CNN says Russia is going for a “shock and awe” air campaign to scare people. I cannot understand how they even found pilots to drop bombs on Ukraine. I don’t understand anything anymore. Hit him back please with every imaginable sanction for this. Don’t wait on VTB, Sberbank.
They bombed Boryspil Kyiv airport and a military airport north of the city. The Ukraine border force have come under attack by Russian and Belarusian troops- CNN.
Multi-prong general assault by air land and sea expected - CNN.
CNN showing livestream of tanks rolling in from Belarus. Senkivka. That is exactly the road to Chernihiv and then Kyiv.
On TikTok a woman is live from Luhansk; filming inside her home at 6am you hear the sounds of war before she even opens the door to her home. She slept for 2 hours. At 5am it started. She is shaking. People write her from Russia everything will be ok.
There is a horrible nighttime video of very heavy fighting by Mariupol.
Several horrible videos in Mariupol. CNN reports air raid sirens in Lyiv. Some explosions heard in Odesa they say but you don’t see anything in the background. I found a nighttime video from Odesa of an explosion.
Donetsk Telegram reporting Ukraine shot down a Russian plane in east Ukraine and Ukraine emergency ministry reporting having lost two towns in Luhansk oblast: Melovoye, Gorodishe. Take all this with usual caveats; this is a chat.
They claim this is a map of what Russia hit already. No source for all I know this is a fake, but we have seen video of explosions in several of these cities.
Videos from Odesa of huge lines at gas stations, stores, ATMs.
A chat from Chernihiv says explosions were heard in Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv, Zhitomir, Kherson, Zaporozhe, etc.
CNN saying large widespread operation multiple points of entry.
Ukraine army confirming 6 airports were bombed including the main civilian airport in Kyiv (source Telegram so usual caveats pls)
Kyiv mayor now via video posted to Telegram closing schools asking people to stay home seek shelter if needed says will keep updated
Myrhorod Poltava oblast. Military airport hit. Video from Telegram. There are voice messages in these groups telling people to stay calm that only military objects will be hit. I’m not sure how effective they are! How can you be calm when this is out your window?
Russia hit all the military airports it could find. This video from Mykolaiv. The guy, head of local aviation club, says supporters of Russia, look what you did.
Huge queues for gas in Kyiv. From Baza Telegram.
One of the women in Donetsk says it is very loud in her normally quiet neighborhood. She is trying to get the bus. Says it’s scary.
Kharkiv Metro now (from Telegram):
A video of Russia attacking a military airport in Ivano-Frankivsk (Telegram)
Meanwhile Putin and Lukashenko talked at 5am as normal psychotic murderous dictators do and in one hour Lukashenko will meet with his military leadership.
New message from Zelensky saying they will fight back and he has spoken with all world leaders and Russia will be punished for this. He sounds brave and strong. He is speaking in Ukrainian obviously so I can’t translate all of it. That much is understandable from Russian.
Ukraine naval base burning in near Odesa
Mixed messages up north. Chernihiv is the first major town you would reach if you entered from Belarus and took the highway to Kyiv. This is google translate from a local Telegram group message in Ukrainian.
Russian green men in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. From Nexta Telegram.
Non-Russian speakers are very quickly going to learn every single word of мать.
Local Telegram groups in Ukraine warn that Telegram might come under attack and advise people to use VPN if they have them.
Baza Telegram reporting Ukrainian border guards said Russian military group forces crossed Ukraine border at Chernihiv, Sumy, Luhansk, and Kharkiv regions.
Russia hit an army barracks in Kyiv. Casualties reported.
I am extremely tired of seven days a week “explaining” Austria, a country which is also not my homeland, to Ukrainians. The gist of it is: no one cares what your circumstances are and don’t expect any exceptions or special treatment. It’s a hard pill to swallow.
This has led to 48 hours of debates. I will blog about it soon. In the meantime, more end of school year drama (not giving Ukrainian kids passing grades), and a phone call tonight which knocked the wind out of me.
As many of you know, Mama Olya had a stroke in early April and has been in hospital in Vienna ever since. I have been visiting nearly daily. This takes a huge emotional toll. Respect to all those who work in medicine; I could never ever do it.
Ukrainian moms are desperately asking me if Austria ever plans to move them from Grundversorgung to Mindestsicherung. I tell them honestly, I don’t think so. They tell me it is impossible to survive. With a small kid can’t work. I say I know and I am sorry. Another country?
I cannot lie and tell them I expect any changes on the political level because I don’t. Federal and 9 states are already doing only the absolute bare minimum. I hear no discussions in media about improving Grundversorgung conditions or moving them out of it.
If any journalists would like to do a deep dive on the payments and handcuffs I know volunteers who know the numbers inside and out. It is complicated and very opaque, and differs by Bundesland. I tell the Ukrainians the following.
Just realized the last time I took a long distance bus I was a teenager. I feel wholly unprepared. I do not see the promised WC nor free wifi (eeek). Everyone seems to have done this before. The bus is completely full: women, kids, pensioners. Two drivers. €190 round trip 🧵
I found the toilet AND actually more importantly, the plug for the charger. Hallelujah! Did you all know Hofer is Aldi in Hungary? We just passed a huge distribution center. I am amazed by how quiet and considerate ALL the passengers are. Even the kids. It’s unbelievable.
I naively didn’t quite understand the bus actually makes all the stops. Budapest.
The infamous dorm in Vienna’s 11th district is closing for good. All residents must move out by this Friday night. A team of volunteers is organizing cars & people to help with the move: many residents are elderly and/or handicapped. They need volunteers & wheels. Pls DM.
I am so dumb. I naively assumed when @Stadt_Wien said all dorm residents would be assigned new housing in Wien by April 15, that would happen. Now I am hearing some residents will be sent TO THE ARRIVAL CENTER. Nightmare. Some may refuse to leave…could potentially get ugly.
This is an absolute shitshow. I should have known. It did not have to be like this if anyone cared. These are vulnerable Ukrainians who have been under extreme stress for months.
I asked the Ukrainians in my group about their success or lack thereof in finding legal paid work, and this was one of the replies. These energy bills are insane. They need guidance as renters…ugh.
A poll so far shows a mixed bag: some cannot work (caring for kids or handicapped relatives), some don’t look as working would render them homeless (social housing) and they cannot afford a deposit/rent, others no luck so far, still looking. Some want to finish A2 German first.
Some are working and no longer receiving benefits. One man in his 60s texts from the arrival center — he already has a job offer but no blue card bc no address bc no housing assignment yet. The labor market is not making the most of this opportunity. Bureaucracy is once again… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…