According to Dijkstra, leaving by car is not an option. “You are an easy target by car. Especially if you take all your valuables with you, you can be arrested and you lose everything. And if you are unlucky, you will also lose your car.”
When asked whether he is anxious, Dijkstra answers that he is trying to keep up his spirits. “I can tell you: I started smoking again. I never really smoked, but now smoke a pack a day.”
Dijkstra calls it very surreal to be in Kiev right now. “If you walk outside, there is the constant threat that you will get a missile on your head. That gives you a headache. And I don’t have that much paracetamol in the house, so that doesn’t help.”
Supporting the neighborhood
Dijkstra also notices the car wrecks that have been left behind on the street. “These are not cars that were hit by an explosive, but the wrecks are there because all the traffic lights are off and people drive too fast. It snowed yesterday, too. Those were just crashes. Very strange to see.”
All he can do now is wait and see. “Trying to support my neighborhood. They have certain things that I don’t have and vice versa. We have a good relationship with each other.”
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