KYIV (Dagbladet): Once a week I go to the supermarket and buy food. I went there on Sunday, the 46th day of war. The number of people in the streets reminds me of the time before the war – families with children are out and about, the rental bikes are again placed out in the streets and there are many cars on the roads. The smell of a peaceful life also returns. A kebab kiosk has opened at the bus stop and there are three men in military uniforms in line.
In the early days of the war, it was difficult to obtain cigarettes. Now it is no longer a problem. In the queue to buy cigarettes in a large shopping center, I hear two young men under the age of 30 behind me. They are wearing military clothes. They discuss the importance of having drones in modern warfare. “The infantry is no longer so important,” one says to the other. “For our unit, it is much more important to have a drone – I reconnoiter and see everything from above, and then tell our people where to go.”
The hell of war is moving east
When the war was also here, only the supermarket was open in the shopping center. But now all the shops are opening up, slowly but surely. There are no more queues in front of the pharmacy. And in the supermarket you will find almost everything, even ready-made food, grilled chicken and a variety of salads. As I look at the selection of ham in the meat department, I think of my hometown of Kherson, which is still under occupation. Everything is so weird. Here in Kyiv we have almost everything, even luxury food and the prices are almost as before. In Kherson, food has become much more expensive.
MORE NORMAL: This weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: AFP / NTB
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Mom says there is no problem getting food in Kherson. You will find meat and a lot of different vegetables. Friends say that they also have cigarettes, but of many unknown brands, which they assume are imported now, from the Crimea. Almost everything has become more expensive, and there are long queues to get food, but you can still pay by bank card. In the markets of the city, you can only pay with cash, and just cash is the biggest problem now in Kherson. The longest queues are in front of the ATMs. Another problem is medicines, which the Russians still do not allow people to enter the city.
The curfew in Kherson starts at 20 in the evening. But after 4 pm the streets are already empty. After dark, the Russian occupiers drive loudly around the city, shining against people’s windows and into the gardens of private homes. At night, explosions are heard in the distance, but I try to assure my mother that if there is shooting outside the city, it means that the Ukrainian army is on its way.
On Sunday, Mom learned that her close friend, who lives in a village near Kherson, had left her home and moved into a Ukrainian-controlled area. A couple of weeks ago, Russian soldiers arrived with weapons, a couple of young and quite scared men. They examined every nook and cranny of her home. Asked about her dog, and was interested in hearing news about the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine because they had no information, mobile phones or internet. The village is close to the front line. I think that’s why my mother’s friend chose to leave, because they do not want to get in the line of fire. My mother was very upset about this – and cried when we talked on the phone. She felt so lonely. This was the first time she had cried since the beginning of the war. She had endured for 46 days, but still … She is not made of steel and feels very alone now. I reminded her that all the neighbors in the house she lives in are still there, and that I talk to her every night so she can feel less lonely.
After talking to my mother, I think about how the Russian military will be remembered after this war. Before, people treated the military with respect, because everyone thought they had an honorable mission to defend their country. But the Russians are not an army, but a gang of terrorists fighting an unarmed people. The Russian military is for me, and all Ukrainians now – and I hope for the rest of the world – a gang of assailants, thieves, murderers and criminals. They are creatures without honor and dignity.
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