Voice of Ukrainian: What Is Going on in Ukraine? Ukrainians Resist Russian Aggression

I think I will never forget the night of the first bombing of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, by Russia. I did not sleep that night and at 5 a.m. I’ve heard the sounds of explosions. I watched the video of Putin declaring war against Ukraine with goosebumps on my skin. To be honest, I did not believe that it would happen until it actually did. Now, after almost a week of the constant bombing of my city, I stay here in Kyiv in relative safety (can I say that I am safe if twelve hours ago a Russian missile was sent to the location 2km from my home and killed 5 civilians?). So, I decided to write an update on the situation in Ukraine as I see it.

Civilians killed by a Russian missile, Kyiv. I blurred the image since it looks too terrible but it can be found on the Internet.

First, I’d like to attract your attention to the military crimes of Russia in this war. During the days of the war, more than 350 civilians were killed by Russia, including 16 children. Russia sends bombs and missiles targeting hospitals, children’s hospitals (namely, the National Children’s Specialized Hospital “Ohmatdit” in which children are treated for cancer), kindergartens, residential houses, streets with civilians, etc. Currently, the city of Kharkiv is heavily bombed by Russians with the use of missiles and aircraft. Kharkiv is one of the main targets of Russia since it is located not far from the Russian border. Numerous civilians were killed, others were heavily injured due to the bombings. For example, one elderly woman died because her legs were torn off by an explosion (this video is age-restricted, do not watch it if you can’t watch the scenes of serious injuries and deaths). Russian forces also bombed the central square of Kharkiv leaving it in ruins.

The Square of Freedom in Kharkiv, one of the largest cities in Ukraine.

Let me remind you that bombing civilian objects (as well as civilians themselves) is a war crime. Accordingly, the prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) in The Hague has announced that he will launch an investigation into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine. We, Ukrainians, hope that soon we will see Putin and all Russian military officers responsible for bombing civilian Ukrainians in The Hague. Currently, Ukraine collects the evidence of Russian military crimes, and civilians that witnessed such crimes also actively share them with the government by using relevant social media channels.

The bravery of the Ukrainian Army

Despite the despicable actions of Russia and its president Vladimir Putin, Ukraine fights decently and courageously. As I said in the previous article, Ukrainian Armed Forces are strong. Armed and equipped with modern weapons and supported by the Ukrainian population, our Army protects Ukraine on all fronts. Yes, it is difficult since Russia has sent its troops from the Northern, Eastern, and Southern directions. However, we stand our ground. Despite the expectations of Russia to conquer Ukraine in 2–3 days, Ukraine still stands and no regional centers are currently occupied by Russian forces. Of course, Russian troops entered some small cities, however, the local population resists them (I will write about this further in this article).

The map of the Russian invasion. Russian forces cannot control the whole regions and regional centers of Ukraine, so they gradually move to their objects of interest. Remember that the situation is fluid. Note that the whole regions marked with red are Crimea and a part of Donbas occupied by Russia in 2014, not in 2022.

There are numerous examples of the exceptional bravery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that have already become legendary. In particular, 13 Ukrainian warriors that represented the entirety of the Ukrainian military presence on the Snake Island (a small island located in the Black Sea) were attacked by Russian naval warships. The warships offered Ukrainian soldiers to surrender, however, Ukrainians responded “Russian warship, go fuck yourself”. The response gained worldwide attention and became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

Another Ukrainian hero is the so-called ‘ghost of Kyiv’. It is a disputed and unconfirmed MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace credited with shooting down six Russian planes in the Kyiv offensive on 24 February 2022. According to the Security Service of Ukraine, he has shot down 21 Russian jets as of 1 March. Although not confirmed to be real, the Ghost of Kyiv has been credited as a morale booster for Ukrainians. As a Kyiv citizen, I am very grateful to the mysterious ‘ghost of Kyiv’ whether he really exists or this symbol represents a number of pilots that defend our capital.

