Mychailo Wynnyckyj, Valerii Pekar — March 6-9, 2022

“Wars. Ukrainians. Humanity” is a collection of flash essays that sheds light on Ukrainian insights, experiences, and beliefs ignited by the full-scale russian invasion.

The Cultural Hub community and curators have carefully collected, translated, and illustrated these texts in order to capture Ukrainian values — Freedom, Bravery, Dignity, Responsibility, and Humour. 

We’ve created a series of publications in partnership with Chytomo to introduce this collection to English-speaking audiences. Volume 3 continues to present the series. You can get acquainted with the previous collection here.

Mychailo Wynnyckyj: Thoughts from Kyiv. Sunday afternoon, March 6

Evil exists. I used to believe Evil was simply a lack of Good. But now I’m convinced: Evil exists and it is active.

Evil exists in pure form: in the motivations of a man who organizes the mass killing other human beings, the destruction of cities, hospitals, schools, homes. Pure Evil is identifiable, concentrated, powerful.

However, Evil can also exist as a force that corrupts Good.

If you are religious, you might think that I am referring to “sin.” Corruption by evil in this context would refer to a temporary deviation in behavior by a person who is fundamentally virtuous. I’m sure that too is caused by Evil, but even though it’s Sunday, the evil of sin is not what I seek to unmask here.

The Evil that currently corrupts our friends in the West is the evil of fear, doubt and hesitance/denial. The corruption it causes is not temporary. This Evil is causing a crisis of souls — a conviction that Good principles are limited in scope by the bounds of self-interest: “it’s not really my problem, so I’ll stand aside and stay virtuous.”

This outlook is not a temporary “sin.” It reflects a worldview: a “fortress mentality” whereby the Good (us) must not be allowed to be penetrated by Evil (them). But building fortresses is in itself evil. If the Good is all-encompassing, then to parcel it up, or to give it bounds, can only be the result of its corruption.

I have been reading commentary and discussion on western websites as to the proposed No-Fly Zone over Ukraine. Ukraine’s political leaders and citizenry have been pleading with the West to impose it. NATO leaders, and many non-Ukrainian citizens of western countries resist.

The arguments “against” can be summed up in three main groups.

1) We fear that putin will react by launching nukes on the West.

2) We doubt whether the Ukrainian cause is truly righteous, after-all NATO did expand eastward, and that may have caused valid russian security concerns (i.e. russia’s invasion is the Ukrainians’ own fault).

3) We should wait before engaging russia directly because maybe this war can be won with proxies (i.e. soldiers of fortune, retired military personnel flying outmoded aircraft, valiant Ukrainians supplied with western weapons, etc.).

These arguments exemplify how Evil corrupts Good: through fear, doubt and hesitance/denial.

I have tried to counter arguments against a No-Fly Zone with appeals to the fundamental values of western democracy: life, freedom, opportunity … These have generally fallen on deaf ears.

Evil exists. It corrupts people who are generally and mainly good.

Thank you to those who demonstrated their support for Good on the squares and streets of cities throughout the civilized world. You are the flame of hope that we here are heard.

The Good must prevail!

Слава Україні!*

#ThoughtsfromKyiv

* Slava Ukrayini! (translit. for Ukrainian). Glory to Ukraine!

Mychailo Wynnyckyj: Thoughts from Kyiv. Morning of March 7

Keeping the faith is becoming increasingly difficult, but certainly not impossible. Pain comes from the realization that we stand alone.

Morale remains high among those directly engaging russian forces: putin’s land invasion has been turned into an unmitigated military disaster! But for those of us in support roles, fatigue is becoming a factor. Constant images of humanitarian catastrophe and russian war crimes are depressing: helplessness is the greatest cause of despair.

No one is giving up. We cry a lot. We scream at our computer screens and phones. We cannot understand why western leaders have forsaken us. In the words of Zelensky “everyone understands that Ukraine is now defending all of Europe,” and Europe is certainly helping us with humanitarian support, financial aid, even key weapons that have helped stop the russian onslaught. For all of that, we are grateful.

But our skies remain open, and our cities continue to be bombed.

