January 9, 2024

This is my fifth visit to wartime Ukraine, and, as usual, I am writing this report to allow you and our readers a view of the country outside the MSM, even if it’s only a glimpse and mainly from Kyiv.

The bus took the Shehyni border crossing.  It’s only around 70 kilometers from Lviv. There are four lanes there that lead into the customs sector; one for buses, one for POVs, and two for trucks, and the first thing that I took note of was the situation with the trucks. Of course, we all know about the border blockages by Polish truckers and in some cases by Polish farmers since early November. To my pleasant surprise, there was no hindrance whatsoever at this point. There was no miles-long line of trucks awaiting passage, either. The trucks were let through as usual, making an even better progress than the other vehicles.

After having spent around four hours there to get through both customs checks, we were on our way again into Ukraine. On the other side of the border, there also was no unusual long line of trucks that were waiting to enter Poland. Everything was totally normal.

We stopped in the main bus station in Lviv about an hour later. I was a bit surprised by the number of buses and people there. This was my fifth time at this station and my second time during the holiday season, so I knew that this was a bit unusual. Of course, I can’t say if most passengers were entering the country or leaving it. Our bus was filled to the brim, by the way. Noteworthy were the number of males on board. Usually, there are at least 95% females and children on the buses, but this time there were several males on board.

There’s nothing atypical to tell, as we travelled from Lviv in another bus to Kyiv. The traffic was heavy with trucks, that’s for sure, and this in both directions. To me, this is a good sign. This means a bustling economy. City life in Lviv, Rivne, and Zhytomyr were also as usual as far as I could tell. No unusual emptiness there despite being at war for nearly two years.

I arrived at Kyiv on the 27^th of December after the lengthy trip. Unfortunately, it’s still not possible to fly directly into the country, so this leaves a visitor with mainly two modes of transportation, bus and train. Incidentally, I didn’t take the train into Ukraine this time, having been shocked too much when I had to share a cramped sleeper berth with three females the last time. A thin joke, I know.

Generally speaking, things looked to be routine in Kyiv, where I spent my entire visit. I think that I can give a fair assessment in this regard since I not only know the city, both in peacetime and now during wartime as well, but because I also have a tendency to study my surroundings closely, specifically now, when the country is at war. The city life there is active and multitudinous, and this is a very good thing.

At any rate, the streets, the sidewalks, the stores, restaurants, parks and cafes see the usual traffic of vehicles, visitors, and customers. I can’t say if there are more or less people in the city, of course, but there was no notable difference in this regard, taken from my observations from my previous visits.

As for the military, this too is like it was during my last visit, not seeing any more or any fewer soldiers or military vehicles. An exception was observed in Zhytomyr. I saw many more military personnel there than usual. There are still plenty of men of military age to be seen practically everywhere in the country that I went to. And, I think it’s safe to say that Ukraine could perhaps induct more than its fair share of the planned 500,000 additional military personnel from Kyiv alone without much of a problem.

Yes, the stores were filled with products, and this includes grocery stores, supermarkets, building supply stores, shopping malls, automobile dealerships, and so on. I didn’t really expect this, due to the blockage at the Polish border, with thousands of trucks being stranded there. I read somewhere not long ago about certain products being out of stock in the country, or close to it, but I couldn’t make out any. Maybe certain obscure products are, or for sure those I usually never take note of.

We experienced the massive missile and drone attacks on the country by mafia land the other day, on the morning of the 29^th December and on the night of January 1^st to the 2^nd. I’ve been through a few before during my previous four stays in Kyiv, but I must admit that I’ve never heard so many explosions as this time around. The clear sky was filled with detonations and distant rumblings. Luckily, nothing happened to us or to any of our family or friends. Sadly, others were not so lucky.

This brings me to the general mood of the population, at least as far as I can judge by those around me and from what others tell me … hearsay, if you will.

Naturally, nobody is happy with the current situation. This not only entails the air attacks, but even more so the attitude of the allies. I feel with them, more than ever, simply because I’m here in person. Unfortunately, I also have personal experience about being attacked from the air with weapons of war. It’s not a nice feeling, to put it gingerly.

Naturally, the people would welcome a slightly different West, one with a level of steadfastness and courage like they have. Needless to say, it’s the Ukrainians who are going through hell and the rest of the free world is basically only a bystander, watching in the safety of NATO membership or just plain far distance.

Overall, however, the people are generally careful when it comes to criticizing the US or Europe. They know about and appreciate very, very much every bit of help that the country has received.  Nevertheless, virtually everyone also understands that the help is frequently too little and too late, despite the fact that, as they understand it, this fight is not only between Ukraine and Russia, but also between democracy and dictatorships. It should never be forgotten that this war is being fought in Europe, and not in some far-flung corner of the globe. Right at NATO’s doorstep. This makes the attitude of the West all the more confusing to them. Most people have no illusions about reality, in particular that if Ukraine losses, other countries in Europe will be forced to fight. I guess that the average Ukrainian knows Russia better than the rest of Europe. Of course, I don’t mean Poland and other Eastern Europe. They also know the Russians. That’s why they desperately wanted to have NATO memberships.

Like us, they too watch, listen, and read the news about the war daily, with Western aid having a high level of importance to them. The increasing talk about aid from the US drying up, a potential Trump presidency, Orban, Fico, Wilders, the refusal of getting the good ATACMS and the Taurus, all this gives them the feeling of being on the path of abandonment.

But, what choice do they have but to keep on fighting, no matter how? The other alternative is to surrender to Russia. However, this is not an alternative at all. Surrendering to Russia means not only giving up sovereignty, but also their culture and to be fully exposed to the countless severe crimes that will be committed against them … to men, women, and even children. And to give up territory for peace is also a no-go. The peace would be fake and temporary, and they would have to give up those Ukrainians that still call the occupied areas home. Every Ukrainian is valuable to every Ukrainian.

My time was soon up, and so I left the other day, but with mixed feelings. The stronger feeling is that I would like to stay longer … much longer.

The return trip was long and demanding, as to be expected when in a bus filled to the last seat. This time, there were only three Ukrainian men on the bus, which I guess to be between 58 and 70. Sorry, my talent for guessing ages is quite limited.

Unfortunately, we didn’t pass through the same border crossing this time, but a very obscure one called Silmytsya. It’s in the Carpathian Mountains and pretty much out the way. It’s a mystery to me why we took this route because it takes quite a bit longer to get there than Shehyni, further up north. I thought that maybe the border crossing would be quicker and would save time, overall. But, I was wrong. It took us 4.5 hours to get through both customs. But, I’m sure they had a good reason to do so anyway. Surprisingly, it rained the entire time while at the border. By the way, there was no blockage here, too.

In Poland, there was snow on the ground. Go figure, up in the hills it rained and in the lower elevation there was snow. Weird…

So, this was my trip number five in war-torn Ukraine. With each trip, I hope that my next one will be in peace-time Ukraine, but not only to be able to fly again. Naturally, a peace that is the result of a Ukrainian victory. Let us hope…