It’s been an emotional last few weeks. We were in Barcelona, the last stop on a month-long trip through Spain, when Russian invaded Ukraine.
We’ve been twice to Ukraine. In 2018 we spent a month in Kyiv and a month in Lviv. We were impressed by Kyiv but it was Lviv that we fell in love with. We loved the vibe and the town but we especially loved the people. So much so that we came back the following year (2019) and spent 3 months (July, August and September) in Lviv.
I wrote in detail all the things that make Lviv special.
At one point Lissette and I even talked about potentially getting a place in Lviv. That’s how much we loved it. It is like a mini-Prague at mini-Prague prices and was theoretically a good investment and potential long term base. But we wondered about political stability.
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The day of the invasion (February 24th) we came across a protest in Barcelona. It was a small gathering, maybe 50 people, all waving Ukrainian flags. They shouted slogans like “Today Ukraine, tomorrow Europe”. There were at times long gaps between the slogans which only added more weight to the moment. The mood was of sadness and shock and there were many tears in the crowd (including ours).
The next day the protest was there again. The crowd had quadrupled. There were groups of policemen keeping an eye on things. There was still sadness but the shock had turned to anger and Ukrainians had been joined in protest by many non-Ukrainians.
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This is a senseless war brought about by one man. In the last 2 ½ weeks Putin has destroyed 2 countries: Ukraine may well be a pile of rubble when this war is over but in the long-term Russia may end up being the biggest loser from this war. Like young Ukrainians, most young Russians have looked West to Europe and America. We’ve met many people during our travels: Ukrainians, Russians, Georgians, Serbians, Croatians. There aren’t too many differences among the young people in all these countries. They want freedom and they want opportunities to better their lives. And anyone who’s educated and motivated is not looking east for freedom and opportunity, they’re looking towards the west. Putin by himself has ruined the dreams of the next generation of Russians, ensuring not only that the Russian economy will be in shambles* but that Russians are pariahs around the world. Russians with the means are getting out, the brain drain has already started.
*They might get short-term “help” from China but they’ll soon realize that the Chinese are only interested in plundering their resources.
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In the meantime every day brings new atrocities that we never thought we would ever see in Europe in our lifetimes. The intentional bombing and shooting of civilians, the cutting off of humanitarian corridors and aid, the use of bombs deemed illegal by the Geneva convention. They are all war crimes and crimes against humanity. Add to that the bad-faith negotiations, blatant lies, and dangling the threat of nuclear weapons over the West. It all feels like we’re re-watching history.
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A week ago we delivered some essential groceries, medical supplies and pharmaceutical products to a Ukrainian drop off center here in Nerja. We don’t know if it’ll ever get there in time or make a difference but we felt that we had to do something, however insignificant it is. We feel powerless watching the news.
Lissette has written her Ukrainian friends in Lviv. Most seem to still be there, maybe they’re hoping against hope that something will change. Instead the war seems to be inching closer every day. All are posting about friends and family around Ukraine who’ve gone missing.
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When you read history books it always strikes you how singular events change the world. The killing of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 that led to World War 1, the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 which led to the Americans joining World War 2 the next day. I don’t know where the Ukrainian war will lead but you know the world won’t ever be the same. The relationship between Russia and the West will never be the same again, both politically and militarily. I mentioned at the beginning of Covid that many countries would realize how overly-dependent they were on global economics. That’s nothing compared to what the world is realizing now and it’ll be interesting to see the shift away from Russian resources (I’ve been thinking of Canada and how much it’ll benefit from the shift away from Russian oil and wheat…).
Years from now we’ll be looking back at February 24, 2022 and how it changed the world.
A few closing thoughts
- Isn’t it time these old men who run the world to just die? Time to move on from the Putins, Xis, Lukashenkos, Trumps and yes, even Bidens of the world (Note: I like Biden as a person and don’t really wish him harm. But it’s time for new blood). They’re stuck in another age.
- China is the one country who has leverage over Russia. Wouldn’t it be great if they could broker a peace deal? They could be Superman coming in to save the day. But of course we said the same thing about their leverage over North Korea and they’ve done sweet F*ck All. Shame on them.
- So Putin is dangling the threat of nuclear weapons over the West. How will that change when Ukraine is burnt to the ground? He’ll be right at Nato’s doorstep and only be more emboldened…
- Almost forgot – Watch “Winter on Fire, Ukraine’s fight for Freedom“. I’ve included this Youtube link, it’s also on Netflix. It details the uprising in Ukraine that led to an independent Ukraine in 2014… which led to the invasion of Crimea by Putin and to the current invasion. You’ll see why Ukrainians will never surrender to Russia.
Related: Lviv in Photos
Related: Impressions of Kyiv
Thanks Frank. I wrote a post on it too but didnt leave it open for comments. I have to say it’s heartbreaking on every level, and then it’s scary and I thought we as a world were past this sort of thing. That there were enough people where it counted to say ‘no, we don’t do this anymore’, but apparently not. i wont pretend to know how the inner workings of the Kremlin are, on just how much power Putin has, but i do know he completely surrounds himself with ‘yes’ men. its just horrific and baffling watching things unfold there. Does he believe his own bullshit? I dont know. I dont know where this will end. the world is forever, again, changed you are 100% right. and i think your point about time for a generational change in world leadership is bang on. Xi ain’t going nowhere though, like Putin he changed the rules and can stay leader until he dies I think. It’s a sad and scary world right now. Remember 2019? it’s a distant dream today…
I was thinking the same today Andy.
2014 we decided to start travelling full-time. Honestly we thought we had all the time in the world and that it would always be there to explore.
Then came 2020 with Covid. Now this.
