Good evening. Day 5 after the latest Russian attack on Kyiv. Day 277 of the war. I am president of the Kyiv School of Economics, a former minister of economy of Ukraine, and a professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh. I left the US for Kyiv 4 days before the war 1/
and stayed there, with some short trips outside of Ukraine for fundraising. Officially, I am on sabbatical leave from Pittsburgh this year. I guess not many people have field sabbaticals, here the field is a war. I left the US because I must lead the Kyiv School of 2/
Economics through the war. I hold a green card and can leave Ukraine at any moment. But I do not want to and will not do it. Now, back to my day. It was busy and I am tired. Shopping, looking and assembling things. In short, preparing for another likely Russian attack tomorrow 3/
We got our super warm winter hiking clothing out. Many people suggested that we can sleep in a tent in our bedroom. So we dug out sleeping bags and went to buy a tent. 4/
The shops were open and it was Black Friday. Everything on sale. But when we were about to pay, the electricity went off. The shop had a battery and continued to run. They used Xmas lights to save electricity instead of their regular ones. It was very cozy. Here is a pic. 5/
Many people suggested that when the electricity and heating go out, we use candles or gas / kerosine heaters to warm the apartment. We decided against it. First, it is not too safe for novices. Second, none are on the market or we could find. So, we drove to 6/
another store to get at least some wood and coal. The plan is to use an simple and small firewood oven that we can set up on our balcony if all else fails. How do you drive when there is no lights in the city, that is, no traffic lights? Traffic police come out! My respect! 7/
We wanted to try the firewood idea, just to practice, when we get home. But we got exhausted bringing all this stuff to the 8th floor. So, we will try it another time. Will post the picture. Yet, my wife wanted some tea anyway. And also she wanted to get hot water 8/
for the morning. She asked me to start the generator so she can use electric tea pot. I did and discovered another problem. The snow on the balcony has melted. And the generator was sliding towards the windows because of vibration. I need a way to fix it in place, but that’s 9/
for tomorrow. Anyway, the water is boiled and stored in thermoses. We have two, one liter each. Perhaps, we should get more. We can probably order them delivered. Here is a pic of a delivery man on a bike 90 mins before the curfew. 10/
That’s a private service. Public services work too. Here is a tractor shoveling snow on a sidewalk. All pictures taken when we were driving back from a mall. 11/ twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The mall looked normal too except for occasionally blinking light, shortage of products in electrical and heating departments, and occasional assignments by managers to their staff to remember to start generators for the night. There was even a sushi restaurant. A good one. 12/
In the morning, we checked out a center of “nezlamnost”. These are shelters when people can get warm, get some tea, access internet, and power their devices. Here is a Starlinks set up for you :). Very cute! 13/
The center is run by a charity organization “solomenski cats”. Solomenski is the place. Here is their logo. We proposed to them to equip 10 more centers like that and KSE Foundation will match / provide 50% of funding. The rest they should raise themselves 14/
The centers are set up officially at the request / initiative of the president and mayors. There is some funding. For basics. They are set up in hospitals and schools. The problem is that often money is not enough. You should have organizational and procurement capability 15/
This is where we will try to help. Finally, I posted separately about our students spending the last night at the university building (we have one, no dorm). Here are some pics. 16/ twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
We are ready for another attack. Russians often hit on Monday. That’s tomorrow. Every time damages get worse. No water and heat for days. But people are adapting. You can donate to KSE here. Thank you so much for your support!!!
That’s horrible to death. Two 13-year-old brothers weighing only 8.5 kg each were found bedridden in frontline Pokrovsk.
They survived over a year under the care of their 10-year-old brother, Platón, after their grandmother's death, Ukrainska Pravda reports. 1/
The boys have severe genetic condition lissencephaly type 1, causing neurological disorders, epilepsy, and protein-energy deficiency - they cannot move and need constant care. 2/
10-year-old Platón fed, watered, lifted his brothers, cleaned around them, and carried them to basement during shelling for over a year without adult supervision. 3/
Snyder: What happens in Ukraine will affect whether Russia, the EU, the US endures. We are not spectators. History shows no state is alone; a smaller power can prevail. Russia could win, Ukrainian victory must be thought of with that in mind. 1/
Snyder: Trump’s superpower is to disappoint. His tweets prepare for disappointment. Europeans must act, not use US policy as excuse. Wars end for economic reasons, but power matters only if turned into political-military force. Europe has power to help Ukraine win. 2/
Snyder: A necessary condition for victory is sovereignty. The ability to set domestic and foreign policy, write a constitution. Without this, it won't feel like victory. The subjective sense of sovereignty is tied to Ukrainians making decisions and integration with the EU. 3/
In July 2014, DPR militants stopped 16-year-old Stepan Chubenko.
They knocked out his teeth, tied his hands and legs with tape, pulled a T-shirt over his head, and executed him. Then they dumped his body in a trench near a river, writes Babel. 1/
Stepan traveled home to Kramatorsk. At Mospyne station, gunmen dragged him off the train [parents say for his blue-yellow ribbons and Karpaty football scarf]
Witnesses said the fighters strangled him with a towel, beat him and forced him to swaer loyalty to “DPR.” He refused. 2/
His mother Stalina and father Viktor searched every hospital and trench around Donetsk. For weeks they begged militants for answers.
Stalina caught DPR leader Zakharchenko in his convoy and screamed: “My son is 16. Where is he?” The next day he called her: “He was shot.” 3/
Kellogg: Ukrainians are not the obstacle to peace — Putin is. We are in the last 10 yards of the fight. This war could end tomorrow if he agreed to come to the table and negotiate. 1/
Yermak: Putin will not stop at Ukraine unless stopped together. Ukraine today is the shield of Europe and the free world.
Only a strong and united answer will prove to him that his comfortable position cannot last. 2/
Powell: Putin’s sport is judo, and he thrives on keeping options open. The West must close those options.
His summer campaign has already faltered. Real pressure, combined with a way out, can force him into real negotiations. 3/
4th year of the war in Ukraine, Poles suspect Putin will attack them too.
WSJ: On Wednesday in Wyryki, a Russian drone tore Ala Wesolowska’s roof. She ran outside, saw a warplane overhead. Her family now lives in a library apartment, neighbors fear their homes will collapse. 1/
On the same morning, farmer Katarzyna Dzwigala heard a thud as she dressed her kids for school in Wyhalew.
NATO jets shot down 3 of 19 drones. “My son asked if the war was coming,” she said. “The kids are really scared.” 2/
In Krzywowierzba, Edyta and Tomasz Wieczorek saw alerts flash on their phones while drinking coffee.
“None of us knows what to do in case of a mass drone attack,” Edyta said. Her 12-year-old refuses to sleep upstairs since the strike. 4/