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… gradually, and then suddenly.

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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 877: The Butcher’s Bill in Mykolaiv and Chuhuiv

War for Ukraine Day 877: The Butcher’s Bill in Mykolaiv and Chuhuiv

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(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Quick housekeeping note: Rosie is still doing great. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Russia opened up on both Mykolaiv and Chuhuiv today:

A Russian missile strike on Mykolaiv hit a children’s playground near an ordinary residential house. Currently, five people are reported injured, and three people were killed, including a child. My deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones.

Every day, Russia proves with its terror that there is not enough pressure on it. This destruction of life must be stopped.

We need new measures to support our defense. Russia must feel the power of the world.

President Zelenskyy addressed a meeting of the British government today. As of now, no video has been posted on the President of Ukraine’s YouTube channel, so here is the video from President Zelenskyy’s tweet.

The English transcript is after the jump.

We Need This Step – a Step That Will Force Russia to Seek Peace – Speech by the President of Ukraine at the Meeting of the UK Government

19 July 2024 – 14:33

Thank you very much, dear Keir, dear Prime Minister,

Honorable Cabinet Members,

It is very symbolic and important for me, for all Ukrainians, that we have such a strong support and trust of the United Kingdom – this is the first meeting of the British Cabinet of this kind. Thank you so much.

I truly hope that this beginning of the new British Government’s work, will open up even more shared opportunities for us – Ukraine and the UK.

From the first days of this Russian war, our people have felt that Britain, you people, would not only stand by us but also help bring victory closer.

And I am grateful that British self-respect and your love of life have always resonated in your leadership – truly meaningful and helpful.

Britain has taken good steps and every new move you made strengthened our men and women on the frontlines, our successes – in the Black Sea first of all, our greater political opportunities, and our resilience as a nation, an army, and an entire society.

Sure, Russia fears such support.

In Moscow, they know that you in London have the decision-making power that can steer this war towards its end. And it will be the right conclusion – just and fair.

We have to remember that in many aspects, Russia is weaker. Their intelligence is weaker. Their diplomacy has turned into mere bribes, lies, or threats. Economically, they are not strong.

The only competitive advantage Putin still has is a large supply of Soviet-era weapons, money, and a complete disregard for human life. Quite a dangerous mix.

We must deprive Putin of money and capability to produce more weapons.

And for his disregard of human life he must pay – with his losses and his defeat.

How can we ensure this?

Right now, we are missing the main answer to this question. And that is our long-range capability.

By defending Ukraine against the Russian advance on Kharkiv in May-June, we have proven that we can stop any Russian attempt to expand the war if the restrictions on using Western weapons against Russian military are lifted.

Once we can strike farther than just near the border, including Russian military airfields, we will not only protect ourselves from any Russian offensives, but also secure our frontline positions and cities from Russian bombs.

Putin has no shame in hitting residential areas, city squares, hospitals, and schools with bombs.

Russia uses about thirty five hundred guided bombs per month. It is impossible to shoot them all down.

But it is possible to destroy all the bomb carriers. And I ask you to show your leadership in this, and please – convince other partners to remove the limits. We need this step – a step that will force Russia to seek peace.

Mr. Prime Minister,

I want to praise the energy with which you have started the work of the new Government.

And yesterday, we already had a very productive meeting – thank you so much – with the defense industries, secretaries of defense and trade were there. The meeting was really substantive. And I hope we will now work even more actively.

Truly, when making changes, it is important not to lose a single day, and the faster you act the more results you will achieve.

And the same principle applies to the pressure on Russia for the war – we must be as energetic as possible so that the aggressor cannot use any day to adapt to the pressure on him.

I thank Britain and all the partners who provide the real power of sanctions against Russia and who work with us for a solution that will allow all profits from frozen Russian assets to be used to defend against Russian aggression, and later allow these assets to be confiscated. This is also just.

And I want to underline that nowadays the sense of safety and security for each person cannot be separated from the overall security situation in the country and the state’s ability to defend itself. I appreciate your task to make Britain and the whole of Europe more safe and secure. I hope you’ll succeed. And our bilateral security agreement with Britain was the first and, in many ways, exemplary for other agreements. We in Ukraine are extremely grateful for such leadership. I hope we can achieve the main goals of our agreement during the years your government is in office. I really appreciate that our Ministers have just signed the Defense Industrial Support Treaty, a practical document. We always have to keep in mind that security and defense cooperation between Ukraine and the UK always matters. And of course I invite you, Keir, to visit Ukraine. Thank you so much. When you have the opportunity to come to Ukraine, you will see that for all Ukrainians it is a privilege and we are very thankful to the UK, to all of you, to your whole nation. Thank you again. We can work out as many details of our arrangements as possible, so that our people – Ukrainians and Britons – can feel the results as soon as possible.

