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Kyivans are united in rage, ready to defend the capital which is a symbol of the whole state. This war is retribution for our independence and the exposure of a criminal who threatens the world with a nuclear button. And his country is not really a geopolitical player, but only a «bloated gas station.»
Volodymyr Vyatrovych, a historian and member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is now a part of the capital’s defence. We managed to talk to him on March 3, when the war had been already lasting for a week. The politician who took up arms says that the war had found him at home, in one of the cosy and picturesque corners near the capital, which has now become an arena of hostilities.
«I woke up around four in the morning. I live in a town near Kyiv. This quiet place – Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, surrounded by forests, is now an arena of hostilities. I did not yet know that Putin had declared war and was about to fall asleep again, but in an hour I heard a sound I had never heard before. It was a cruise missile flying over our town. The impression was that a huge string broke – it swelled with recoil in the abdomen. After that, there was an explosion. I woke up my wife and child. She took the baby and her mother away and went to Lviv. I went in the opposite direction – to Kyiv, to the Verkhovna Rada, where we voted for martial law,» – he said.
Volodymyr Vyatrovych says that the law on collaborationism was considered during a sitting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee. It is said about the maximum criminal responsibility of people who surrender cities. «I am convinced that it is not worth playing for some kind of tolerance with them,» – he said.
Volodymyr Vyatrovych returns to the defence, patrols the city together with his comrades – the city which has become completely different. He says people are driven by anger, not panic or fear, but hatred because of what Russia is doing in Ukraine.
«You know, there are queues near pharmacies and supermarkets in Kyiv, but there is no irritation. The only thing that really unites everyone is anger. There is hatred for Russia in the air because of what it is doing to Ukraine. People are lively, ready to fight. Old grandfathers look with an insult at the machine gun in my hands and ask why they were not given such one, saying «I also want to fight, I also know how.» Now, the general, who is over eighty, enlisted in the army. His mood is the willingness to fight,» – Volodymyr Vyatrovych says.
According to him, thousands who want to defend the capital are provided with the necessary uniforms and weapons.
«It is not necessary to say that there was a mass escape of people capable of waging war. It is not true. On the contrary, the defence is full of people willing to join. The task now is to provide them with weapons and uniforms. These are native Kyivans, people who once came to the capital, like me. They understand the importance of Kyiv as a symbol of Ukraine. I am convinced that it is impossible to take Kyiv. Under the worst circumstances, if there is an attempt to destroy the capital, we will shoot from behind every ruin. Nobody will give up here! « – Volodymyr Vyatrovych emphasizes.
Photo from Facebook of Volodymyr Vyatrovych
The spirit of the Maidan has settled in Kyiv, which encourages its residents to do the impossible. The deputy says that it’s such creative chaos when people are engaged in distributing both food and bulletproof vests, when volunteers succeed in the tasks that would initially seem unrealistic. «We joke that Ukrainians will soon be able to restore their nuclear potential because volunteers will get a nuclear bomb,» – he jokes.
According to Volodymyr Vyatrovych, this is because Ukrainians felt a mortal threat to themselves, to the nation. And we, those who usually quarrelled, opposed each other, had different views and found it difficult to compromise in different matters and areas, suddenly became one.
«When I stood in line behind the machine gun and saw people there with whom I was quarrelling in parliament, I was happy. I am glad that they stayed here and are ready to defend the country,» – he admitted.
The deputy calls the war retaliation for independence and says that by studying history, he is gaining more and more confidence that Russia will not let us go just like that.
«The war of 2014 did not come as a shock to me. Neither did the beginning of these hostilities on February 24 be shocking. Especially since we were constantly receiving information from the West, which, unfortunately, was not taken seriously enough by the authorities. But we will talk about it later,» – Volodymyr Vyatrovych continues.
It will never be the same again, the war has changed us and the world. Ukrainians are angry, and this has great potential. Our determination united people in the world and exposed evil, Volodymyr Vyatrovych believes.
«Until now, Russia has claimed to be a global and strong state. It relied on the thesis of its strong army, which in whatever case can perform all the necessary tasks for Russia and bring any country to its knees. And here, we see that this very powerful army is breaking its teeth on Ukraine. This means something completely different from what Russia broadcast to the whole world. This means that all of Russia’s ambitions for the role of world power are unfounded. Russia has shown the world that it is just a «bloated gas station» that has a nuclear button and can threaten. The world has changed in these seven days. It discovered another Ukraine, which it admires. Nobody expected that to happen. Many politicians feared that Ukraine would be like Afghanistan when the Taliban approached and the government and army began to flee. This has not happened to us, so we are getting new echelons of weapons,» – he says.
Volodymyr Vyatrovych and his comrades-in-arms stay in a shelter during an alarm signal. However, their spirit is unbreakable.
The media hub «Tvoe Misto» is launching a Telegram channel and a Facebook page – «Kyiv – Your City», where it will tell about extraordinary Kyivans who defend their home: at the front, in defence, in volunteer groups, in medical battalions. Kyiv is now not only the capital of independent Ukraine but also a heroic city that the whole world observes with admiration. You can join the Telegram channel «Kyiv – Your City» by following the link, and subscribe to the Facebook page – here.
Victoria Savitska spoke
Translated by Vitalii Holich
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Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