When I get particularly dejected I turn to Facebook and Telegram. A former student just posted a crowdfunding request to buy a drone copter for a military unit. Within 15 minutes she updated: 44 000 hryvnia (approx.1400 euro) collected — more than required. Thank you! She’ll post a report with the receipts soon.

Another friend (not on FB) supports several Ukrainian military units by constantly monitoring internet resources — a kind of local Bellingcat, but closer to the action. I don’t think she’s slept for 10 days, but this wonderful lady actually found the time today to console me; to beef up my spirits!

If you want to hear anger, talk to a third young lady I am honored to know: she has 12 people sheltering in her house (8 children), her husband and brother are in the territorial brigades defending Kyiv. Ask her how she feels about those men who have left the country or hide from service in this hour of need…

This country is indestructible!

putin’s major mistake in this war was to assume he would be fighting the Ukrainian Armed Forces — a military organization that is obviously not as well equipped as its russian counterpart. But the russian army is fighting the Ukrainian people: a vast organized network of highly motivated men and women (!) that has mobilized throughout the country.

Everyone has their own front: some provide information and support to those who shoot, some appeal to the West (and are at times at a loss for words), some write analysis, some protect our most precious — our children. But we are all here! We are not leaving! This is home.

A word to our vast Ukrainian Diaspora throughout the world: keep it up! Your faith, your demonstrations, your support is more than appreciated! This war will end, and we will need your help to rebuild the country. Make plans now!

We, Ukrainians, are a global force. putin should never have messed with us. But he did. And he’ll pay for it.

Слава Україні!*

#ThoughtsfromKyiv

*Slava Ukrayini! (translit. for Ukrainian). Glory to Ukraine!

Mychailo Wynnyckyj: Thoughts from Kyiv. Afternoon of March 7

Today “peace talks” between russian and Ukrainian delegations have started in the Bilovezhska Pushcha resort in belarus — the same place the agreement to dismember the USSR was signed in December 1991. I’m not sure how the symbolism of site selection should be interpreted, but if the rumors are true, the russians have arrived at the talks having completely misunderstood Ukraine’s current reality.

According to journalist and Bellingcat contributor Christo Grozev (2019 European Press Prize winner), the russians have proposed the following as prerequisites of a ceasefire: 1) Zelensky remains pro forma President, but pro-russian Opposition Party leader Yuriy Boiko is appointed Prime Minister, 2) Ukraine recognizes independence of L/DNR and annexation of Crimea, 3) Ukraine vows not to join NATO.

President Zelensky has responded with an emphatic “no.”

Incidentally, according to other press reports, former President Yanukovych has been brought by the russians to minsk, and may be proclaimed “legitimate” again. This plan is so laughable that it does not even deserve comment.

What the russians (and I suspect many Western leaders) don’t understand is that any “peace agreement” will not end the war unless it is accepted not only by Ukraine’s political leadership, but also by its population. And that population is in no mood for compromise: russian forces must withdraw from the entire territory of Ukraine (including the Donbas and Crimea). Anything less will simply not be tolerated. Too many have died.

The same reason Ukraine can never be occupied by russia applies to its having a peace agreement forced upon it. Controlling Ukraine means gaining the agreement of Ukrainians. Governing here is not about orders or directives. It’s about constantly securing acquiescence and legitimacy.

Ukraine is a DEMO-cracy. This means rule BY the people. Not rule by representatives of the people, elected to serve at the top of a bureaucratic state hierarchy, but BY the people (i.e. the original meaning of “democracy”). This principle is deeply ingrained in Ukrainian political culture, and its concomitant heterarchic structures.

russia’s aggression has mobilized horizontal networks within the population. The people have self-organized into informal teams with local leaders and systems of local support. To try to impose a settlement that is not acceptable to these teams is going to be extremely problematic.

In 2014, the nominal leaders of the Maidan protests faced a similar problem: although they were recognized as figureheads, their decisions were not decisive for the protesters. Indeed, in many cases (as with the signing of the “agreement” with Yanukovych on 21 February 2014) their decisions were flatly rejected by the protesters.

