6th trip to Ukraine. Why?

I wrote last year 2 posts about my trips to Ukraine. First one was about the first trip, Trip to Ukraine. Why and How, and the second one was on Why I’m back in Ukraine, published in August. It was at the beginning of my second trip, a long 5-weeks stay to volunteer. What those 2 posts have in common is that they were written before I spent a considerable amount of time in Ukraine. Now, after spending 100 days in Ukraine (over 5 trips including the 2 mentioned above), I want to write, again, why I’m going to Ukraine.

In that post in August I talked about the girl hugging her dog killed by the russians and I talked about genocide, what it means and why what the russians are doing in Ukraine amounts to genocide. My time in Ukraine and reading about the war only supported the things I was mentioning last year. Please read that post if you haven’t done so already.
I only have power over what I am doing and I feel I can help more if I am in Ukraine. If I could, I would spend more time in Ukraine.

6th trip to Ukraine. Why? Reason 1. By helping the Ukrainian military I can do my part so they can protect civilians.

In the background you can see a civilian car and an air-to-air missile. Those kind of missiles are used by the russians to target civilians on the ground. It is pretty much as long as a car.

I took this picture on the last trip to Lviv. It is part of an open air exhibition, a small one, with missiles and artefacts from the war, used by the russians and the Ukrainians. This is a civilian car and one similar to others I saw. It was targeted by the russians when they were trying to flee.  Look at the detail in the picture below, the size of the bullets used and the angle it penetrated the car, from somewhere below, most likely something like a machine gun by someone hidden in a bush. Look at the number of bullets hitting the car. It was intentional, a cold blooded murder.

The russians are targeting civilians, hoping that they will ask politicians to surrender. This will not happen because the Ukrainians are well aware of what is happening in the occupied territories. Many westerners think that stopping the war means stopping the killing, but it doesn’t. The genocide continues, but not in the public view, as little as it is today.

There were “peace” talks with the russians in Istanbul, as the Ukrainians were pressured by their allies to show that they want peace. It is a bit like asking Poland in 1940 to say that they want peace while both Nazi Germany and the soviet union were attacking, but it is what it is. At those talks, the head of the russian delegation said: “Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones. russia is prepared to fight forever.” It was not a comment out of the blue, but a reminder to Serhiy Kyslytsya — a former Ukraine ambassador to the UN and part of the delegation — that his nephew was killed in combat in 2022. These are the “peace negotiators” sent by russia.

6th trip to Ukraine. Why? Reason 2. The russians kill everything.

Nature does not escape the cruelty of the russians. Read this article in The Guardian – ‘Everything is dead’: Ukraine rushes to stem ecocide after river poisoning. It is not the first time russia has been poisoning Ukraine, as they are using banned gases in the trench warfare.

You might also know about the human safari the russians are doing in places like Kherson. UN has investigated and said that it amounts to crime against humanity, read here more. The russians attack with their drones civilian people and first responders, but also animals, such as pets or stray dogs. Yesterday the russians released a clip showing how they targeted and killed a pelican, a rare species of bird. I will not share the clip.

6th trip to Ukraine. Why? Reason 3. russia will not stop, unless is stopped.

Their propaganda machine talked for years about other European countries that “should be” under russian influence – such as the Baltic States, which are showcasing what can be achieved by countries that gain their independence. For instance, Estonia’s GDP per capita grew since 1991 to being comparable with Italy and Spain! This is a small nation, of 1.34 million people. Estonia is singled out by the russian propagandists because of its amazing success. Estonia is in the EU and NATO, and the well-known russian TV personalities are saying that Estonia should be invaded, that russia should attack/nuke cities such as Berlin, London, and Paris. They even made clips of how they are nuking European cities.

I don’t believe russia will attack Berlin, London, or Paris, but I think there is a strong possibility they will attack a small Baltic State. Even if this doesn’t happen, they will not stop in Ukraine. Even a ceasefire would be temporary, as they rearm and attack again. The russians did that in Chechnya, in Georgia, and in Ukraine with the invasion starting in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of 2022. They learn from their mistakes and it is important not to dismiss them.

6th trip to Ukraine. Why? Reason 4. Lviv feels like my second home.

I walk in central Lviv without the need for GPS, I know the restaurants, the shops, the groceries I like in the supermarket, where the museums are, and what coffee I like to drink in my favourite cafe. I see the comforting familiarity one gets from living in a place. Last time I started to use my limited Ukrainian, but it went well. While last year I needed help from a fellow volunteer to confirm what’s in a dish, on my last trip I could ask and explain that I wanted a vegan option, without milk, butter, or sour cream. I’m far from being able to speak freely, but this is progress nonetheless.

I am heading back to Ukraine tomorrow, for a 2-week trip. With our newly adopted cat at home, I can’t spend over a month in Ukraine like last time, as we don’t want to leave her alone when my husband travels with work.