KYIV (Dagbladet): The last three days I have traveled around the Kyiv region. Butsja, Irpin, Motyzhyn, Vorzel, Makariv, Borodyanka. I went along the roads that the Russian military came on as they tried to encircle Kyiv. And along roads where Ukrainians fled from Russian-occupied places.
I saw ruined residential areas. I talked to those who never left, and who lived under Russian occupation. And with people who have lost loved ones, who were tortured – and who have experienced threats. There is a lot of pain in their eyes. But not everyone is crushed. Some say sorry and move on: They do not want to talk. Still others want their stories to be heard.
sea view
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Together with the priest Oleg, who works in a rehabilitation center in the small village of Motyzhyn, I was surprised that someone had broken a mirror in a bathroom with a machine gun. I do not understand why someone has to shoot at a mirror. The priest suggests that it is because the Russians were afraid to look themselves in the eye.
TOURIST DESTINATIONS: Russian tanks have become a tourist attraction for everyone who comes to Kyiv.
sea view
On a street with broken houses in Butsja, the 30-year-old local, Artem, tells me one of his stories: “I volunteered and walked around with soup to the neighbors. The Russians stopped me. They stripped me, asked me to kneel, before taking my passport. Then they gave me my passport back and let me go. But I was not allowed to bring the soup. It was the first group of Russians, and they were not as bad as those who came after. Personally, I do not understand why it is necessary to ask a person to take off all their clothes when it is winter, and you should check ID paper.
MILITARY GOAL? What is the point of all this brutality? How could these buildings be military targets? Denys Martynov wonders.
sea view
In the small town of Borodyanka I look at ruined, tall buildings. I do not understand why they must be destroyed in this way. How can they be a military target? It makes me realize that everything the Russians did here has no meaning. Even from a military point of view, it may not be necessary to destroy the civilian population here in such a barbaric way. Like shooting the statue of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in the head?
At the same time, spring is coming full circle to Kyiv, just like more and more people. The cafes are full of young people, and the city center is full of journalists from all over the world. The trees are getting more and more leaves and my favorite season starts, in thousands of shades of green. The Ukrainian military says the trees are a good ally because it is possible to hide behind them – and get closer and closer to the enemy. Spring has also given us a new feeling and nuance – the shadow of war.
DESTRUCTIONS EVERYWHERE: Even pedestrian crossings have become a military target.
sea view
It is now up to us to give all the losses we are struggling with meaning. We must create meaning in all those who did not survive the Russian torture and occupation. We must create meaning in all the destroyed buildings, houses and homes. Yes, it’s tough to see ruined lives, but we need to see it, we need to know it’s like that. And we have to tell others about it. The purpose of the Ukrainian fight against the invaders is for the whole country to survive.
- The diary is translated by Line Fransson.
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