In today’s situation:

— when over 100,000 volunteers have signed up for the Territorial Brigades,

— when recruitment offices in Zaporizhzhia and Lviv are overwhelmed,

— when civilians in Koruykiv, Melitopol, Yuzhnoukrayinsk, and Enerhodar have evicted invading russians with their unarmed demonstrations,

— when russian humanitarian assistance in occupied Kherson has been refused because it comes from the occupier,

— when mobilization for both defense and humanitarian assistance has been total…

In this situation, to settle for anything other than complete withdrawal of russian troops will be a very difficult “sell.”

Monitoring the western media, I see Zelensky being portrayed as a hero — an archetypical Luke Skywalker, William Wallace, and sometimes quaint combination of Rambo and Gandalf rolled into one. This portrayal reflects the media’s need for a recognizable archetype. It has been created within the hierarchical paradigm of industrial society to which most of the world still subscribes. Nothing wrong with this in principle.

But in Ukraine, individuals such as Roman Hrybov (the infamous defender of Zmiyinniy Island — author of the russian ship salutation), Serhiy Chyzhykov (the former postman who downed a russian Su-35 with a ManPad), Marine Vitaliy Skakun (perished blowing up the bridge in Henichesk on 24 February, thus slowing the advance of a tank column from Crimea) are seen as the real heroes of this war. Each of them is closer to the archetypical Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings — a small hero, an individual with voice, with the right to be heard, to be reckoned with. Each is a freedom fighter with whom this mobilized population can identify.

That is not to say Ukrainians do not support their President — over 90% of the population approves of his actions since the start of russia’s invasion. But this is a “people’s war” — fought by ordinary citizens, defending their homes, their families, their right to exist…

Every war eventually ends in peace. And peace talks are of necessity elite-led events. However, in the current circumstances their result cannot be elite-imposed. Anyone who tries to impress a deal on the people that does not take their interests and deeply wounded emotions into account will make the current situation worse.

This is the reality of heterarchy, and it is the reality that neither putin, nor many western leaders seem to understand. Zelensky does, and so he has correctly rejected russia’s proposals outright.

Слава Україні!*

#ThoughtsfromKyiv

* Slava Ukrayini! (translit. for Ukrainian). Glory to Ukraine!

Valerii Pekar: Ukrainian network society of free people and the law of large numbers. March 6

Many people have been writing over the recent days that many have the feeling that they are not doing enough. Psychologists explain the reason for this feeling, which, I am sure, is shared by many of us; and popular bloggers assure that no matter what you do for the sake of victory it is important. Even those who hold a machine-gun in their hands are sometimes concerned about the fact that somebody is undergoing tough times in other directions of defense, while they have not yet seen any live invader with their eyes.

And I would like to offer a slightly different perspective on all this. I have already written that the fundamental cause of Ukrainian victory and russian defeat is the advantages of Ukrainian network society of free people as compared to the hierarchical centralized system of people-cogs. This network manifested for itself for the first time very vividly and was studied on the Maidan. It is there that it became clear for the first time: the power of this society lies in the fact that each and everyone independently does things he or she considers to be necessary and worth the effort, and then “the law of big numbers” works — and without any orders everything appears to be done. Such a system cannot be defeated. The center of such a system cannot be captured, since it does not have any center (let me recall: the Internet was born as the result of solving the problem of vulnerability of the centralized system of communications). The disappearance of one unit does not mean anything since multi-time and independent duplication of functions occurs. This is duplication, but with different strategies since every team has already devised its own one, and this leads to the situation when the monster dies from “one thousand cuts” (an old Chinese stratagem), while one of the random arrows will probably hit the dragon’s eye.

The poster of those times accurately reflects this sense.

putin thought that the russian army will face the Ukrainian army which was, definitely, underestimated by him, but which anyway has a much lower capacity. But the russian army faced the Ukrainian society, and the russian army does not have any chances in this opposition.

Valerii Pekar: Ukraine is becoming world brand number 1. March 6

The war will not yet be over when everything Ukrainian is already extremely popular in the world. We are becoming world brand number 1, and I am not joking. (Had anyone said this to me some two weeks ago, I would just have laughed and criticized him.) I am not sure that our “moment of glory” will last long, since the world never admires anything for a long period. But now tens of millions of people have finally found Ukraine on the map or on the globe, and, at the same time, have had a look at russia ­– how large and absurd it is. Ukraine is associated with stability, heroism, and a real fairy-tale miracle. Ukrainians have made this happen.

