Russia’s war on Ukraine is over 100 days old. These attacks have not stopped, and the eviction of people as refugees has not stopped.
The casualties recorded in the early days of the war and its impacts have almost diminished. The nations of the world that have spoken out against the effects of Ukraine are now beginning to worry about what the war will do to them. Like the hype of the early days of the release of a commercial film, the debate and focus have since been forgotten.
Although away from the general view of war, we can try to absorb its purpose a little more calmly. That vision extends to the hope that the future can be secured by looking at the background of a major fall, its immediate effects, and the actions of the people for that fall.
In Kiev I: “When I was on the field I realized that I could have good conversations with someone I met. Yet a rivalry exists between analysts and reporters for no apparent reason. Attempts to make a better connection between them are difficult. Many of the information I asked for in the domain was never found. The war and the challenges and competition in documenting it are only real. When people are in danger of extinction, it does not promote the unity we expect. War demands a certain mentality. That is, one must adapt to the context in order to understand the situation. That is the best way to stay open-minded.
Angel Bothan: I arrived in Lublin, Poland on April 15th. It was revealed that my travel agency had missed my backpack at the airport. I was shocked and nervous. Because that was the day I decided to cross the Polish border. That was the first plan of my trip. Let’s go to Ukraine as soon as possible. After paying for a hostel in Poland, I went to the train station in a taxi to find out when the next train to Ukraine would be. But that taxi ride hid a surprise for me. On that trip I met a 21-year-old teacher who was driving a taxi for his study expenses. He is a Ukrainian. I explained my plan to him. He said he would help me find a better way to go to Ukraine.
He came with me inside the train station to help me gather information, without dropping me off at the train station. They said the train was only a week away from Kiev. I was heartbroken. Bothan said he could go to the bus station. There was also no bus until Wednesday due to Easter. I can not wait that long. Bothan took me back to Lublin. He refused to pay for the car. “I do this for the Ukrainians. I would accept if your company gave you this money. I do not want to do that in this situation,” he said, refusing to buy the money.
Bothan has been living in Poland for the past two years. His family is in Ukraine. At the age of 21 he owns three cars and runs Travels. He wanted to come to Ukraine with me. He wanted to fill his car with supplies for the whole family and the people he meets in Ukraine. “I love this change in life. I want to be a motivator to do my part to move in a new direction,” he said.
Yet he had a reluctance. I could feel it. One cannot be prepared for such a journey in a few hours. But I was in a hurry. At last Botan took me in his car to the border. From there a Ukrainian family agreed to take me into their country. I got there on the scale of April 17th.
The war facing the arts: 2022, April 18-20. The streets of Livy were beginning to fill with people amid the roar of the sun. Although at first glance everything seemed normal, the changes in people’s lives were deeply rooted. Kiev has been home to tens of thousands of refugees from eastern Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the city, curfew is in effect from 10 pm to 5 am. Liquor is allowed only after 8 p.m. Erysipelas is completely banned. Roadblocks set up by volunteers on city streets. Minor changes have been made to the windows for safety. As well as protecting the monuments from bombing, they are covered with sandbags and tarpaulins.
During the days I was there, I heard six or seven siren sounds around the city. They affected the coexistence of the people a little. After a while nature returned. In Livy there is a wartime economic environment woven through collective action and arrangements. Indirectly, people participate in frontline work, accept refugees, develop international contacts, and create funding. These activities lead to an economic peace even in war. Art is an excellent language for expressing events. I wanted to meet artists and find out their thoughts and feelings.
Street artist Dennis Medlin: Denil Medlin, a street artist from the Crimean Peninsula. When Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, Dennis’ father loaded him on a live train and sent him to Lviv. He was 19 years old that day. The war has been haunting him ever since. He also has war at the center of his work. But he is determined not to show the sadness of war. “You need a new perspective to understand bombs,” says Dennis, who uses the symbols of the Soviet Union extensively in his work to change its meaning. His works stand out from the horrors of war, celebrating the joint Ukrainian forces.
For the first two days of the Russian offensive, tennis followed thousands of Ukrainians to a volunteer center in the city. He did not know what to do. He then trains for first aid and fighting. He is currently engaged in these exercises three days a week to face the Russians.
Victor Guthin, painter: I also met architect and painter Victor Kudin. Kudin also raises funds for the Ukrainian military as an artist. In his mind the Russian attack had come as a real shock. You can see him live every day. He would be drawing houses on the streets.
His paintings visualize the transformed landscape. Are witness to the war taking place. One of his paintings on a public wall insults the novel. There are houses in one of his paintings. Smoke escapes from the chimney. The Ukrainian flag flutters in the air. There are no humans in Kudin’s paintings.
Victor told me he was torn between tears and hatred. I can not live with such intense emotions. I like to name these. The words get stuck in Victor’s throat that he wants to understand them. “We are going to destroy Russia. We are going to kill them all.”
Restless Marta: Marta Trotsky runs a gallery. Before the war began, he had been organizing exhibitions throughout Livy. He is trying to foster solidarity among the artists in the city to deal with the current emergency. He is active and restless. Marta has been invited to attend the upcoming Venice Biennale event. For him it was an important moment to express the uniqueness of the Ukrainian arts.
“Using the arts to spread propaganda is one of Russia’s means. Art is soft-spoken and simple,” Marta said, adding that Russia was collecting petitions and letters calling for a ban on Russian artists due to its occupation.
Prilinska, which protects treasures: Boktana Brylinska works at the “Territory of Terror” Memorial Museum in Livy. Boktana has been trying to preserve the arts throughout Ukraine since the beginning of the war. He is particularly interested in preserving artifacts in the southern and eastern parts of the country, where Ukraine’s national cultural heritage is abundant. “Our mission is to preserve the traditional symbols of other cities, like Mariupol,” says Bogdana.
For this there is an integrated relationship among volunteers across the country. Volunteers have been working as a team and developing relationships since the Maiden Revolution. They are the ones who are trying to relocate the treasures without expecting a government order. It can be a little inconvenient when relocating artifacts like that. We do not have formal permission. So we have to explain at the checkpoint that we are not smuggling them and we are trying to protect it. Sometimes it is necessary to act wisely, “said one volunteer.
Resistance in such situations is to protect the object of the world, the memories of the country, and to save the world from destruction as much as you can. I am leaving Livy for Kiev and Kharkiv. ”
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