Butscha – and what was left of it. A picture dated April 2, 2022 after Russian forces withdrew.
Image: Reuters
There are dead bodies on the streets, no electricity, no gas, no water. Thanks to mobile phones and the Internet, the victims do not remain anonymous and witnesses are given a voice. Stories from Eastern Ukraine.
Dhe war between Russia and Ukraine has bombed us, the inhabitants of Europe, back into the 20th century. It ended quite peacefully with the formula of the “end of history”. Now his demons are back: war, including air warfare with its horrors. War crimes and flight by the millions. And a war of annihilation against an entire country. But one thing is different than before: the technology makes it possible to look for victims and witnesses from a distance, to see familiar faces again. Also in eastern Ukraine – as long as there are still telephone networks and the Internet.
A priest reports from Kramatorsk
The priest, who lived with his family in Kramatorsk until a few days ago, in a city that – as of Thursday – was shelled but not occupied, was a jack of all trades years ago. He held services, did humanitarian work. Anyone who visited him experienced a man of great robustness and hard work. As early as 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, fueled conflicts in eastern Ukraine and intervened there with its own troops, he acted courageously: for example, when a little girl wandered around in a neighborhood where there was fighting (she was taken to safety). Now the fear is greater than then: the priest asks via video call not to describe him exactly, not to name his denomination. “For if I am captured . . .” The sentence breaks off.