War Through the Eyes of Meduza Readers. A Letter from Vladimir in Boryspil

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War. What is happening on day 1563. The Ukrainian authorities asked the European Union not to extend for Ukrainian men of mobilization age the so-called Temporary Protection Directive. The directive expires in March 2027. EU countries are generally…

War Through the Eyes of Meduza Readers. A Letter from Vladimir in Boryspil

“I am 71. I am a retired military officer. Once high-ranking, I managed to serve both yours and ours faithfully and truly. In Moscow and other cities there I have… had friends. As close as in Vysotsky: ‘...he was more than family to me, he ate from my hand, and now he looks at me — and my spine turns cold.’ My friends there are my age. They have all been through everything, achieved everything, and can assess what is happening wisely.

But from the day of the invasion, they fell silent. All of them, as if on command. We looked for them, called them, tried to hear words of regret, sympathy, support... But we heard none. And not because they all suddenly went over to ‘that side.’ They are afraid.

Afraid to say too much, afraid of being marked unreliable, afraid for themselves, for their loved ones, for the careers of their children who serve the state, afraid to show sincerity. And not because they are cowards. No, they are realists and know who rules in Moscow now and what that власть is capable of.

Right now, the most important thing for them is to survive, even at the cost of betraying old friends whom someone called ‘Banderites.’ They know that this, to put it mildly, does not correspond to reality, but they are incapable of responding loudly. Their will has been paralyzed by fear.

Before the day of the ‘SMO,’ we still spoke, argued, clarified things with each other, proved points or agreed — and then suddenly all words lost their meaning. The words themselves disappeared...

We are no longer friends and no longer ask, ‘how are you there’ or ‘and what has your son achieved.’ Our children, whom we once introduced to each other, have now frankly lost interest in ‘dad’s protégés.’ The threads with which we wanted to tie our peoples and societies together have not simply snapped. It will already be impossible to restore them even in the most favorable scenario, which, alas, is unrealistic. My generation keeps starting to wonder now and then: how will we live after all this is over? How will we look each other in the eye?

We won’t, my 39-year-old son answered once. — Not in our lifetime or in the lifetime of our children, so don’t even hope. And why would we? Your generation still lives in a Soviet mindset. Even now, we have more contacts, acquaintances, and friends in Europe and America than there, in the east. We, for example, are interested in our difficult relations with Hungary, Poland, and the U.S. It is in their eyes that we must establish our identity, status, and opportunities. Russia, meanwhile, is our prisoners, those taken away and kidnapped. If we are lucky, reparations too. Problems in Russia or problems with Russia — the only thing we share is the front line.

If it all suddenly ends, there will be a border. Deaf. Gloomy. Dangerous. One from beyond which the enemy can come at any moment. Our readiness to meet him with dignity is the future of us and our children.”

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