Paris, January 10
Dear readers,
Just ten years ago, in January 2014, I was on Maidan Square, it was the dignity revolution. Two months earlier, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union and students demonstrating against this decision had been beaten by the police. After that, thousands of citizens took to the streets and occupied this huge square in the center of Kyiv [Kiev, en ukrainien]. It was shortly after that that I met Elisa, with whom we wrote these war letters. I was his interpreter during his on-site reports. Why do I want to tell you this? Because it’s been ten years. Ten years of battle, of conflict, ten years of understanding that the neighboring nation was not at all a “sister” for Ukraine – to think that this is what the two republics were called in Soviet times – but a real enemy.
Without wanting to be too negative all the time, I must still tell you that the period is really not easy: the attacks have become very frequent again. On the night of January 2, I woke up at 5 a.m. and saw that Kyiv was under attack. I found myself sobbing, just like last year during the winter months. Mom was in her hallway trying to protect herself if a missile fell, my sister Sasha too. I couldn’t get news from my father or my grandmother. But when will this nightmare end? I no longer look for a logical explanation, because there is no logic. Sometimes I think very rationally and wonder how much all these attacks cost financially. It would have been better to invest in the country’s economy, right?
Last month was also one of celebrations, and this year Ukraine officially celebrated Christmas on December 25. It was the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which made the announcement. Before the invasion, Ukrainian Christmas was based on the Gregorian calendar. It was celebrated on January 7, like among the Russians. [Olga et Sasha ont choisi de ne pas mettre de majuscule à « russe » et à « russie »]. I am interested in this question of Christmas, because it is very symbolic. I asked the Ukrainian students to whom I teach online French what date they celebrated Christmas. The responses were divided. People who came from eastern Ukraine still celebrated it on January 7th. The other part, December 25. People from the east of the country are undoubtedly more attached to the Gregorian calendar holidays. But I believe that, gradually, everyone in Ukraine will celebrate Christmas in the European way.
You have 70% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.