October 20-25, 2022 Taras Prokhasko, Svitlana Stretovych, Mychailo Wynnyckyj, Valerii Pekar, Volodymyr Yermolenko

Flash essays from the collection “Wars. Ukrainians. Humanity” tell about the insights, experiences, and beliefs of Ukrainians, which ignited their society in 2022, when the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine began.

The Cultural Hub community and curators carefully collected, translated, and illustrated these texts in order to capture the values ​​of Ukrainians — Freedoms, Bravery, Dignity, Responsibility, and Humour. 

A series of publications in partnership with Chytomo introduces this collection to the English-speaking audience. Volume 32 continues to present the series. You can get acquainted with the previous collection here.

Taras Prokhasko: Outer skeleton. October 20

The grandpa was interested in clothes. He wasn’t a tailor. He owned few clothes. He was neither a historian of the everyday life, nor a semiologist. He merely understood clothes, he was knowledgeable about it, and, most importantly, he was mindful of it.

My first stories I heard from him about the Cossacks and their deeds, and the epoch, were about the clothes. Grandpa would thoroughly tell how a hetman had to dress up in the morning, for example. And about all details in his attire.

He was certain that the clothing and the footwear was the only basic need of a man differentiating him from an animal. For other needs such as food (he considered fire and collecting seeds as less of the radical civilizational milestones) and housing were not crucially different from how animals, birds, or germs were doing it.

On the other hand, clothing was part of physiology, the outer skeleton and the spiritual inner core. In that case, clothing was the neurophysiology. The way to manually control your own adaptation to staying in this world.

Quite sinewy, he believed clothing to be the extension and improvement for muscles, tendons, joints, skin, and even bones.

I can’t remember exactly but he seemed to be talking about something that I read in Kapustynskyi’s, a decade later, when he was quoting an old Turkman: history was made by the clad people. Where people stayed naked, there is no history.

He meant what he said because when he was thrown into lockups, they would usually undress him. A naked person is more resilient when they need to come out of the deep waters. But a man becomes more vulnerable when the torture is coming. A shirt soaked with the beaten-out blood might cause pain when taking off but it gives more chances to escape the fatality in the execution.

The pop also liked sharing some smart ideas of keptars, the sleeveless sheepskin jackets, and what they were fit for against the highland winds; or about other such inventions of various nations depending on where they lived under the sun. Like all other men in our lands, when outside, he would always wear a peaked cap or a hat. Like all other men, he had white untanned legs because he could tolerate the sweat during hard work but he could not imagine himself pantless.

He was the one who taught me to pay attention to the uniform. To the dress jackets. He was not interested in the aesthetics of various insignia or marks. Practicality only. Functionality. The government’s care for the uniform owner. If a Cossack is unified through the uniform, do they care for his outer skeleton? How would it act when rubbing, straining, bending and rolling, soaking wet and drying? Would the pockets make the soldier multifunctional?

After several wars, armies, and imprisonments, he hated russian military outfits. He was concerned to see the russians during the First World war. He outraged when served his term in Karaganda and in trans-baikal. He said that he would first think about the horrible inefficiency of the clothes, and even tried to recommend to some chiefs to give to the inmates some decent outfits. Then, he realized it could not be otherwise. For humiliation and suffering shall be all-encompassing.

I  would recall his storytelling and contemplation when I was putting on the minimum soldier outfit at 6 am. When I was fitting the foot wraps. When I had to struggle through the days in the kirza boots. When once a week, after bath hour, I was allocated with the worn-out underwear and underpants. When the trench overcoat was neither warm nor cold. When the fabricoid belt was sagging from all things attached to it.

Later, I also recollected the grandpa’s passion when in the 90’s I would come across some great army boots, pants, pullovers, T-shirts, and berets in the street markets, all second-hand and washed clean, from the European countries. From those places where all advanced civilizational solutions come from the need to care for a soldier in a uniform. About his outer skeleton. The functionality and a clear intention not to vanish but to return, to be able to wear things less functional.

Svitlana Stretovych: It is impossible to say “Goodbye!” October 21

Having a separate place at a Ukrainian cemetery is considered to be a luxury today. To bury a person following the rites we had before the outbreak of the great war is mere luck. You should be lucky to get to a farewell ceremony with the deceased or perished person to say goodbye to him or her. 

