Center for Civil Liberties

Air raid alerts have been sounding continuously, day and night, in Kyiv over recent days. They sound dozens of times a day. Consequently, it has long ceased to fulfil its primary function of alerting the public to imminent danger. Rather, the sound itself has become an annoying form of psychological torment. Explosions occur constantly across Kyiv and its suburbs, killing children and entire families. Modern warfare has no front. Even your city, far from the line of contact, gradually becomes a front-line one. The Russians are using tactics of continuous bombardment to paralyse life in Kyiv. The metro stops, traffic across the bridges is blocked, and administrative buildings and shopping complexes close. I walk through the streets while drones are being shot down directly overhead. When I look up at the sky, I see only a threat. Yet it is impossible to put your daily affairs, and your very life, on hold. Paralysis is a forerunner of death. And we have chosen to live. I know that many people abroad have grown accustomed to Russia’s constant strikes against the people of Ukraine. Yet the ability to “not think about it” is a privilege that reflects your position within the structure of reality. People in Ukraine do not have the luxury of putting it out of their minds; this reality has become our daily life. The only thing separating people in European countries from this reality is that Ukrainians continue to hold back massive Russian violence, preventing it from advancing further. Constant stress makes itself felt, leading to health issues. As a result, I was forced to shift my participation in several important autumn events online, despite my desire to attend in person. I am currently heading out on my next trip, because war takes no breaks - even when you are exhausted.