I’ve read many stories of how people waited for letters from loved ones during World War II. Some arrived late. Some were lost. Some sadly never had the chance to be written. Today by comparison, everything is easier. But where there is war, there is not always a telephone. There is not always a connection. And most importantly – there is not always the opportunity.
My father tries to call me every day. But there are people from whom I have not received news for weeks. I monitor the news to keep abreast of what is happening in the regions where they live. And I shudder at every message I receive on my phone, just as the earth shudders at every explosion.
My friend Mykyta, a liaison officer in the war, asked on the evening of March 2 how I was doing and what the situation was like in Kyiv. I replied “All is well, but more importantly how you are?” I didn’t receive a reply. Then, a week later, he sent me a photo which reduced me to tears. Last night we managed to talk for the first time. And today I dare to share with you the excerpts from his letter.
“Two rockets were fired at us, then another bomb, but it didn’t detonate. It all happened so fast. Then the sound of a fighter plane and the glass shattered. A few seconds later I ran through the glass barefoot with a weapon in my hand. Next, a sharp noise in my ears and I realised I was hit by a broken slab. I could move but I could tell something wasn’t right. I could see people’s arms, legs and hair lodged under the concrete slabs. Some were crying, some were calling for help and others were lying in silence. Only later did I realize that I was lying in a huge pool of blood.”
It was very difficult to read what Mykyta wrote next. During our conversation, he said in a calm voice that there were two wounds, but due to the adrenaline rush, he focused on tending to the wound on his neck without even realizing that blood was pouring from his head. It was only later that he learned about his injury from a doctor. Lying on an operating table, the preceding few hours had passed by in what seemed like minutes.
Thankfully, Mykyta is now feeling much better, although it’s hard to imagine anything akin to ‘normal’. In addition to his neck and head, Mykyta’s back was injured. He is also suffering from a loud ringing in his ears. But he refused the offer to stay in hospital as he is now needed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Mykyta was lucky to survive. His eyes are still burning. He smiles and says that soon all this will end in victory for Ukraine.
Could it be anything otherwise? The idea is unimaginable.
P.S. I’m fine. Kyiv is holding its defenses and I will tell you more about that in my next article.