— People are buried in blankets, we just put four boards together, — says a man living close to Kakhovka Hydropower Plant in Kherson region.

russian invaders are controlling it as a strategically important facility. It is, in fact, impossible to understand what is happening there until the territory is liberated.

…

I have never thought about life through the prism of a follow up summary. What does a person want to finally get as a summary? But I have heard many times from men (men, not women) I know that each of them wants to leave an imprint, to be remembered. To this show that life has not been spent in vain, if they managed to do something for their name to be mentioned when they are already not here. 

The older generation born in the wartime tended to measure the results of life by the number of children and grandchildren coming to bid farewell to the person leaving this world. Those who managed to build families after World War II, make their children educated, have actually revived life in the country. And the more fruits the branch of the genealogical tree has — the longer the funeral procession line is. 

…

I loved my grandmother who was born before the war in 1938 and lived through evacuation, mastering of new lands, loss of her father and husband the most out of the people who taught me how to live. Her songs and sayings, her manner of keeping her house clean, and her thoughts, always in good order, were a sample for me to follow. I liked looking through black-and-white photos in her old album. In this picture she is together with her family. In the other one — with my grandfather. There are many pictures of her children — three daughters and one son. One of the daughters is my mother. I liked looking at the pictures trying to find some common features in our faces and seeing that there had been a time when my grandmother was very young.

I saw her last in the summer of 2021. That time I gathered an incredible number of strawberries in her garden. She liked sitting in the yard and talking about life. And the sessions of the Parliament — the Verkhovna Rada — always came as the background in her house.

…

She is no longer here. 

The day when my grandmother left us reminded me once again that war is ruthless to all values that matter for us. It is not possible yet to reach the occupied territory of Kherson region where humanitarian convoys and civilians are shot at. That is “dangerous to death”, with no exaggeration. And the summary of my grandmother’s life could not be measured during the farewell ceremony since her children and grandchildren are dispersed across different sides of the frontline.

I have been thinking about my memories for several recent days. The stories of my grandmother’s life are still in the old, worn-out album that is lying somewhere in her cabinet.

— Please, take the album so it does not get lost, — I ask my mother. — I will take it later.

I believe that one beautiful day I will go to my grandmother’s estate, step over the threshold to sit in the yard. Then I will take flowers and go to her grave to finally say “Goodbye!”

Svitlana Stretovych: Front? Are you sure? October 21

The word “front” in the dictionary of the Ukrainian language has got nine meanings. That is incredibly a lot, since when I normally work with texts and check specific words, they have several lexical meanings. After February 24 our life in Ukraine was split into two intervals — “before” and “after”. “Before” — standing for the period when human life seemed to be the highest value; when people thought that no one could be killed because of the national position in Ukraine; when shelling of civilians from all types of weaponry was tabooed by the global “never again” order.

All work within the country after the missile strikes of Ukrainian cities were launched and after the preparatory “before” period was over became our front. 

Information front.

Cultural front.

Diplomatic front.

Educational front.

Economic front.

Work front.

Frontline.

Now any field of activity in Ukraine is working to satisfy the needs of the war, in order to accelerate victory. That is why we have the front everywhere. But when your friends go to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and move to the frontline, fight there, perform their combat tasks going to the enemy’s rear, get injured and perish… the use of this word as regards to other work areas seems to be a bit irrelevant.  

You can drink coffee in the morning, read a morning report for the European community, answer the messages sent by your close people, fall asleep in your bed or even in the corridor on one front. While on the other front you can feel weather changing within each degree Celsius, wake up in a trench, drink coffee with your comrades, clean your weapons, see the enemy through your thermal imaging device.

Can one feel the war watching the video from the place of bombardment? Certainly, partially yes. Can one imagine what children feel while rushing to the bomb shelters during the air alert? Probably, no. Can one use the word front as the one embracing the life of the whole country in wartime? Probably, now already yes. Since one can hardly find any place in Ukraine not damaged by russian missiles, bombs, or iranian drones. And when you fall asleep in your bed, in the center of a European capital, you cannot be sure that this night the great war will not reach what is still there from your “before” life with its merciless bony fingers. Reach life itself, to be more specific.

