Invasion Day +30 Nerves here, this war may have turned a corner overnight. The west has been gathering its strength once more with America being given a subtle mandate of leadership in the changing emphasis of the situation. We cannot say too much just now but encouraging reports are also coming in from the front. The Russian army appears to suffering what might amount to a mutiny with troops killing their own field commanders and seeking to flee. Whether this is local or general we wait to see, but reports have been filtering in for some days now saying desertion in the front line forces is rife as battle conditions deteriorate as fast as their equipment fails. We must beware the cornered dog, but Putin's readjustment of his war aims this morning indicates he may have been forced to accept his primary battle plan has now failed. But still the shelling goes on, the death and destruction continues. Now, more than ever Western alliance support must increase until every Russian boot is removed from Ukrainian soil. Hoggy has written on our correspondent's behalf to the UK government seeking this increasing support and we will keep up our requests for as long as it is needed, every small gesture will make a difference. We hold our pen today in the face of the extreme precariousness of today's news.
It is news that brings us probably the most dangerous moment for civilisation of many such dangerous moments of late, but it might just indicate the beginning of an end to this war soon. We wait with every sinew strained for the outcome. Meanwhile today's writers bring hope in the shape of six cats in Kyiv and the enduring concept of a 'Safe European Home'. Thank you to them and to you all.
Todays Letters
From Mark Thompson, best-selling author and philosopher, York, U.K..
Dear Hoggy,
On the War in Ukraine
Wole Soyinka: ‘The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.’
Montesquieu: ‘There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.’
There is much truth in each of these statements, but the question which haunts so many is – Why do we have a world in which one man alone can change the path of history?
In many ways, the answer is ‘he who shouts loudest’. In ancient Rome this was often the man (for it is usually men) who could stand before a crowd and whip up a frenzy of belief in an audience, all of whom wished to hear a path to glory spelled out for them. The soldier then follows the orders of the loud-shouting man, and the legions march forward in the belief that their destiny is righteous and glorious.
Born in the late 1950s, a post-war baby boomer, I have grown up in the belief that war would never again erupt in Europe. That war was something far removed from what the rock band The Clash sang of… my ‘Safe European Home’.
Then, on 6th April 1992, post Soviet Union collapse, following a significant period of factional and nationalistic unrest, just to shake my firm belief, the tragedy of The Bosnian War shook Europe as Yugoslavia finally erupted, and nationalism once again dissolved into tribalism – the cause of so much conflict in Africa and the Middle East, and although that tragedy was immense and dreadful, it felt, to me at least, that that war was contained within its own borders, and presented no real threat to me, in my safe European home.
Yet now I stand witness to the atrocity of war once more, as one man divides the world, and pushes his army to destroy a peaceful nation, to slaughter the people of Ukraine in a bid to re-establish the former Soviet Union’s power over Russia’s neighbours, who once again live in fear of the Russian bear.
As Montesquieu cautioned, Putin uses the shield of justice to dupe his own people, the notion that the ‘special operation’ has as its goal the freeing of Ukrainian people from 'Nazism' – a lie which the world sees clearly, but which the Russian people, fed a daily bowl of propaganda borscht, believe in their millions, or simply accept from fear of the tyranny of the state, the institution which in a democracy is designed to protect them. History will judge Putin, and the Russian people will carry that shame which still haunts Germany, but now, today, this needs to stop. I pray it will.
When I wrote my novel 'Dust', sitting comfortably in my safe European home, I wrote of the possibility of tyranny, never believing I should see such an event in my lifetime; believing as I did, that we, the civilised people of the democratic West, had learned the valuable lesson from World War Two, and would never again engage in armed conflict between neighbours, never again threating my safe European home.
Every free man and woman should heed Wole Soyinka and shout loud to oppose tyranny, to press the decent peoples of Russia to topple Putin, to show the world that one man should never be able to change the course of history.
From 'Dust':
Delaware, in all its softness, dissolved into Maryland, proving that the political lines of state boundaries, and nation states alike, were the constructions of man, and always vulnerable for that. As my pop said. A line on a map is just that. A strong man can draw a new line on it, as easily as a weak man may help him to erase the old, and the memory of its existence.
With every good wish Hoggy, keep going!
Mark
Mark Thompson,
Author, 'Dust' and 'Eternal City'.
Dear Mark,
Thank you so much for this incisive reminder to us all that we all have a role to play in standing up against the tyranny of this one man.
As you so rightly point out one man should never be allowed to dictate the course of history in this way and it is for us all who are free to use that freedom wisely and in the pursuit of justice, freedom and truth.
We are grateful to you on behalf of the arts of Ukraine that we are also seeking to support through the blog, that a leading British writer such as yourself should make this offer of support to them all, it is a powerful message of solidarity and we acknowledge the role literature and the arts will play in the support and belief of the Ukrainian people in rebuilding their shattered country.
You are also our 400th visitor and contributor to the site in just over one week of existence and that is a very fitting marker for your words today, thank you again Mark.
All wishes,
Hoggy.
Mark Thompson's first novel, 'Dust' has been a top seller in the UK and has now been translated into three languages. His second novel 'Eternal City' is to be released shortly. Both are published in the UK by Red Door Publishing of Sussex.
From the Faul family in Munich, Germany.
Dear Hoggy,
The Six Cats of Kyiv
Thank you so much for your great blog, we are hosting a family of refugees here and it is really good to know we are not alone and people everywhere like you are supporting the Ukrainians wherever they are.
I will tell you about our Ukrainian family if I may?
They came on the 7th March to us after five days journey, and they were mostly in the train and were very tired and hungry, not able to change clothes, for five days. They came here and they only wanted to eat a little bit and go to bed and sleep.
The first night the little girl, she is eight years old, cried a lot, but they say they can be glad because the father is in Kyiv, and can look after the six cats which they could not take to Germany. The house where the father lives is intact. He has gas and water and also food so the father is at home and is waiting.
He hopes he doesn't have to fight or go to prison. He is unable to fight and doesn't want to fight. They have a chat to each other every evening and every morning. He tells something of the situation in Kyiv. He says he hears the bombs and the windows keep shaking with reverberations and they do hope the father can come here also because he has great pain in his back and isn't able to fight. He has to go to a doctor and get a test that says he doesn't have to fight.
I hope you understand all this, my English is not perfect, and here we are happy to share our house with them. We have given them our bedroom and we share the kitchen together. We are looking for a little flat for them but now in the moment Munich and all Germany is completely full so we all have to be happy and be glad with just one room and kitchen together and that is the situation.
I hope you can see something of the refugees life here. They are very grateful and hopeful of being reunited with the father and hopefully the cats very soon. Please keep up the good work for them.
With love to you all in the UK.
Doris Faul
The Foul family,
Munich, Germany.
Dear Doris and family,
Thank you so much for this insight into the situation: the story of your Ukrainian family reaching safety and the story of the six cats too are pieces of good news so far which is much needed.
We acknowledge you for the love and hospitality you and all in Germany are showing to Ukraine, kit is humbling and we hoe the UK can catch up through all its bureaucracy soon and start to host families like you are doing so well.
Please send our very best wishes to the Ukrainian family and hoe that they will be re-united as soon as it is possible now. If you can ask them to send a picture of the cats we will continue to report on them on the blog which may give people a boost?
Thank you for sending me your audio message which I hope we have transcribed as accurately as we can.
With all good wishes,
Hoggy
Please keep your contributions flowing in, it is an impressive mark of unity and support and making a real difference to many. Thank you everyone. Hoggy.
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