On Feb. 24 exactly two years ago, acclaimed Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov was jolted awake by the boom of a missile landing in Kyiv.
There were three strikes at 5 a.m., then two more one hour later.
“There was no doubt anymore that a war (with Russia) had begun, but I still did not want to believe it,” Kurkov wrote in his “Diary from an Invasion.”
In the book, he serenely chronicles his life over a period of a little over six months, interspersed with his observations about the history of his beloved Ukraine and the complexity of its language.
He, too, was one of many Ukrainians who were forced to flee far away from home.
War destroys routine life. But sadly, war has become a way of life in Ukraine in the last two years. In his recent social media post, Kurkov commented to the effect, “This war will be drawn out, and we must learn to live with it.”
According to a colleague of mine who is reporting from Ukraine, air raid alerts were issued in Kyiv 25 times in the last month or so, totaling 29 hours.
Once issued, an alert can last for several hours. When parting with a friend, there is the thought that their paths may not cross again.
That is probably what living in wartime boils down to.
Ukraine is not the only victim of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression. Also under attack are freedom of speech in Russia and international social order. We must not forget that.
Kurkov noted in his diary that the lives of Ukrainians have been segmented into “before the war” and “during the war.” And he added to the effect, “Of course, we are all praying for the eventual arrival of the ‘postwar’ era.”
Its arrival can never be too soon.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 24
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Give free passports to Britain's heroes: On the eve of D
Tesla, Domino's Pizza rise; AMC Entertainment, SoFi Technologies fall, Monday, 4/29/2024
Messi to Miami: Soccer star, and a few teammates, show up for Heat
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti apologizes for forgetting German on his Bayern Munich return
West Indies wins toss, elects to field against PNG in T20 World Cup
Two Finnish passenger jets are forced to turn around mid
Two more people sentenced for carjacking and kidnapping an FBI employee in South Dakota
Sports betting roundup: NBA, NHL playoffs rolling on; NFL rookie of the year odds set
Chris Hemsworth's $168m Mad Max film Furiosa flops in Australia making only $3m opening weekend
CJ Abrams homers as Nationals complete 4
A man's body recovered from waters off a Greek beach with barbell attached
Historic woods turned into 'desolate wasteland' by fly