Mychailo Wynnyckyj: Thoughts from Kyiv. October 24

After a 4 hour outage, we have electricity again. With 40% of the country’s power generation system damaged or destroyed by the russians, Ukrainians must now endure rotating blackouts.

And yet according to the latest polls, 86% of Ukrainians believe the country should continue its defense through military means rather than negotiation (71% believe this strongly), despite daily rocket attacks on our infrastructure targets.

Resilience. Patriotism. Determination.

During periods when the electricity is off, gas stations, shops, restaurants, schools, offices — all close. Mobile internet works sporadically: text messages get through, but video and audio are problematic.

But few complain. You just get on with other things.

I’ve noticed we talk more. If the lights go off during the day, we have time to read. Candles come in handy in the evening.

Prices have increased. Staples like bread, meat and milk are more expensive, but inflation is not yet critical — except for eggs which have doubled in price.

But private donations in support of the Armed Forces continue to flow.

And in the south, Ukrainian forces gradually, but steadily, advance on Kherson.

According to reports, we’re also close to liberating the area around Bakhmut in the east — good thing too: the salt mine there provides up to 90% of Ukraine’s salt and the local vineyard is home to ArtWinery (they make the best sparkling wine in the world if you ask me).

Wine, salt, eggs, meat, bread, books, internet, friends, family + freedom. If we have all that, what else matters? A few hours in the dark? Big deal…

The winter is going to be difficult, but we’ll survive. If for no other reason, than to see the russian invader trounced…

#ThoughtsfromKyiv

Valerii Pekar: All nations have the right to freedom and self-determination. October 25

Now, let’s have a serious conversation.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

Report of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

October 25, 2022

The secret services of the russian federation are preparing a campaign to discredit the national movements of the peoples of russia in the near future.

The secret services of the aggressor country are preparing a major campaign to discredit the leaders of the national and national liberation movements of the peoples of the russian federation.

The campaign, set to kick off in the near future, will be aimed at reducing the peoples’ striving for self-determination.

To this end, both in russia itself and beyond its borders — in Europe, the USA, and Ukraine, existing ‘agents of influence’ in the information and political spheres will be employed. Their task will be to convey to the ‘broad masses’ the idea of a priori aggressive, terrorist, or even Nazi nature of any national movements.

The goal of this campaign is to disrupt international support for peoples’ right to protect their rights, language, and culture. In addition, it aims to instill in Ukrainian society a negative attitude towards the peoples of the russian federation, who suffer from its imperial policy. Traditionally, the first to get hit by russian propaganda are the peoples of the Caucasus, who are actively fighting for their right to self-determination. In particular, it’s the Chechen opposition.

Currently, russia’s military and political leadership consider national liberation movements as one of the key threats to the unity and even the very existence of russia. The very appearance of these movements is perceived as a factor of instability, causing fierce opposition from the kremlin’s top leadership.

The best way to counter such campaigns is to ignore manipulative messages, regardless of the name of the speaker spreading them. Also, it involves detecting covert ‘agents of influence’ operating under the guise of ‘opinion leaders.’

— — — — — — — — — — end of report — — — — — — — — — —

Now let me tell you what I think.

putin’s regime is rightly afraid of national liberation movements. Because they will take it down, forever.

The dismantling of the russian empire and the reconstruction of post-imperial space is the only scenario that ensures the long-term security of Ukraine, Europe and the world.

So now I’m going to hit in the head — based on our Intelligence Directorate’s warning of hostile information operations rather than my own assumptions — all those who will say something bad about the national liberation movements of the oppressed nations of the empire.

Because all nations have the right to freedom and self-determination.

Because there are no bad nations (for reference: russians are not a nation).

Because we were also humiliated, russified and driven into imperial wars of conquest for centuries. And we can feel other peoples’ pain.

Because our slogan is the same: For our freedom and yours!

The empire will be destroyed. The people will be free.

The Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine advises against following kremlin propaganda methodologies as they are hazardous to your health.

Volodymyr Yermolenko: And that’s probably the most beautiful thing about this blackout of ours. October 25

The online lecture in KMA had to be canceled. We stayed without electricity from ab. 4 pm until 7 pm (when the lecture was supposed to begin), but the power did not resume. Not matured. Did not have time to gain enough strength. To drink enough water. To sleep enough and wake up.

