Heartbreak in Ukraine

When Russia invaded Ukraine I devoured the papers, and took notes. Within a couple of months I’d produced a booklet of poems as a fund-raiser, and I faithfully listened to Ukrainecast to keep track of developments. But now? I know it’s still happening, but I’ve lost track.

So I watched the documentary “Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods” as a way to catch up. Little has changed. Ukraine is short of manpower and ammunition, fighting an enemy with an apparently endless supply of both. These young kids are enormously impressive, but they’re fighting in grim conditions against appalling odds, seeing their friends killed every day.

To them the only conceivable outcome is victory. Any kind of deal with Putin would be a betrayal of the sacrifices already made, because he can’t be trusted an inch. But the Western powers which have so far kept them going have limited resources, limited attention span, and the massive distraction of Gaza. I’m glad to have caught up a bit, but it’s hard to find glimmers of hope.