Thank you again! Thank you for this invitation from your strong team! Thank you!

Слава Україні!

Ukraine and the UK signed a loan agreement for £2 billion.

The purpose of the agreement is to provide financial support for strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities, which includes the purchase of modern weapons, military equipment, and other defense equipment in accordance with NATO standards.

We are grateful to our British partners for their support and are sure that this partnership will help us in ensuring security and peace in Ukraine.
🇺🇦🤝🇬🇧

President Zelenskyy also had a phone call with Trump today. Here’s Zelenskyy’s take:

I spoke with @realDonaldTrump to congratulate him on the Republican nomination and condemn the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future.

I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.

Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror. Russian attacks on our cities and villages continue every day.

We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.

Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage and sentenced to sixteen years in prison today.

Donetsk Oblast:

Urozhaine:

Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:

Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast:

The video shows the defeat of a Russian tank assault column by Ukrainian Warriors of the 79th Air Assault Brigade.

In the area of Kurakhove, Donetsk region, the Russians tried once again to break through our defenses by sending a column consisting of three newest T-72B3M tanks, two APCs with paratroopers, and a group of motorcyclists. The tanks were equipped with additional protection in the form of a shed on the turret, electronic warfare systems, mine-sweepers.

Despite such preparations, the column did not reach the Ukrainian positions – 3 tanks hit mines and were completely destroyed by drones. Both APCs were also hit. At least 6 Russian soldiers were destroyed by grenades that were dropped by from Mavic drones.

One of the Russian soldiers tried to hide in the basement of a large dilapidated building, and then the building was destroyed by a Ukrainian guided aerial bomb.

Another brilliant work of the Defenders of the 79th Brigade. Glory to the Heroes!

Serebryansky Forest:

𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲. 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫.

‼️ 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞
According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, climate in Ukraine is warming up faster than in Europe. Signs of desert climate are already forming in some areas of Odesa and Kherson regions.

‼️ 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐚𝐫
According to the Operational Headquarters on recording environmental crimes, more than 3 million hectares of forests in Ukraine have been affected. This is almost a third of Ukraine’s forests. Some of them have been lost forever.

Among the most affected regions are Chernihiv region – about 400,000 hectares; Sumy region – 290,000 hectares; Luhansk region – 200,000 hectares; Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv regions – 120-160,000 hectares.

◾️ 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
According to government reports, Russian military aggression led to three times as many forest fires in 2022 compared to 2021. Before the full-scale war, up to 10,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests were affected by fires. In 2022, when there were no droughts, fires affected more than 330,000 hectares of forests.

Environmentalists think that the fires were fatal for pine forests – they will not be able to recover in the near future. Some of these areas will not be afforested for decades because now there are no real winters and precipitation. Winds and heat have come to Ukraine, so it will be more difficult to restore forests.

◾️ 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞-𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬
According to the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, almost 20% of the territory, i.e., about 3 million hectares of forests, were covered by combat of varying intensity.

Russia mined the territories chaotically, which complicates de-mining works. Residents of the areas bordering with forests are asked to refrain from walking and resting in forests and forest belts.

◾️ 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭
Since the beginning of the war, Russians have cut hectares of forest for commercial profit or to strengthen their position.

Ukraine’s State Forest Resources Agency said it had uncovered examples of illegal logging in Kyiv region and northern districts of Sumy and Kharkiv regions occupied by Russia at the start of the war. The trees felled include oak, pine, hornbeam, and ash. In some temporarily occupied eastern regions of Ukraine, local “authorities” openly sell timber on social media.

‼️ 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Uncontrolled logging leads to habitat change, loss of biodiversity, and increased aridity. This process also contributes to global warming, which we are already seeing in Ukraine.

‼️ 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭
As temperatures rise gradually, unchanged precipitation leads to a moisture deficit, which is particularly noticeable for vegetable production. Consequently, Ukraine’s “vegetable belt” has moved northward and closer to the Dnieper basin – Cherkasy and Poltava regions.

One example of the impact of climate change on harvest: rising temperatures led to a poor sunflower harvest in the summer of 2023 in Mykolaiv and Odesa regions – it simply withered. Therefore, in the southern regions of the so-called “sunflower belt,” farmers are abandoning sunflower growing en masse. Now, it can be seen in the fields of Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions.