Fan art of the Ghost of Kyiv created by the artist Andrii Dankovych.

Also, Ukrainians are very impressed by the fights of the Ukrainian Army captured on numerous videos. Our soldiers shoot Russian military equipment accurately with NLAWs, Javelins, and Bayraktars. For example, I personally was really impressed by the video of the general in a battle. I don’t know whether this warrior is really the general but his confidence and determination in destroying Russian military equipment are inspiring. I’d say he is a Ukrainian Rembo.

The war also included numerous cases of self-sacrifice on the part of Ukrainian soldiers. For example, Ukrainian hero Vitalii Skakun volunteered to place mines on the Henichesk bridge in order to slow the advance of Russian troops advancing northward from Crimea during the Kherson offensive. After placing the explosives, Skakun lacked time to withdraw from the bridge and, after texting his intentions to his fellow soldiers, detonated the mines killing himself and destroying the bridge. Skakun was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star, the military version of the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Vitalii Skakun, a 25-years-old marine combat engineer that sacrificed himself to protect his homeland.

As for territorial defense in Ukraine, currently, the number of volunteers willing to join territorial defense exceeds the demand. Numerous Ukrainians want to fight for their homeland and stand in lines near military recruitment centers. Territorial defense in Ukraine involves more than 37,000 people. In addition, more than 80,000 Ukrainians came back to Ukraine from abroad to fight for their country. Some of them already have combat experience.

Volunteers willing to join territorial defense in Ternopil.

It is evident that we, Ukrainians, are highly motivated to protect our homeland and our freedom from Russian aggression. In contrast, Russians are demotivated. Even if they enter Ukrainian cities — everything they see is hatred in the eyes of civilians. The number of casualties on the part of Russia is nearly 5300. Russian soldiers also surrender as captivities and give up their military equipment. You can find numerous videos of Russian soldiers being in captivity or dead in Ukraine on the Internet. Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched a website on which Russians can find their sons, brothers, fathers, and other relatives sent to Ukraine as soldiers and being killed or held in captivity. It should be noted that soldiers in captivity are treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War — they are provided with medical aid and food.

Hatred on the part of the locals

As mentioned above, Russian troops see only hatred in the eyes of the local population. Furthermore, the population also actively resists the Russians. Aside from joining territorial defense forces, civilian Ukrainians burn Russian vehicles and equipment with the use of Molotov cocktails, they attempt to stop Russian troops and push out Russian soldiers from Ukrainian cities.

The Myhalky village in the Kyiv region. The sign says “Bitches, get the fuck out of Ukraine and our village!”.

For example, there are numerous videos of Ukrainians that successfully burn Russian vehicles with the use of Molotov cocktails. In this video, locals in the Sumy region burn a Russian fuel truck. In the cities where there are no Russian troops, Ukrainian civilians get ready to resist them by making Molotov cocktails on a vast scale. In particular, in Odesa that is a city located on the shores of the Black Sea, the local population gets ready to resist Russian invasion from the sea by preparing hundreds of Molotovs. The preparation of Molotov cocktails in Ukrainian cities already looks like an assembly line production. In addition to Molotovs, Ukrainians also assemble anti-tank obstacles and build barricades on the streets. In order to misinform the Russian troops, civilians also change the road signs.

Civilians assemble anti-tank obstacles to prevent Russian invasion in their cities.

The road sign in Ukraine sends the Russian troops to ‘go fuck themselves’, to ‘go fuck themselves again’, and to ‘go fuck themselves in Russia’.

In Kharkiv, after the bombing of the central square I mentioned above, the local civilians still remain enthusiastic. Some of them even had the courage to gather at the central square to demonstrate the ruins of the city caused by the Russian Army to the Russians. These civilians, inspired by the heroic deed of the Ukrainian soldiers at the Snake Island, responded to the Russian Army with the words “Russian missile, go fuck yourself!”.

