Invasion Day +28 Reports coming into the Hoggy office continue to suggest there is a great and increasing sense of hope for, and by, many in Ukraine. Despite the continued Putin designed atrocities in Mariupol and elsewhere, which defies all rational thought and belief, evils for which Putin must be brought to trial and soon, Ukrainian armed forces are not only launching successful offensive actions, but have re-taken key locations at Irpin and and Makariv to the north west of Kyiv. The Ukrainian flag once more flies proudly from the roof tops. In the south, Ukrainian forces at Voznesensk have achieved a notable tactical success in defeating a large Russian armoured column (hopefully without more great loss of life) and in Kherson parts of the city have now been re-taken by Ukrainian forces. Reports from the field suggest desertion is now rampant amongst the Russian forces as hunger, frostbite, 'trench-foot' and lack of supplies, leadership and support bring the reality of war home to poorly trained and demoralised conscripts. Remember many of these troops had already been in the freezing field for up to three months whilst waiting for the dreadful day of 24th February to come round, another day forever scarred into the world's tragic history of war.
China's 'alleged' request to Russia to postpone the invasion day until the end of the Winter Olympics appears to have cost Russia dear. More Russian field commanders were killed yesterday; fifteen commanders of colonel rank or above have now lost their lives in one month and lower ranks are ill equipped to take the initiative in an army totally ruled by fear. Russian losses are reliably being estimated by independent analysts as being in the range of 17,500 or more killed to 45,000 or more wounded from the field. In the theory of warfare a loss of 10% of front line strength makes a fighting unit operationally ineffective and that is what is being seen now, suggesting the estimated level of loss is accurate, given 150,000 troops are believed to have started the conflict.
Even one brave Russian editor manged to admit in state news that just under 10,000 Russian soldiers had been killed before his report, and no doubt himself, were removed from the air. Bearing in mind that in the ten years of the two attritional Chechyn wars, Russia lost 11,000 men, so to lose this many in just one month is as significant as it is tragic for all their families. These families must pressure Putin to stop this slaughter. Russia has a declining and aging population; there is no unlimited supply of young men as once their might have been; the future of Russia is at stake. More news that one of Putin's closest advisors deserted the Kremlin as Putin tries to purge his ever sceptical inner circle and more of the inner cabal have 'not been seen' for several days now with stock images being released to cover it all up. Putin's isolation increases and must continue to increase until he himself ceases to function.
Elsewhere many of our correspondents report that away from the immediate shellfire and bombing, terrible as it is, life actually continues for many in Ukraine with a strange sense of normality. There is food to be had in most places, the infrastructure runs as it always has, the transport keeps running and whilst there is considerable concern, the residents remain steadfast, brave and resolute. An amazing people.
(As of this morning we have received 350 visits to the site and letters from all around the world in the first week of posting, every one a statement of support for Ukraine and every one we acknowledge for the hope it brings. Todays letters contain another, rather mournful, but beautifully written poem which reminds us all of the pain of war. Thank you everyone for all the messages of support to Ukraine, for all the poems and for the message of hope and peace for the world that they all give. Your belief is powerful and it is helping. You are incredible. We stand together with Ukraine).
Today's letters:
From Romanian Bianca Rueben
Dear Hoggy,
The Fire of History
I would like to write words about the Russia-Ukraine war.
It seemed like a story from the history books when I first heard Russia had attacked Ukraine. Watching the news on TV or reading the media suddenly became frightening.
I remembered the revolution of 1989 back in Romania. I felt like the kid I was back then. Back then, I was scared to come out of the house or even to say the leader's name out loud. Timid, we burned the pictures of the leader, still scared we might get punished.
And today I could not believe we are going through fire (literally) again. I can't comprehend the war. Everyone loses! They lose their homes, they lose their friends, they lose fathers, they lose their humanity, depending which side they are on.
Imagine women expecting to die and hoping their bodies aren't spread everywhere. Hell is here on earth where the war is. Stop the war! Leave men and women to live peacefully in their own homes! Ukraine is our neighbour!
I went to Ukraine when I was a child. They speak our language in the border cities. I feel their desperation! They feel welcomed and appreciate our support, but they deserve peace!
We all deserve peace!
Thank you Hoggy, you are doing a great job for us all.
Regards,
Bianca Rueben
Romania
Dear Bianca,
Thank you for these inspiring words and yes, history has a horrible way of repeating itself doesn't it? Sadly we all too often fail to learn from it.
But you do give us a glimpse of what maybe happening in Russia and in Byelorussia right now. People there may be burning Putin's image because that is all they feel they can do without being imprisoned for years at a time.
Let us not forget all those in prison for ripping up, figuratively or literally, the images of the evil men, Putin and his moronic clone, the self-professed 'last dictator in Europe', Lukashenko. There are many who do not support this war in both these countries and who have sacrificed their freedom and their lives to say so.
We salute them all here and stand with them and Ukraine in trying to end this terrible war.
Best wishes to you and all in Romania, you are doing great work in helping Ukraine's people.
Hoggy
From Anna, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Dear Hoggy,
This is my house in Ukraine. It was next to your writer, Yegor's from yesterday's blog. Our houses were next door to each other and both are gone now, totally destroyed.
You might be wondering how so many people have survived such terrible devastation? It is mainly because the Russians built many of the housing blocks in the soviet era and they feared they would be bombarded in the cold war. So under each block they built bomb proof basements. ironically, and thankfully, it is now why so many more people have not been killed.
Russia is a country governed by fear, they know little else. Everything they do is driven by fear. In the picture everyone from the block was sheltering in the basement when the bombs and missiles stuck and the good news is they have all survived.
Your blog is fantastic and really useful, thank you for it.
I am still waiting to hear the decision about my visa application but hopefully soon.
Have a great day!
Anna.
Dear Anna,
You are amazing and thank you for supplying such insights from the front lines, our readers are really benefiting from every scrap of knowledge you provide that might help to bring hope and peace.
We all really hope here that the UK government pulls its collective finger out soon and sorts yours and many other Ukrainian's visas out very soon now.
With all respect and the highest regard, Anna.
Hoggy
Dear Hoggy,
I have a poem for the blog. I hope it helps.
Thank you all.
Silent Is The Valley
As in a dream the red stream
flows to the lows of the valley.
High in the sky the white bird cries
tears of pain for the valley.
Families weep, with grief so deep
it sears the spirit of the valley.
Tears fall, flooding the floor,
of the unlit house in the valley.
The song of the bird is no more heard,
dead in the heart of the valley.
The song of the bird is no more heard,
broken is the heart of the valley.
Janet Curtis
Cambridgeshire.
March 2022
Dear Janet,
It is a beautiful, mournful, poem and we were all moved by it here as we have been moved by all the poems being sent in and will try to post them as we can.
I have used the title for today's heading with, I hope, your agreement.
Best wishes,
Hoggy
(We are receiving a lot of mail each day now but all will be published and please continue to write. We will cope here, despite a Covid outbreak! Thank you all again. Hoggy.)
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