Inna Sovsun, the Ukrainian legislator, circulated a couple of pictures. She wrote,
They are Ukrainian defenders fighting for #Azovstal and #Mariupol. A few days ago, they got married by exchanging wedding rings made from foil.
And three days later Valeria became a widow. She promised Andriy to get out of Mariupol and live a life for both of them.
There are many, many such stories in Ukraine. A lot of people elsewhere are tired of the Ukraine movie. I mean, it’s time for the movie to be over. But the “movie” goes on, for the Ukrainians.
(The idea of a “movie” in world affairs — which people watch for a while and then get tired of — I’ve borrowed from Ryan Crocker, the veteran U.S. diplomat.)
“She promised Andriy to get out of Mariupol and live a life for both of them.” Extraordinary.
• Another little episode to consider, from Euromaidan Press:
A family came back to Bucha. Little Daryna wanted to play her piano, but her mother noticed that the prizes on top of the piano had been moved around. She opened the lid and found a bomb inside. A farewell “gift” from the Russians.
Uh-huh. Charming. The pictures say a lot, as they usually do.
• This one is from Kateryna Yushchenko:
I spent this evening with Maria and her son David. Maria’s husband is trapped in #Azovstal. She asked me whether I think her husband will live.
Yes. There is a lot of that in Ukraine.
• Have you seen the pictures from Azovstal? Of the wounded and dead inside? Have you seen the videos of Russian forces, dropping phosphorous bombs on the plant? Flat-out savagery.
I am in touch with people connected to the group in Azovstal, and with one of the group himself, for some lines of communication are still open, thanks to amazing new technologies. Supplies in the plant are running low. The situation is desperate almost beyond description.
• Myroslava Petsa, of the BBC, circulated a picture of a mother, Natalia, with her eleven-year-old twins, Yana and Yaroslav. “When Russian cluster bombs struck Kramatorsk train station, Yaroslav was inside the building. Natalia and Yana were on the platform waiting for tea offered by volunteers. They are now in Lviv.” A beautiful family. They don’t have all their limbs, though.
Remember who did this — not Joe Biden, not NATO, not “the West,” not George Soros, not Anthony Fauci, not “the media.” Not any of the favorite bogeymen. Putin’s Russia has done all this.
And it will be fogged up later, by the usual people working the fog machine. The Ukrainians will know, though. They will remember.
Killing women and children as they wait in a bread line (as has happened). Killing them when they try to evacuate (as has happened). Is this “war,” properly speaking? Maybe it is. But it looks more like wanton murder to me.
• An article from the Telegraph: “Don’t kill our dads, plead children of trapped Mariupol steelworks soldiers.” And the subheading: “Families call for mercy as the final few defenders at the besieged Azovstal plant say Russian attacks have intensified.”
• Another episode, another story, another glimpse of reality: “Video shows Russian soldiers killing 2 civilians before they ransack a business.” Uh-huh.
CNN has obtained surveillance video of what is now being investigated as a war crime by Ukrainian prosecutors.
Both civilians died after the heartless shooting that goes against the so-called rules of war that outlaw the targeting of civilians. CNN has identified the victims. One was the owner of the vehicle dealership that was looted, whose family does not want to be named. The other was Leonid Oleksiyovych Plyats, a 68-year-old grandfather who worked as a guard there.
His daughter, Yulia, cannot bear to watch the video of the day her father died, but she is saving it to one day show her children, so they don’t forget how savage the invaders were.
• Another slice of reality to face, or at least to take note of: “Putin sends Mariupol survivors to remote corners of Russia as investigation reveals network of 66 camps.” Uh-huh.
• Those acquainted with history — I mean, who are especially attuned to history — will find this story amazing: “Ukrainian Holocaust Survivors Flee to Germany From Russian Bombs.” The subheading reads, “An evacuation supported by the German government is rescuing frail Jews from the Kremlin’s invasion.”
• Here is a photo that might have appeared in Life magazine, long ago. The face of a young woman who is one of the last Mariupol defenders, trapped in the steel factory. What a face. The courage of these people, as the wolves circle to kill them all, is astonishing. We are so lucky, those of us whose biggest concerns are Twitter wars, culture wars, and all that. So lucky.