A PhD museum worker turned soldier , account of the war.
I am not a military man. I never aspired to be in the military. I am a PhD in historical sciences, researcher, museum worker. And a bit of a writer. I should devote time researching history, writing scientific and scientific works. And yet - art books. Because I like it and even it works.
But lately I’ve been military. Cause there is a war in my country. We enter into artillery duels every day, in which one successful arrival of an enemy shell will turn us into minced meat. We sleep in bodies on drawers in incredible density, and bathe in warm water once a month. When it rains, we are wet, when it is swamp, we are dirty as hell (and we wash once a month, I remind you, and it is not a fact that there will be such an occasion next month). And when there was frost, my pobratimi vídmorožuvali their fingers. We eat when there is a free minute, not when it's time to eat or have an appetite. Sleeping is so off the charts, I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to my regular 23rd-7pm schedule. At this point, we are a priority target for the enemy. And they can try to destroy us in different ways, to the same at every moment.
And in similar conditions, if not harder, there are now thousands of historians, writers, accountants, bankers, IT workers, teachers, designers and others in Ukraine, away from peaceful professions. They are killed from the 152th and from the point-in, they will fly bullets and vogi, cassette and phosphorous ammunition. Some of them are already dead. And someone will never return to their profession again because they burned out. But they all keep fighting. Because Ukraine is behind them. Because if they put their guns down, their parents will be killed, wives and daughters raped, and homes destroyed or confiscated.
And when by the mouths of politicians of France, Italy, Germany and other countries offer us to lay down arms, agree to the loss of territories, give Russia some security guarantees (absurd !!! Russia does not need any guarantees of security, it is its neighbors who need guarantees from their threat)... So I feel rage and deep disgust. Disgusting these worthless people who, through their prejudices or thanks to Putin's dirty money, are ready to condemn my country to absorption, to a slow and painful death. Disgust and rage at those who have enormous opportunities to help overcome a crisis but instead strive, knowingly or unknowingly, to deepen it. Because even the complete surrender of Ukraine will not solve the problems of world security. On the contrary, will push Russia to new zagarbanʹ.
We don't need suggestions to surrender. If you are not ready to fight with us against the said enemy, then help us with weapons, money, sanctions. We need a lot of things to defeat Russia and thus sharply reduce the level of the global crisis. But we have the main thing - motivation. We have historians willing to sleep on drawers of five people in two bedrooms and for weeks muck without being able to wash. We have accountants ready to eat only porridge with stew for months. We have young students living their best years under threat of death. And they won't go anywhere - unless they all get killed.
Ukraine will fight either to victory or until it can resist.
With respect,
a writer, author of six books,
currently a junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Nazar Rozlutsky.