Sept. 23: “We are sitting under rocket fire right now. Everything around us is being blown apart. The house is shaking, and car alarms are going off. It’s impossible to get used to this — even when it feels like you’ve stopped caring.”
Long-time readers may recall Carrie and I have family friends in Ukraine, in a suburb outside Kyiv, not unlike Santa Clarita and Los Angeles. They are the same kind of people as us, with the same kind of interests, nice houses, good jobs, nice standard of living. Basically, everything we’ve got, plus one big extra: A FOUR-AND-A-HALF-YEAR-LONG WAR WITH RUSSIA.
When the Russians first invaded, Juliya made a run for it with her daughter to escape the rape, pillaging and murder of civilians closing in. She was able to relocate to Spain with her daughter. About 10 months later, after Ukraine had pushed Russia back out of the Kyiv region and the north, Juliya and her daughter returned home, as there seemed to be a lull in the fighting.
Now, nearly four years later, there’s anything but a lull. Russian attacks against civilian targets have increased to levels not seen since the start of the invasion. Every day there are hundreds of Shahed drones and missiles hitting the everyday infrastructure required for living. Hundreds of attacks every night … for years.
Juliya recently wrote me a string of texts that would shock any humane person back to the reality of this tragic war, which our current administration has largely abandoned. The U.S. still shares intelligence, but weapons, especially defensive weapons like Patriot missiles, have trailed off. Washington just approved licenses for Ukraine to build its own someday, but a license doesn’t stop tonight’s missiles. We’ve left this freedom-loving people much to their own defense against a country 10 times larger by gross domestic product.
Sept. 24: “We made it through the night once again! Hooray! But my daughter couldn’t wake up for her online classes. After all, none of the children go to schools or colleges anymore — they all study from home because of the constant attacks. A generation torn out of context.
“But morning has come, and life goes on. For instance, I have an appointment with a cosmetologist at 2 p.m.”
Juliya has slept in her basement far more than in her bed over these years. Really bad nights are in the subway tunnels. Yet somehow, she and her family hold together as normal a life as possible.
Sept. 24, continued: “They deliberately targeted a maternity hospital. They also destroyed a pharmaceutical plant that produces the majority of Ukraine’s medicines. They struck an institute and a student dormitory. Their primary targets remain energy infrastructure and water treatment facilities. They intend to starve us and subject us to freezing cold and disease once more. This is textbook fascism and genocide against the Ukrainian nation — unfolding while the entire world watches in silence.”
“We live here. This is our land and our homes; our husbands, sons and parents are here. The country and the Ukrainian people continue to live, work, raise children, make plans, and even try to find some small joys in life — no matter what.”
Juliya and her countrymen have no choice but to fight on. Only Russia can end the war. If Ukraine stops fighting, Russia will again rape, imprison and destroy. If Russia stops fighting, the war is over.
Russia has overrun some 20% of Ukraine, leaving rubble in its wake. The price: as many as 1.4 million Russian soldiers killed or wounded, more than four times the population of our Santa Clarita Valley. Ukraine has lost as many as 600,000 of its own, twice our valley. The U.N. has verified more than 70,000 civilian casualties, and the real toll is far higher. The human and infrastructure waste is insane.
Juliya continues, “And as long as it is possible, I will keep working. This is especially important to me because, when I am painting, I hardly think about anything else. I live for the idea; it takes my mind off heavy thoughts and fills me with energy. You could say that creativity is my magic elixir — it motivates me to live and gives me the strength to persevere.
“I need to paint and earn enough for a car as soon as possible. I’ll face this issue if I need to evacuate the city with my daughter while my husband looks after his aged parents.”
Back in 1928, our St. Francis Dam gave way and killed more than 400 people downstream. Now read this:
Sept. 25: “Right now, absolute hell is unfolding over Kyiv. Those bastards have hit the dam at the Kyiv Reservoir. If they blow it up, Kyiv and the surrounding region will be flooded —submerged under 7 meters of water.”
“The orcs have truly gone on a rampage today. They are striking universities, kindergartens, markets, shops, and apartments. They struck the office of one of the major mobile network operators. They want to cut us off from communications and the internet. They are trying to break us and force our capitulation.”
“So be prepared for me to go offline and be unable to reply. The mobile network I’m currently using is still up, but it’s only a matter of time before that changes.”
The weather in Santa Clarita has been a mild 85 degrees with wispy clouds and a forecast of much-needed rain. The Rams lost a close one this week, and the Dodgers open the playoffs this weekend.
Gary Horton is chairman of the College of the Canyons Foundation board. His “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
