67th day of the war.
Spring is in full swing in Kyiv, many are returning home, including with children. The Kyiv authorities still do not recommend rushing home though, because the danger remains. However, this does not seem to stop people. In our house we see 1-2 families who return home with a lot of bags every day. More and more cars are parked, there are more and more vehicles on the roads (despite the lack of fuel), more shops open, more and more kids go to playgrounds. The city has markets and fairs operating. Numerous anti-tank hedgehogs, checkpoints with traffic jams, curfew and a heavy mood, which, despite the light spring vibe, is always in the air, remind of the wartime.
A woman begs for alms to feed her dogs in Kyiv, on Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti). CREDIT
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the lower house of the United States Congress, arrived in Kyiv today. She met with Zelenskiy, who thanked her for the clear signal of support and awarded her with the Order of Princess Olga. Pelosi, in turn, thanked the President and the entire Ukrainian people for our brave struggle and noted that we are fighting "for everyone." These words, which may already seem banal, are very important and contain a lot of truth. It is difficult to imagine what kind of defeat the entire democratic world would suffer if Ukraine was defeated in this horrible, unjust war. Of course, we do not even think about such a development of events, and we really appreciate any support we're receiving.
Photo: ЕРА/UPG. CREDIT
War is always the tragedy of entire nations, but also the endless tragedy of individuals. Yesterday, on the news, I heard the story of a woman from Chernihiv, whose husband died while performing a combat mission, when his wife was 9 months pregnant. He served in the Border Service of Ukraine. After his death, his wife had their twin boys. He did not live to see their birth for only a few days. This is an incredible tragedy and I cried with this woman.
Today I heard the story of Nazar Kahalniak, a veteran of the ATO, who was kidnapped and tortured by invaders in the Kherson region because he was serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Earlier, Nazar survived two heart attacks, and after severe torture this year, he died in the hospital. He left four children - two of whom are minors and remained orphans, since Nazar raised them alone - and two grandchildren. His youngest child is a first grader with a disability.
Nazar Kahalniak - PHOTO CREDIT
How many more destinies will be broken in this merciless war? How many more children will remain orphans? How many more people are going to endure torture - physical and mental - at the hands of the brutal, cruel russian army, who destroy Ukrainians just because they are Ukrainians?