Provided courtesy of the FB page of ROMAN SHEREMETA.

April 3, 2024

Two years ago, I wrote a post that was widely spread on the network and was translated into different languages. The post was about that Ukraine will fight to the end or to victory. Then there were just discussions whether to transfer heavy weapons to Ukraine, and if transfer, then how much not to give too much. Ah, maybe it’s better to incline Ukraine to negotiations? Such moods reigned then among politicians and citizens of many of our allies. I wrote then that Ukraine will not bend to any negotiations until Russian occupiers on get out of our territory. Neither independence, nor territorial integrity was, it won’t be and it can’t be the subject of negotiations.

Now that two years have passed since then, I recall and repeat this thesis. I say this at a time when Russians several days in a row launch mass rocket attacks on our cities. When American politicians can’t approve the package of assistance, which Ukraine critically needs to protect not only the front lines, but also the bridges in the rear. Not enough – when senior officials of the United States come to convince us not to attack Russian oil plants, because the price of gasoline in the states will rise. When Polish farmers block the border with our country, not releasing our refugees and not letting import the help we desperately need. When preparing to launch into space a joint team of Americans and Russians. When the war in Ukraine has long been čezla in the West with the slope of newspapers and news feeds on the Internet.

And I don’t refuse any words I wrote then. More than that – I want to add new words. We will not just fight to the end or to victory. We will fight as we see fit and we will not listen to any “disturbed voices”. We will bring the war to the Russian territory, we will attack their military, metal, oil plants, warehouses with military property and barracks with their soldiers. We will invade the territory of Russia there and then, where and when we consider necessary. We will make sure that neither day nor night they know peace, neither in us, nor in their homes, nor in third countries, until the last of their soldiers leaves the territory of Ukraine in internationally recognized borders. We listened to “smart” advisers for too long telling us not to escalate, not to annoy Russia – but it didn’t help us win the war. We listened to those who told us not to attack Russian territory – but they failed to even stop cooperation with Russians. We listened to those who in words supported us, and in business bought Russian oil and grain, planned joint projects with Russians. We will not listen to them anymore.

The price of these calls for peace and negotiations, the price of cooperation with Russia, is that I, a writer and historian, have not been able to do my favorite job for two years, because I am forced to fight the occupiers who came to my land. I don’t know when I will be able to return to my favorite job, and if I can at all. The price of these worthless words from worthless politicians is the destroyed houses today in Zaporozhye, it’s a trolleybus with civilians hit by a Russian rocket. This is the death of a wonderful poet Maxim Kryvcov, who was supposed to write poems, but went to war. This is the death of my colleague Yuri Jus, whom we studied together and who, like me, was a professional historian, but instead of sitting in an office, he went into a trench. This is the death of public activist Roman Ratushny, who could have become a prominent politician, but he will never be, because the Russians – the same ones you trade with and want to negotiate, disrespecting Ukraine’s interests – took his life back in June 2022. This is the death of the poet Victoria Amelinoí̈, who wasn’t even in the military, but it didn’t save her from the Russian rocket – and this rocket contained elements manufactured in different countries of the West. These were all my acquaintances and friends. And I can tell more than three dozen such stories. Three dozens of people Russians forever took only from my environment – and so in all Ukraine.

So the next time American politicians, Polish farmers, Slovak voters, or anyone else think of convincing us that we should act in our interests or wage a war in a way that doesn’t hurt their interests, keep in mind – they may not even come to us with suggestions like that.

We are at war and we will fight as we see fit. And until we expel the last Russian occupier from our land. And we have every right to it. You can help us by giving us more weapons and blocking, finally, trade and cooperation with Russia and Russians. But despite your decisions, we will continue to fight. And this is our decision you have no power to influence. If you let us lose – it will be an eternal disgrace for you. You will also get an aggressive neighbor on your borders. But we will not act for your temporary interests.

I could have died many times in these two years, but now I’m alive writing these words. You can betray us but even being betrayed by you we will still continue to fight covering you as well. Because we are fighting for ourselves.

I would like this text to repeat the success of the one I wrote two years ago. Share it, copy it, translate it, forward it to foreigners you know, send it to foreign politicians. In the first comment I put a link to the previous text.

Nazar Rozlutskiy
Bachelor of history sciences,
Author of six books
Junior Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

…….

And this is Sergeant Rozlutsky’s original report in Euromaidan Press:

I am a researcher, not a military man. But there is war in my country: letter from the front