At least we had 6 years of full-time travel including a lot of time in Eastern Europe. Goes to show you can’t take anything for granted because it might all turn on a dime.
Reading the news just now and there was a missile strike near Lviv airport. I remember your thoughts on Ukraine, especially the people. There are quite a few Ukrainians working in the online publishing space as Saas developers, SEOs, etc., and it’s horrible to read about what they’re going through. Everyone is rallying to try to help them as much as possible. Today it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it’s another country… and the aggressor may not necessarily be Putin. This world is filled with evil power-hungry madmen. I say we should be electing more women!
Hi Claudine, I hope things looking up a bit more for your these days.
You’re very right about the IT scene in Lviv – it’s actually referred to as “IT city” and it’s attracted a lot of investment in the industry in recent years. It’s all very sad because things were on the up in Ukraine. But I guess that made some people envious.
I don’t know about electing women because I’ve met quite a few I wouldn’t want in a position of power. I don’t know what the solution is, we really are a screwed up species. And this race for nuclear weapons (which you know about all to well in India) – how the heck did we get into a position where we can all mutually annihilate each other? Truly f*ed up.
Thanks, Frank… yes, I’m starting to feel a bit more myself now. The 3 of us went on a 4-day break to a hilly place called Coorg about 6 hours by road from here. Nothing exciting but the first time since the pandemic started that we’d been anywhere for more than a night.
Yes, we and several neighbors have a large nuclear arsenal and it’s hella scary. If nothing is done about Ukraine soon, more countries are going to start their own pretty pile because they’ll know that they can’t rely on others to help.
Good to hear Claudine – our trip really helped in the mental health department. As you say, 2 years and with all you went through I’m sure it did you some good.
Hey, what’s up with India? Are they going to be part of the new axis of evil? They bought 3 million barrels of oil from Russia this week basically giving the big middle finger to the US. What’s the mood in India as regards the war? I hate the way the US/Biden does things – instead of going to China with a “how are we going to fix this?” approach they go in there with threats. It’s a condescending, paternalistic approach that doesn’t go down well and the POTUS in the US never seems to learn. But it shocks me because it’s not the right moral decision – as much as China and India don’t like the US/Nato it just seems they should be doing the right thing in regards to Ukraine. Just wondering your thoughts being in India Claudine.
That’s a good question, Frank. It’s a complicated issue that stems from Cold War times and even Bill Clinton’s time. WRT the former, India has traditionally relied on Russia for defense-related imports because it’s seen as an ally against Pakistan and China – both countries have been trying to annex various parts of India. For more on this, there’s a good article in Newsweek… search for something like “Why India won’t back Biden on Ukraine”.
During the Clinton years, he himself was more sympathetic to India and fostered good economic relations. Our middle class started to grow really fast at this time. However, the Republican-controlled congress and senate passed a bill to send military equipment to Pakistan despite India promising not to impede the progression of the nuclear NPT talks at the time.
More recently, India sent huge shipments of vaccines to various countries and then dealt with a shortage during the horrible Delta wave. We’re still battling with shortages because we can’t afford expensive vaccines developed by western countries who won’t waive their patents.
There’s the 3rd factor, which is the current party in control here. It is a nationalist party with a pure hatred of all things western – US, UK and the rest of Europe. The feeling is that the west will always only do what is good for the west, so why should we help them now? Morals don’t come into play here and the idea is that we have to look after ourselves because when our neighbors attack, the west can’t be relied on for help.
They’ve been fostering hate between communities by pitting minorities against Hindus and constantly talking about how all our problems stem from the west taking advantage of India right from the time of colonization. We don’t really have a democracy anymore. Public dissent can get you thrown in jail. Bigots are more open with their views.
Most of my family are very against our stance with Russia and I suspect quite a few feel the same way but any criticism of the government isn’t tolerated. There’s a law here that allows the moderator of a social media group, particularly on WhatsApp, to be held responsible for any conversations that may be “unpatriotic”. So chain messages that support nationalist views find better traction than those that don’t. An extended family member even went so far as to say that Indian medical students in Ukraine shouldn’t demand to be rescued because it was their choice to leave. It’s a classic populist society and we feel like we have to be very careful about voicing our opinions because we have nowhere to go.
Interesting Claudine. Sending military equipment to Pakistan – because of Afganistan right? Funny how it all comes around.
We still tend to think of India as a democracy with eyes to the west but that’s looking a bit backwards, I think India (without making too many headlines) has changed in the last decade. I just didn’t realize to what extent.
Thanks for this, very much appreciate.
Thank you for your attention to this. From the photos I can see why you thought of living there part-time. We all need to send out prayers in whatever form they take for each of us. Such trying times.
Thank you Chris! Hope all good in Ajijic
Good post. This whole situation is very worrisome, isn’t it? Just when I and many others thought things were returning to normal, here we are with another war (remembering the Balkans) in Europe. Even Sweden has gotten a bit anxious, as Russia was doing military maneuvers recently a bit too close to the island of Gotland. When the Swedish military sent tanks and soldiers there in January, a month before Russia attacked Ukraine, Swedes raised a few eyebrows wondering what was going on. Now, after the attack on Ukraine, there’s talk of Sweden joining NATO and Russia is threatening us (and Finland) for that as well. This is really the first time I have not felt safe in Sweden.
Thanks Edith, I’ve heard of Sweden suddenly wanting to join NATO. Threatening? Really?
2 years of Covid and we thought we were getting back to “normal” times. And then this…
Thanks for taking time to comment, interesting about Sweden as it doesn’t get much coverage in the news.
Perhaps “warned” Sweden and Finland about joining Nato is a better choice of words.