📹: Serebryansky forest, a site of intense combat

And, via the Thread Reader App, here’s the thread he’s quote tweeting from Chris Owens, the unofficial biographer of L. Ron Hubbard’s military service (everyone needs a hobby…):

1/ A year after the destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka Dam, vegetation cover in formerly irrigated parts of the southern Kherson region and Crimea has fallen by 85% or more. It’s a sign that the former breadbasket region is reverting rapidly to its previous semi-desert state. ⬇️Image
2/ Recent data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer instrument on the Terra and Aqua satellites shows drastic changes in the region’s Vegetation Condition Index. It currently shows vegetation cover across much of the region to be at 15-25% of historical trends.Image
3/ The area where vegetation cover has fallen the most in both Crimea and the southern Kherson region closely matches the area formerly irrigated by the North Crimean Canal and the Kakhovka Canal on the mainland. The Kakhovka Dam’s destruction cut both canals off from the Dnipro.
Image
Image
4/ In total, some 12,000 km of canals were fed by the reservoir on both sides of the Dnipro. The Kakhovka Canal alone irrigated 220,000 hectares of land and enabled the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in the agricultural sector and heavy industries.Image
5/ Before the dam and the canals were built, the Azov region was very arid. The average annual rainfall is 350 mm while evaporation amounts to 1000-1100 mm. Two Russian attempts to invade Crimea via the Azov region failed in 1687 and 1689 because there was nothing to drink. 
6/ Northern Crimea was even worse for agriculture and human habitation. It was a hot, arid, dusty plain with frequent droughts, dust storms and crop failures. The native Crimean Tatars scraped a living with subsistence agriculture and the production of crafts, rather than crops. 
7/ As an English traveller wrote in 1855, Crimea’s interior in the summer was a place “of melancholy desolation. The grasses and flowers are then dust and ashes; the surface is a perfect desert; and can only support a few herbs and scrubby bushes…” Hunger was frequent.Image
8/ Until the late 1940s, the Russians barely even bothered with the interior of Crimea, preferring to settle instead on the Mediterranean-to-subtropical coast. In contrast to “European” Crimea on the coast, “Asiatic” inland Crimea was desperately poor and neglected. 
9/ The big problem was the lack of water. Soviet agronomists found that it took 500 tons of water to grow a single ton of wheat in the region, but there are few rivers in Crimea or the southern Kherson oblast. As Soviet official Leonid Melnikov wrote in 1950:Image
10/ “The fertile soils of these regions do not always properly reward the labours of the collective farmers… Dry winds and black dust storms frequently devastate the fields and destroy the fruits of the labour of many thousands of people … 
11/ “In 60 years, at the junction of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there were 20 drought-stricken years in the southern districts of the Ukraine … Drought, occurring every three or four years, frequently assumed the proportions of a calamity.” 
12/ The construction of the Kakhovka Dam and the canal network enabled industrial agriculture for the first time. Many circular fields watered on the centre-pivot irrigation principle can be seen clearly in satellite images, built along the lines of the canals.Image
13/ Despite the loss of the dam, demands on the water supply have actually increased since 2022 due to Russia’s military presence. Civilian settlements have had their water supplies cut off for days at a time to ensure that the military receives enough water. 
14/ Within a couple of weeks of the dam’s destruction on 9 June 2023, NASA satellites recorded the North Crimean Canal drying up. It provided 85% of Crimea’s water. The Russians are now reportedly trying to top it up with water from Crimea’s few small reservoirs and from wells.Image
15/ The peninsula has 15 reservoirs to capture rainwater and snowmelt, with a combined volume of about 250 million cubic meters. However, half of them have capacities of under 10 million cubic meters, and they were never intended to replace the canal water.Image
16/ Crimea had an extremely dry winter in 2023-24, with only 10-50% of the normal precipitation overall and only 17% of the normal mountain precipitation. Rivers have dried up and reservoirs are already severely depleted, as seen here in the case of the Bilohirs’ke reservoir.
Image
Image
17/ The outcome is that Crimea and the Azov region seem to be reverting rapidly to their pre-Soviet condition as near-desert areas. Much agriculture, and even human habitation, may no longer be possible. As many as 500,000 people have been predicted to be forced to leave. 
18/ The region’s vegetation had already been stressed badly by the North Crimean Canal being cut off by the Ukrainians between 2014 and 2022 (it was reopened briefly after the 2022 invasion). The difference in vegetation cover between July 2013 and July 2024 is stark.
Image
Image
19/ One farmer interviewed by Radio Free Europe has noted that even drought-resistant crops are now dying out. Farmers have had to write off their crops. Little is now growing: 
20/ “Everything has dried up, there were few strawberries this year, and the wild berry glades have burned out from the heat, there are stone fruits, but they are small.Image
21/ “Because of the heat and drought, there is no green grass, only dry grass, and milk yields have dropped sharply. There will be no hayfields in such conditions, which means that they will have to buy hay at high prices, if it is available at all. 
22/ “In such circumstances, villagers are beginning to reduce the number of livestock and abandon vegetable gardens. In many villages, the water pressure in the system is already low, as water consumption is in excess of the norm. 
23/ “I think we will soon start to see water cut-offs, and there will be a big problem with water in Crimea this summer.” /end 
Sources:
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🔹earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151622/…
jamestown.org/program/water-…
ukrinform.net/rubric-society…
unn.ua/en/news/crimea…
unn.ua/en/news/crimea…
unn.ua/en/news/even-d…
24tv.ua/ru/zasuha-v-kr…
crimea.ria.ru/20240504/v-kry…