The lights woke up just now. When the lights suddenly turn on in the dark, you take it as the goal of your favorite team. You involuntarily throw your hands up and scream ‘dynamo dynamo’. Although the difference is that you do not know who scored the goal, and what kind of lightning attack led to it. Children start running crazy around the apartment, although they had not been taking a break before, but now they do not break even more crazy. It is interesting to know how children can run around the apartment in complete darkness, and avoid all the sharp edges. And the dead ends, too. Although sometimes they do not miss the sharp corners, and put daddies in a dead end of darkness, of lack of communication, of cruel baby crying for the same philosophical questions for daddy why didn’t you download the cartoons so what if there’s no internet daaaddy download some more.

Children are a miracle of life because they are omnipresent, and at all times. We go to bed with children, we wake up with children, we take a walk with children, we deliver lectures with children, we desperately do all the work and texts and podcasts when children are temporarily unavailable (asleep), and we finish the podcasts, works, texts and livestreams when they wake up with no compromise.

And here is the main conclusion to which this fatal and fateful post led. Such as:

in the darkness of blackout, the presence of children multiplies exponentially. They used to be everywhere before, and now they are totally everywhere. They surrounded you, and took you prisoner.

And that’s probably the most beautiful thing about this blackout of ours.

Volodymyr Yermolenko: For the “russian world” is not a “separate civilization”; It is just a forgery, an imitation. October 25

I’m not sure you noticed it: the russians are trying to copycat us. We say that this is a war of life against death, of biophilia against necrophilia — and they say this from behind their looking-glass, but of course, their statements are marked opposite. We say that we are fighting for our identity and the right not to be people with the cut-out faces — and they say the same. We say it’s a war of free men against a soulless collectivist totalitarian machine — and they say it, too.

They certainly claim that we are the death; that we (and the West) carve out their faces, that we are the totalitarian. And it looks Orwellian, “war is peace” and so on, but deep down it means a very simple thing: they have nothing to say. They are not just criminals, cowards, passive, and small — they are also mediocre imitators. They can’t invent any decent “naratiff” anymore.

For the “russian world” is not a “separate civilization”; it is just a forgery, an imitation. The shadow of civilization, as Vakhtang Kebuladze says.

kiselov recently aired on his “show” a song of that “shaman”, called “I’m russian.” it has a phrase, “I am russian all the world to spite” — and that song, which was supposed to raise the national spirit, begins with the footage when that “shaman” treads through a yellow field of wheat, and the top half of the frame is the blue sky. Blue-yellow frame, “I’m russian,” yeah. And the song is all totally ripped from Western pop rock, with no national elements, and that “shaman” is a typical Eurovision character. All this is a pathetic imitation of “to spite the rest of the world.”

They don’t even have their alphabet left for their propaganda. Z means that there are no more letters left.

And why that? Because, deep inside, they are old and weak, like their putin. Political gerontology in its final stages. That is why the opposition is so weak, because it imitates the system. A new reincarnation of brezhnevism, only even more caricatured. brezhnev, who wanted to become hitler or stalin, but could not. Or, taking a topless photo, like mussolini — and that’s it. “We can repeat” — that’s why they repeat after others, like old parrots. Because if the only thing you can do is “repeat threat,” then you actually can’t do anything.

Old feeble imitators.

​

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 being capitalized but shall be written in italics to stay in the focus of the readers’ attention. 

The programme “Wars. Ukrainians. Humanity” has been created by joint effort and with the 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: Taras Prokhasko, Svitlana Stretovych, Mychailo Wynnyckyj, Valerii Pekar, Volodymyr Yermolenko

Translators (from Ukrainian): Svitlana Bregman (Taras Prokhasko & Volodymyr Yermolenko’s essays), Halyna Pekhnyk (Svitlana Stretovych’s essays), Halyna Bezukh (Valerii Pekar’s essay)

Illustrators: Yuliya Tabenska (Taras Prokhasko’s essay), Victoria Boyko (Svitlana Stretovych & Mychailo Wynnyckyj’s essays), Max Palenko (Valerii Pekar’s essay), Nastya Gaydaenko (Volodymyr Yermolenko’s essays), and 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