Wednesday morning, Dnipro, 19 Feb
It's been freezing in Ukraine the past week or so, and a couple more to come I believe. This has allowed those, like my partner who love winter, a rare bit of joy these days. Kids loving the snow, building snowmen and enjoying the fact they arent melting so now they have a family of them. I asked which was mummy and daddy, and they looked at me in shock and declared it's not a family, it's an army...it mad me sad that 7 year olds would think in that way, but with Russian forces now in Dnipro region this might be the only army still standing if they get this far.
On the fronts things are tough. One day we will evacuate from the western outskirts of a village, a couple days later it's from a point west of the village. The cold has made grounds very hard so it's ideal fighting weather atm.
I have done two border runs in the past few weeks, the last had a small mount of resupply traffic, but way down on even a month ago. Very rare to see low loaders with equipment heading west now, nearly always heading east. Actual military convoys now very rare.
Heaps more blockposts, it's not unusual now to be asked to hand over your phone, and the police go to your contact list, or start entering +79 in your phone to see if any numbers pop up. I have had it twice now, and as I have offices in Moscow and Vladivostok I could have been in trouble except that I use a Samsung these days, as my newer Huawei doesn't have Google wallet, and that's the phone I use for most calls, so no Russian numbers in the Samsung. But seriously, what a joke. I even told the block post guys what a joke, apart from it being a complete invasion of privacy, it certainly isn't illegal to ring someone in Russia. I also pointed out +791 is Kazakhstan which really confused them.
Many more block posts on the drive west now, a total of 18 between Dnipro and the Slovakia border. So many big brave men trying to capture those who don't want to fight, instead of fighting themselves. Complete cowards. I have learned to shut my mouth these days after one altercation which resulted in being detained until I showed them by evac driver pass and they spoke to the Dnipro sbu office to check on my status.
Morale in Ukraine is surprisingly upbeat, most people very happy with the attempts to normalise Russia and usa relations as everyone is hoping it will lead to an end to the fighting. No one, and i mean no one, not in Dnipro, or amongst those I speak to in the west have any interest in fighting on, and NO ONE supports zelensky. He is a hated man. Even people I know who up till a few months ago wanted to fight on now accept it is just suicidal.
So, whilst the world continues in parallel with the eu and uk pushing for further war, and the real adults looking to end it, I can't help but think there might be some light at the end of an 11 year tunnel when there was none.
