Wars.Ukrainians.Humanity

Thoughts from Kyiv — Feb 27, 2022

February 2022
1 min read

This will be a highly politically incorrect post. You may cease to follow me after reading it. I will not be offended.

I’d like to take a moment to compare the Russian and Ukrainian reactions to current events.

Scene 1: St. Petersburg Russia anti-war protests. People gather in large numbers; police begin to arrest individual protesters, others, instead of aiding their comrades, stand by filming the arrests on their phone cameras.

Scene 2: Yesterday in Obolon (northern suburb of Kyiv) automatic weapons are distributed to volunteers (see video). Over 20 thousand rifles and 1 million units of ammunition were handed out in Kyiv yesterday. Crime rates have dropped significantly.

Scene 3: Russian invaders in Sumy are passed by a civilian car and have a Molotov cocktail thrown into their vehicle. Welcome to hell! (video).

Scene 4: Zaporizhzhia oblast. Russian tanks enter a Ukrainian village. Unarmed civilians stand in the middle of the road to stop them. The tanks retreat (video).

My dear Russian protesters — all of you who are against the war! Until your actions start coming close to approximating the valor and bravery of Ukrainians, the world continue to be hostage to your maniacal President.

Scene 5: Town of Koruykiv, Chernihiv oblast. Russian tanks withdraw after being met by hundreds of local residents who made it clear they were not interested in being “liberated” (video).

Scene 6: Two “genius” invaders near Kharkiv ran out of diesel in their armored vehicle, so they came to the police station in the village of Shevchenkove (!) to ask for a fill-up. Add two to the POW count.

Scene 7: Russian reconnaissance teams have laid anti-personnel mines in the Berdyansk region. Locals who find these mines quietly remove them into the local woods (video).

Scene 8: Russian invaders’ armored vehicles break down in Kyiv oblast. They ask for help and directions from a passing car. They are told precisely where to go (video).

Throughout the country traffic signs are being removed by local residents. Some are being replaced with creative alternatives (photo). The 13 brave soldiers on Zmiyinniy Island who perished after telling the Russian ship Moskva to go “nakhuy” will be remembered forever.

My dear Russian protesters — all of you who are against the war! Until your actions start coming close to approximating the valor and bravery of Ukrainians, the world continue to be hostage to your maniacal President. I realize that not all of you are as stupid as some of the soldiers that have invaded my home, but…

Grow some balls! Fast! The world is counting on you!

* Thoughts from Kyiv is a series of flash essays by Mychailo Wynnyckyj from February 2022

Author — Mychailo Wynnyckyj, Social Scientist, Public Intellectual. Academic Development Officer, Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Content Editor: Maryna Korchaka

Program Directors: Julia Ovcharenko and Demyan Om Dyakov Slavitsky

Demyan Om Flash essays Julia Ovcharenko Maryna Korchaka Mychailo Wynnyckyj Thoughts from Kyiv Wars Paradoxes we recommend

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