🔹

That’s enough for tonight.

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Open thread!

Reader Interactions

28Comments

  2. 2.

    LanceThruster

    @LanceThruster: no picture essays on the horrors they experience daily. Oh, and btw… polio has been identified in the sewage.

    Israeli Zio-Biowarfare.

    They need to learn to commit war crimes on their own damn dime

  3. 3.

    Adam L Silverman

    @LanceThruster: First, in case you missed it, I only do Ukraine war updates here. That’s all I do. Not the famine in Sudan. Not the horrors of the Israeli-Hamas war. Not the Houthis. And not dozens of other horrific conflicts happening. This isn’t because I don’t care, it’s because I only do these updates because I promised Cole I would.

    If you missed it, I’ll remind you I actually worked on the 2014 US led attempt at a peace process. I’ve actually done a lot of work that I don’t discuss or go into that attempted to get a positive result for the Palestinians.

    I also don’t comment in other front pagers’ posts. I don’t even read them. I just do the Ukraine war updates. That’s it.

  4. 4.

    Adam L Silverman

    @LanceThruster: This comment, specifically “Israeli Zio-Biowarfare” is over the line. You have now been warned. Do not comment here again. Here means Balloon Juice. If you do you will be banned.

  6. 6.

    frog

    One of the Russian soldiers tried to hide in the basement of a large dilapidated building, and then the building was destroyed by a Ukrainian guided aerial bomb.

    A guided aerial bomb for just one soldier?  Is this overkill?  Is the ability to hide in that basement part of the calculation?

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    This may be too inside baseball, but former right-wing Member of Parliament (UA) Iryna Farion was murdered/assassinated today in Lviv. Farion was a member of the nationalist “Svoboda” party; by profession, she was a linguist and philologist, by virtue of which she became a fierce (to many “extreme”) defender of the Ukrainian language, publicly criticizing Ukrainian soldiers for conversing in russian. She was one of those people whom supporters would call “colorful” and opponents would call “batshit.”

    She was shot in the head in broad daylight in the street outside her home. Seems like someone was making a statement, but it’s not clear who.

  9. 9.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Gin & Tonic: I don’t think it’s too inside baseball. I’ll keep an eye out over the next couple of days to see what might bubble up about it.

  11. 11.

    Jay

    Thank you, Adam for these posts.

    Thank you John, for getting Adam to do these posts.

    Thank you John and Adam for banning the annoying “This is my Grindr Nym” troll.

  12. 12.

    Jay

    @frog:

    It is common, for a unit, to post a “guard” outside, while the unit rests. Given that it was a guided aerial bomb, rather than a small suicide drone, and there was a FPV drone watching,

    and one does not see a guided aerial bomb coming, and a strike like that takes time to set up,  it is likely that the drone team had been watching the “basement” for a while. The “guard” spooked when they saw the drone, and tried to take shelter in the ‘basement” with the rest of the unit, not knowing there was already incoming.

    I doubt that only 1 ruZZian was killed.

  14. 14.

    Gin & Tonic

    Random observations.

    Continuing my travelogue, a few random impressions and observations.

    Life in the (western) cities goes on more or less normally. People go to work, they go to the supermarket, they walk in the park, they get coffee, they go out for dinner and drinks. Power goes out, sometimes on a set schedule, sometimes not, often for hours at a time. Bars/restaurants in the center cities all have portable generators on the sidewalk; city power goes out, the “symphony of generators” starts up. It’s noisy and smelly, but what are you gonna do? Supermarkets have larger generators, so some equipment goes off, but refrigerated/frozen food stays at temp. But once in a while you see a silly comment from a vatnik showing a pic of people at a bar and pretending to be shocked! shocked! that people in a country at war would go out for a cocktail. What are they supposed to do?

