedom just isn’t given, it’s taken.

I really feel like we are actually preventing not just for ourselves, however for Russians and Belarussians, who couldn’t overthrow their dictators. We’re preventing for Europe and U.S. leaders who had been naive or so to do enterprise with Russia that they didn’t punish Putin sufficient for the annexation of Crimea, and shifting his army into Donbas in 2014.

That’s a whole lot of stress to deal with. And we couldn’t deal with all of those alone. That’s why we’d like help. We’d like unity from leaders around the globe and we’d like atypical residents to push for this help.

That is an unprecedented time. And it calls for unprecedented actions. Like closing the airspace above Ukraine in order that no Russian bombs might assault civilian buildings anymore. Like imposing devastating sanctions and isolating Russia. Like giving Ukraine army help from NATO, offering monetary and humanitarian help to Ukraine, and accepting Ukraine to the European Union.

The worldwide neighborhood ought to do every part to cease civilians from dying proper now in the course of Europe. Or be ashamed for the remainder of their lives. 

Olga Gvozdyova is a former activist of NGO Donbas SOS, serving to internally displaced folks from Donbas since 2014.