Now every world brand will definitely have something yellow and blue, and, maybe, even with a trident. Every motivational trainer in any corner of the world is now earning money through selling a training “7 lessons of Ukraine: how to become like Ukrainians.”

Tourism, souvenirs, fashion, IT, food, literature, cinema, computer games — think already now how we are going to sell this, catching the wave of interest.

Valerii Pekar: Authoritarianism is an awful thing since it destroys human souls. March 9

The attempts to get clear about what is happening in the russian society (ugh) have led me to the picture which I myself was not a witness of since I lived in the already relatively vegetarian brezhnev epoch. Back then there were already all formal signs of soviet totalitarianism in place, but there was already dual morale and dual truth: one – for public gatherings, and the other one – for private kitchens.

Today’s russia rather reminds us of the stalin times which I, certainly, did not witness myself. Passive consent with the regime was no longer sufficient, while active consent was required — sincere consent of an idiot or insincere consent of a coward. (north korea has gone even further — there you may suffer even for the right emotion, if depicted not in the manner strong and truthful enough).

But wait. Fear dominated in the epoch of stalin. Now in the rf one may get into a police van and be tortured at the police station for active resistance, but nobody is punished for passive consent. Active consent, instead of passive consent, is the choice not made under the pressure of fear. This is the choice under the pressure of striving to reach personal comfort. The social agreement is as follows: you get a modest oil and gas wellbeing, while you have to repeat unwise narratives of the “right party line.” This is no longer the choice between life and tacit neutrality, as it used to be (and many people opted for tacit neutrality instead of life even back then), but between modest oil and gas wellbeing and tacit neutrality. I don’t know whether I have managed to convey this difference to you.

Well, it is still good for us since when the modest oil and gas wellbeing disappears (in several weeks), it will turn out that the social agreement has been breached. It will be necessary to be going down and resorting to direct intimidation like in the classical stalin times.

Authoritarianism is an awful thing since it destroys human souls. By the way, bodies as well if we have a look at the performance figures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

But authoritarianism is doomed since it does not tolerate the truth. Nobody ever tells the truth to an authoritarian leader since he remunerates the ones who tell things he is pleased with and punishes for unpleasant things. But only truth is required for effective management.

I really do hope that the current war will so convincingly show Ukrainians the meanness of authoritarianism and the power of the horizontal network of free people that the veil will be lifted from the eyes of all former domestic supporters of authoritarianism once and for ever. Our poor wooden democracy, unfinished in terms of its construction, is convincingly destroying this iron authoritarianism which cannot even realize what is happening since it does not have either mind or heart, but “just has a flaming engine instead of a heart,” working on bad diesel fuel.

Mychailo Wynnyckyj: Thoughts from Kyiv. Morning of March 9

Ridicule of russia’s invasion is becoming increasingly widespread and global. The latest (tongue in cheek) arguments on social media here focus on whether the Territorial Brigade of Mykolayiv should be 8th on the list of Europe’s most powerful armies (above or below the combined forces of the United Kingdom), or whether this spot should be given to the gypsies (Roma) of Kakhovka who regularly steal russian tanks.

Personally, I am pushing for formal recognition of Ukraine’s farmers as among the best equipped armed forces in Europe. During recent days, their tractors have towed away so much stalled russian equipment (tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, armored vehicles…) that I’m convinced Ukraine’s rural sector is better equipped than the armies of Poland or France. I’ve attached some videos in the comments just for fun. Please feel free to add more.

Urban (or perhaps Village) legends abound. This one is from Marysia Nikitiuk:

Four russian tanks drive into a village in Sumy oblast (pronounced Soo-mi). The locals sit quietly in their houses peeking out their windows periodically. The russians — obviously low on fuel — strain the diesel out of two of the tanks into the other two and drive off, leaving two empty battle tanks in the center of the village. The locals run out, place two Ukrainian flags on the russian tanks, and hide in their houses again. Some time later the russians return with their tanks filled with fuel, and with spare diesel for the two vehicles they left behind. As they approach the village, they see two tanks with Ukrainian flags on them. They open fire. When the dust clears, the russians realize they’ve destroyed their own tanks — oops. The locals quietly laugh. Then the two remaining russian tanks proceed to drive through the village: probably attempting to return to their main advancing column. On the way, they reach a bridge built with a 5 ton maximum (for passenger cars). As the first tank advances, the bridge collapses and the tank heads muzzle first into the stream. The second tank then tries to go around the bridge but gets stuck in the mud of an adjacent field. Its team gets out, tries in vain to dig out the tracks, and finally abandons the machine.

