Invasion day +58 Will Ukraine hold? For them. For us. For us. For the world.
Will the west's aid be enough? Will it arrive fast enough to stem the slaughter? It must be, it must do, or we will all be victims of a New World Tyranny like no other. A mad dictator in possession of an arsenal of nuclear weapons enough to completely destroy the world several times over.
How did we arrive at this point? How did we come to really believe that having nuclear weapons would be any sort of deterrent to someone so mentally deranged that nothing, but nothing, in the world matters, not the people of Ukraine, not the people who have been duped into believing the merits of tyranny, not his own troops, particularly not his own troops who he feeds into the barrels of the guns, not anyone alive. Not even his own family. How did the world arrive at this terrible moment?
We search for answers.
Meanwhile Ukraine is holding, desperately, bravely, patiently, waiting for the west to realise the danger we are all in. The war must be stopped. Putin must be stopped.
We have another moving letter from Ukraine today and we will hold onto the fact that five million people are safe...as much as any of us are now. They are the future. They and forty million other Ukrainians who will fight bravely on. And will survive. Ukraine will rise again.
So that we can all be safe.
Hoggy.
Todays Letters:
From Oksana (not Oksana from the Bryn Stowe published book 'Sunflowers for Ukraine' that we are supporting) but from Oksana from Kharkiv, now in a safer location in Ukraine,
Dear Hoggy,
Thank you all for supporting us, it is very important to us all to know we have friends out there. I would like to share my story. My English is okay, but of course not my first language.
On the 24th of February I woke up to the sound of Russian rockets. It was very scary. I couldn’t accept this war had started. It was very difficult to understand what to do or where to go to find some food.
I was scared to go out but on the first day we went to the shop and all the people moved very quickly. We all tried to find something. Some of the shops were closed but we bought some food and we all gathered in our apartment.
We were five adults and a one child. It was not so scary to be surrounded by other people whilst we were in the apartment. It helped a lot to ease the situation.
I was in Kharkiv for fourteen days and it was enough for me. I started to feel my body was struggling with the situation and I desperately wanted to be in a safer place.
I thought of the things I could do to get money for food, to survive. Anything I can do; I thought I could do some regular work. I could cook for someone or clean for someone so I got together some luggage and got to some friends. Before I left, I went round my friends and I asked them how they are and their relations and their apartments. I moved to leave from Kharkiv.
The first day after I did leave it was difficult because I realised that I had lost my previous life. I started to feel that I’ve lost a lot, I’ve lost my previous life and then I started to understand that some things are never coming back. I was terribly upset. But I am alive and many are not.
My husband I left behind. He stayed in Kharkiv because he doesn’t want to leave his apartment or leave his city.
I will try to write again. But now I am too upset.
Thank you again to everybody.
Oksana,
In Ukraine
Dear Oksana,
We understand and feel your pain.
We are very moved that you wanted to share this with us, a story being sadly repeated by five million Ukrainian already we suspect as your fellow citizens find some degree of safety and security.
But you are five million reasons why Ukraine can never die and it will be you who will be Ukraine in exile.
Please keep hold of your culture, your art, your history, your very being as a nation. then Ukraine can never die, can never be defeated, you are the keepers of the future.
If the worst situation occurs and Russia eventually at huge and possibly fatal cost to them as a nation overruns Ukraine then you will be in the forefront and driving seat of a nation abroad working for the final return to their homeland.
We hope this will not take place but sheer weight of numbers may eventually overrun the east and possibly more of Ukraine, although Ukraine’s ability so far to fight off incredible odds is truly incredible, a sacrifice for us all across the free world.
It seems unbelievable that Ukraine has held out against such odds for so long and every Ukrainian, save a few misguided people in the south and east who seem to have sold their souls, is a national hero.
If we can help Ukraine and you personally, then we will continue to do so.
With very best wishes to you and all of your friends and family, please keep in touch if you can?
Hoggy
(Oksana'a letter came in by audio and has been transcribed for the blog. Hoggy.)
From SUFT, our resident cartoonist,
Dear Hoggy,
Here’s my take today.
Best wishes,
SUFT.
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