    The bar/club/restaurant scene is first-rate. Other than obvious matters like language, you could easily be in Berlin or Brooklyn. The “Europeanization” of the last 10 years is quite remarkable.

    There’s more activity out after curfew than you’d expect. We stayed in, but other people didn’t, and there didn’t seem to be much enforcement. The bars closed up tight, though.

    The demographics in the cities are noticeable. There are fewer men in the conscriptable age group (25-60) walking around than you’d expect. Many groups of single girls/women, students, old guys, foreigners/tourists, but a hole in that one segment. More amputees, with or without prosthetic limbs, than you’ll see in any western European or American city of equivalent size.

    Electric scooters (like for short-term on-demand rental) are very popular, both with kids out on dates or cruising for meetups, and with young adults going to work. More tattoos than I expected among the latter cohort.

    Air raid sirens almost every night. Everybody has at least one app on their phone and follows at least one Telegram channel to track aircraft/missile activity. You wake up, check your phone, decide whether you stay in bed or go down to the nearest shelter. When the MiG’s that carry Kinzhals go up, it’s tough, because then the alert covers the whole country and finding an incoming track in time to do something is useless.

  16. 16.

    Bupalos

    @Adam L Silverman: to me that’s an immediate expulsion but you do you.

    I read every one of your updates Adam, I stopped commenting because I’ve grown so negative on the administration’s approach while understanding we’re in an election season with a far worse alternative that simply swallowing everything was the best option. But I appreciate DEEPLY APPRECIATE that these posts show up even as they get less and less engagement.

    I just want to let you know that the work you’ve done is appreciated and my own disengagement has been about the predicament we’re in: choosing between no strategy at all, and an actually ally of Putin. Dark times. Thank you.

  18. 18.

    Bupalos

    I’m going to assume more or less everyone left in these threads has a Ukrainian or Eastern European connection, since the early stages of WWIII has fallen off everyone’s radar.

    If you’re in the United States and connected to eastern and Central European communities, you have. a RESPONSIBILITY to leverage that community and represent within that community in this election on the side of Democrats and/or the handful of Republicans who are embracing this issue. To your people. At risk of your reputation or whatever. Stand up. Tell the truth. You’ll be surprised how many people in these Eastern European ethnic communities in the United States still think it’s Republicans that are “anti-Soviet.”

    I’ve had a woman hug me for saving her from supporting Putin. And a guy walk away after telling me I’m adding fire to “civil war” but oh well. Talk about it. It doesn’t take much courage when you think about what others are doing.

  21. 21.

    wjca

    @Bupalos: I’m going to assume more or less everyone left in these threads has a Ukrainian or Eastern European connection, since the early stages of WWIII has fallen off everyone’s radar.

    Just FYI, I’ve got no connection at all.  Despite which, I care deeply about what’s happening there.  (And really wish we’d do more and sooner.  Sigh.)

    I’m deeply appreciative of Adam continuing to do these every day.  (And for Gin & Tonic’s first hand reports as well.)

  23. 23.

    Yutsano

    I am here to bear witness, because unless we are made aware of what is happening we live our lives in oblivious comfort while others suffer. I am aware there is more than one conflict in the world, but requesting/demanding Adam cover more than one conflict (which he has done in the past mind you) is almost insulting to his volunteer work. He’s also aware my ultimate hope is for there to be a true peace with a fully intact Ukraine. That is why I read here every night.

  24. 24.

    Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom

    There are now multiple vatnicks & tankies claiming that the destruction of Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital was a psy-op! 😡 I guess this particular Russian war crime was so egregious that they had to do something about it. Too bad mofos, someone’s conscience was so pricked, they gave up the entire unit who was behind this atrocity.

    Speaking of Russian war crimes, I really hope someone is keeping track of the multiple acts of ecocide Russians have committed in Ukraine. Selling Ukrainian wood when Russia has some of the largest forests in the world,( some of which are currently on fire) I don’t even have the words to describe such awfulness.

  26. 26.

    Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom

    @Jay: GOOD. I try to make sure that I read all Adam’s updates, along with other Ukraine news. Like Yutsano, I wish to bear witness. But sometimes it all takes a mental toll.

  28. 28.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Bupalos: ​
    Sorry for the late response, don’t know if you’ll catch it. I was there in June, and kept radio silence during the trip for several reasons. Once I returned, I’ve been posting as I’ve had time and an opportunity to reflect.

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