And that is the story of how Ukrainian villagers stopped 4 russian battle tanks with two Ukrainian flags…

Now the serious part of this story. The message of “pozor” (extreme shame) that russia’s ground forces have been submitted to in Ukraine is surely getting to putin. Despite having isolated himself from any potential coup plotters in his bunker in the Urals, stories such as the above are no doubt filtering through to the russian president. He is angry.

As I have written before, “pozor” (humiliating digrace) is perhaps the worst thing that can be experienced by a leader in russia’s vertically collectivist political culture. It means personal failure, betrayal of the nation, catastrophe for the state. putin cannot afford to have such stories circulating in russia. He needs to secure a victory.

The last few days have been quieter in Kyiv than during the previous week. Artillery barrages on civilian targets have focused primarily on Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol (the port city on the Azov Sea is a humanitarian disaster). On the northwest outskirts of Kyiv, the russian advance has been stopped in Irpin and Bucha (two towns that were completely destroyed); battles rage on the eastern approaches to the capital — in Brovary and Boryspil. However, the intensity of attack by russian forces has diminished significantly. They have obvious problems with morale, logistics, and strategy.

But the war is not ending yet — quite the contrary. During the next few days we expect intensified attacks on Ukraine’s capital: an attempt to surround Kyiv completely. If that fails (I have no doubt it will fail), then putin will escalate further, and his ultimate escalation will no longer involve ground troops.

During coming days, the “Syria” scenario (scorched earth) will be intensified throughout Ukraine, and many more of our countrymen will die. We will honor our heroes — including farmers and villagers who shamed the “mighty” russian army on a global scale. But we must realize: putin needs a victory in Ukraine. Fast. He will escalate.

God help us!

#ThoughtsfromKyiv

Mychailo Wynnyckyj: Thoughts from Kyiv. Afternoon of March 9

This war must have a purpose. Perhaps I am being too mystical in my thinking, but history seems to show that changing the course of human development sometimes requires catastrophe. Could it be that all this death and destruction may have some constructive end?

In the social sciences, much has been written over the past 3–4 decades about humanity’s apparently ongoing shift to “postindustrial society” (Daniel Bell), about the “third wave” of development (Alvin Toffler), about western society’s transition to “postmodernism” (Francois Lyotard). The industrial revolution spawned a particular way of life (including power relations, trade relations, consumption patterns, values and norms, rule systems). That civilizational system is now changing.

In addition to observing an obvious shift in economic priorities (i.e. how wealth is generated) from industrial production to services, sociologists and management theorists have pointed out that since the end of the 20th century, accepted ways of structuring organizations has gradually changed. Hierarchy is out, teamwork is in.

Richard Florida has highlighted the emergence of a new “creative class” whose organizational requirements differ widely from those of traditional industrial management. In the political sphere Moses Naim has pointed out the “end of power” in the traditional sense, and the growth in importance of informal influence. “Institutionalized charisma” as described by Max Weber, no longer seems to form the basis for legitimate authority claims.

All of these observations point to a global shift in the principles according to which society is organized: away from hierarchy and bureaucracy (i.e. away from the foundational requirements of modern capitalism) to some form of “network” society. And although technology is important for this shift, the appearance of smartphones and the internet cannot be the whole story.

In the book “Great Revolutions and the Civilizations of Modernity” sociologist S. N. Eisenstadt argued that modern civilization (i.e. industrial capitalism, democratic nation-states, modern consumerist culture, etc.) did not emerge through evolution. The development of modernity as a way of life was accompanied by revolution, war, violence …

Could it be that this war is part of the natural prerequisite of human evolution? To progress from one civilizational phase to the next, does humanity need war? If so, perhaps this war has a purpose: to enable our shift from hierarchy to heterarchy (among other things).

