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2 years of the full-scale war
a year ago
It's my experience with the war of Russia against Ukraine. You can find more stories by the link: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10810409/
For me, the Russian invasion of Ukraine started 10 years ago on February 27th. It has turned my world upside down. I was living in Kherson then, 90 kilometres from Crimea. At that time, Russian troops had taken some parts of the Kherson region to hold better positions to defend Crimea.
I was scared and angry. I lost some friends then. Most of the Russian furries supported the annexation of Crimea and turned from me. I have friends only among furs, and it was primarily Russians.
I moved to Bulgaria a couple of years later afterwards and met the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine on February 24th. But my parents remained in Kherson then. I hadn't slept that night. I went for groceries that morning and started crying on the bus, travelling peacefully among other people doing their usual mundane stuff. I was holding before that somehow.
Kherson was captured on March 1st. My parents were not able to leave it. It was 9 months of hell until my parents could leave the city after the liberation.
I wasn't able to speak and express myself freely about the actions of Russia because I was scared for the lives of my parents. If my expressions against Russia's war had been noticed, then my parent might have been tortured and killed.
But most of the danger started after the liberation. Ukrainian forces haven't struck civilian targets in Kherson, but Russians started to shell civilian buildings randomly in the city after the liberation. Our apartment building was hit only three days later after the parents left it. The apartments remained without windows for a year after that. I think many of our property is damaged and destroyed now.
Kherson has continued being shelled daily for more than a year now. Even Ukrainian news doesn't cover daily strikes of Russians on civilians in Kherson. Most people got used to it, and it looks like they ignore shelling.
My grandad died after that because of heart. He was Ukrainian-speaking and lived in central Ukraine, but still, he feared more Ukrainian troops than Russians. He was being brainwashed his entire life by Soviet Russian propaganda, and it angries and pities me.
Now, my dad is dying because of cancer. If not for the occupation, he would have detected and started treating cancer earlier or even wouldn't have gotten it, but my parents had been just surviving during the occupation.
I can't help my parents now. Money won't help. And I can't be nearby. The only joy for my parents is that I'm in safety outside of Ukraine.
Even outside of Ukraine it's very psychologically challenging to be.
For me, the Russian invasion of Ukraine started 10 years ago on February 27th. It has turned my world upside down. I was living in Kherson then, 90 kilometres from Crimea. At that time, Russian troops had taken some parts of the Kherson region to hold better positions to defend Crimea.
I was scared and angry. I lost some friends then. Most of the Russian furries supported the annexation of Crimea and turned from me. I have friends only among furs, and it was primarily Russians.
I moved to Bulgaria a couple of years later afterwards and met the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine on February 24th. But my parents remained in Kherson then. I hadn't slept that night. I went for groceries that morning and started crying on the bus, travelling peacefully among other people doing their usual mundane stuff. I was holding before that somehow.
Kherson was captured on March 1st. My parents were not able to leave it. It was 9 months of hell until my parents could leave the city after the liberation.
I wasn't able to speak and express myself freely about the actions of Russia because I was scared for the lives of my parents. If my expressions against Russia's war had been noticed, then my parent might have been tortured and killed.
But most of the danger started after the liberation. Ukrainian forces haven't struck civilian targets in Kherson, but Russians started to shell civilian buildings randomly in the city after the liberation. Our apartment building was hit only three days later after the parents left it. The apartments remained without windows for a year after that. I think many of our property is damaged and destroyed now.
Kherson has continued being shelled daily for more than a year now. Even Ukrainian news doesn't cover daily strikes of Russians on civilians in Kherson. Most people got used to it, and it looks like they ignore shelling.
My grandad died after that because of heart. He was Ukrainian-speaking and lived in central Ukraine, but still, he feared more Ukrainian troops than Russians. He was being brainwashed his entire life by Soviet Russian propaganda, and it angries and pities me.
Now, my dad is dying because of cancer. If not for the occupation, he would have detected and started treating cancer earlier or even wouldn't have gotten it, but my parents had been just surviving during the occupation.
I can't help my parents now. Money won't help. And I can't be nearby. The only joy for my parents is that I'm in safety outside of Ukraine.
Even outside of Ukraine it's very psychologically challenging to be.
You are not the first person I have seen mention Soviet or Russian propaganda and family members. I don't know how widespread that is in current Ukraine but I hope people eventually learn to use multiple news sources and come to their own opinions of what is happening.
I had noticed from the international news that civilian targets in Kherson were not being hit by artillery/missiles when it was occupied by the Russian army but as soon as Ukraine took the city it began to be hit by artillery regularly, daily it seemed. It was nice to see confirmation that is what was really happening from someone who had relatives there. That contrast between Ukraine being very careful about targeting Kherson and the Russian army striking the city frequently and seemingly indiscriminately seems to highlight a difference in different countries ways of war.
I hope that someday your family and friends will not be in constant danger and that you will be able to return to a home at peace.
I think that it's tough for people older than 80 years to change world views. My 60-year-old father changed his views after the full-scale invasion, and it was devastating for him. He supported pro-Russian politicians in the hope that they would restore the Soviet Union, but the war had shattered those hopes and showed the true faces of these politicians as just collaborators. We don't need and don't want Russia.
With younger people, it's easier, but I'm still puzzled that some people of my age in Ukraine support Russia more, but these are single cases. Like in Russia, it's single cases of faithful supporters of Ukraine. I know one Russian artist who sends money from commissions to Ukrainian artists, and I heard about a couple of such cases. Most Russian artists distanced themselves, and a considerable quantity of them do pro-Russian propaganda.