Brave citizens of Kharkiv that stand in their city center ruined by a Russian missile.

As for the cities temporarily occupied by Russian troops, the locals gather to protest against them with Ukrainian national flags and anthem. For example, in Kupyansk and Berdyansk — Ukrainian cities located in the East of Ukraine — unarmed civilians attempted to kick out Russian soldiers. In Kupyansk, the locals raised the Ukrainian national flag near the city administration building. In Berdyansk, the locals sang the national anthem of Ukraine and chanted “Get out!”, “Russian warship, go fuck yourself”, etc. Even the kids attempted to stop the vehicle of the Russian Army in Kupyansk (Russian military vehicles in Ukraine are marked with such signs as ‘Z’, ‘V’, ‘O’, etc., so you can see that the vehicle on the video belongs to Russian Army).

We are united: Ukrainians help each other

The grief of the war unified Ukrainians. Indeed, we were never as united as now. Ukrainians organized blood donation in order to save injured people and currently, blood donation centers have a sufficient amount of blood. Ukrainians donate food to those in need, deliver food to the cities and villages that need it and even organize in groups to cook for those who at this point cannot cook by themselves (for example, soldiers, firefighters, elderly people, disabled people, etc.).

Ukrainians stand in line to donate blood.

Since the war caused numerous people to leave their homes, Ukrainians help the refugees along with other Europeans. Those who live in relatively safe cities provide others with accommodation. Others, who live near the border with the EU, provide refugees with transport to European cities. Also, people around the world (in particular, the Ukrainian diaspora) actively donate money to buy medicine, food, and clothes for refugees. Aside from rescuing humans, Ukrainians also rescue animals that were left without their families in the cities attacked by Russia. Naturally, as in any non-stable situation, there are people that are willing to benefit from it. In this regard, Ukrainians cut down any looting and severely punish those who attempt to loot. In the case when shops are closed and food and water are urgently needed, Ukrainians take provision and leave money in these shops in return.

A shop in Kyiv. The locals took water bottles leaving money in return.

Ukrainians also saved 25 paintings by the celebrated Ukrainian artist Maria Primachenko from being burned due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The works had been housed inside a historical museum in the town of Ivankiv, about 50 miles northwest of Kyiv. This city became a battlefield and, consequently, the historical museum was ruined. However, the paintings by Primachenko that were thought to be burnt were actually saved by the citizens of Ivankiv.

Naturally, the biggest support of Ukrainians is sent to the Armed Forces. In January 2022, the charity fund “Come Back Alive” that supports our Army received more than 6 million hryvnias (approximately $207,381) donations. On February 22, after we found out about the intentions of Putin, this fund was overflowing with donations that reached 20 million hryvnias ($680,000). Currently, it is difficult to estimate the sums sent from Ukrainians that live all over the world to support the army. Ukrainian territorial defense also receives large donations.

Ukrainian free spirit

As I mentioned above, the response of 13 Ukrainian warriors to the Russian warship on the Snake Island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression. “Russian warship, go fuck yourself!” quickly transformed into “Russian soldier, go fuck yourself!”, “Russian aircraft, go fuck yourself!”, etc. The signs and billboards with this phrase are currently all around Ukraine and even in other countries.

The billboard in the Ukrainian city. It says “Russian warship, go fuck yourself!”. The picture is created by the artist Nikita Titov.

The billboard in Kyiv. It says “Russian soldier, go fuck yourself!”. It is located on my street.

Motherland Monument in Kyiv surrounded by drones that say “Russian warship, go fuck yourself!”

Ukrainians are a peaceful nation, we don’t want war. However, we definitely will not let Russia subjugate us. We will resist with all our hearts. As I already said in the previous articles, Ukraine will never ever be conquered by Russia. We are an independent nation. Referring to Yuval Noah Harrari, I’d say that this national war “is the stuff nations are built from”. Ukraine’s independence is inevitable.

Glory to Ukraine!