Let me explain: Yesterday, during an online interview I was asked by a Canadian reporter how I felt about Zelensky staying in Kyiv throughout the past two weeks. I was stunned by the question. The physical presence of Ukraine’s President’s in the capital throughout the invasion was/is something Ukrainians take for granted. Of course he’s in the capital! Where else would he be?

But more importantly, I thought, why would you even ask this question? And then it donned on me: we live in different paradigms. The western media assumes that the actions of Zelensky as President are fundamentally important to the ongoing war. He is, after-all, the leader of a nation at war: a kind of Churchill-Roosevelt combo.

Although Zelensky’s formal leadership role is obvious, the “flat” network structure of Ukraine’s resistance (the real reason Ukrainians have been able to stop russia’s invasion) seems to be much less understood. Indeed, when the Ukrainian President’s portrait is plastered on magazine covers throughout the West, and he is presented as a global celebrity, I begin to think we may be living in different worlds.

Ironically, immediately after his election in 2019, Zelensky specifically asked that his portrait not be hung in government offices. He understands Ukrainians’ revulsion to hierarchy. Some may refer to our political culture as slightly anarchic, but as seen on the battlefield, the resultant organizational structure works.

The western media, responding to their audiences’ demand for easily discernible cultural stereotypes, has been celebrating President Zelensky as an archetypical leader: a kind of Rambo-Gandalf-Wallace-Skywalker amalgamation. If that helps keep Ukraine in the global spotlight and aids our war effort, so be it. But to many Ukrainians (and I suspect to Zelensky himself) this portrayal seems a bit childish. It certainly does not reflect our view of our President and would not justify his current 90%+ approval rating.

Getting back to my search for meaning/purpose in this war. I wonder if Ukraine’s heterarchic political culture might be the essence of our contribution to civilization; our nudge of humanity towards a new phase of development. It is tragic that this developmental shift must be proven effective on multiple battlefields, but I guess that may be the price of evolution.

This war is a contest between a large hierarchical, bureaucratic (corrupt), extraordinarily large war machine that has invaded a smaller, idealistic, nimble network of determined citizens. Nominally, our leader is President Zelensky. In practice, everyone seems to know exactly what to do without being told. The citizens’ network is mobilized by an ideal: freedom from the oppressor/invader.

When we prevail, this war will be studied not only by social scientists, but also by historians — perhaps as a time when humanity underwent a fundamental transition from its outdated industrial-hierarchical-bureacratic paradigm to a new “communitarian” (broadly termed) heterarchic principle of organizing social life.

If this war is what needs to happen for that transition to become fulfilled, then so be it. Understanding the grand narrative of what we are experiencing doesn’t necessarily make our current tragedy any less appalling, but at least it might give us purpose.

#ThoughtsfromKyiv

* The editorial “rule of small letters” or the “rule of disrespect for criminals” applies to all the words related to evil, like names and surnames of terrorists, war criminals, rapists, murderers, and torturers. They do not deserve to be capitalized but shall be written in italics to stay in the focus of the readers’ attention. 

The program “Wars. Ukrainians. Humanity” has been created through joint effort and financial support of the institution’s members of the Cultural Business Education Hub, the European Cultural Foundation, and BBK — the Regensburg Art and Culture Support Group from the Professional Association of Artists of Lower Bavaria/Upper Palatinate.

Authors: Mychailo Wynnyckyj, Valerii Pekar

Translator (from Ukrainian): Halyna Pekhnyk (Valerii Pekar’s essays) 

Illustrators: Victoria Boyko (Mychailo Wynnyckyj’s essays on Morning of March 7, Morning of March 9, Afternoon of March 9),  Christina Katrakis (Mychailo Wynnyckyj’s essay on Afternoon Sunday of March 6, Afternoon of March 7),  Max Palenko (Valerii Pekar’s essays), plasticine panel by Olha Protasova

Copyeditors: Yuliia Moroz, Terra Friedman King

Proofreaders: Iryna Andrieieva, Tetiana Vorobtsova, Terra Friedman King

Content Editors: Maryna Korchaka, Natalia Babalyk

Program Directors: Julia Ovcharenko and Demyan Om Dyakiv-Slavitski