This has told me more about life in Ukraine right now than any other texts and news I’ve read so far. It also reminded me so much of how I felt about Odessa when I visited it -spontaneously- in 2011. Svetlanas were there, too. And I loved them all.
I am so glad to find your Substack and so thankful to you, working in Ukraine, in war zone, especially in Kha r'kov, where my husband's nephew lives, and he and his family in the army. I am so glad to hear that the city tries to live by the regular life during war. I am Russian, never was in Khar'kov, and very ashamed that criminal Putin is doing with our closest relative- Ukrainian People. Thank you for your help.
Thank you Larysa. I saw one of your childhood stories, very touching, Thank you for sharing. Also about your nephew. Many people in Kharkiv have families across the border, too and until lately did not bother about their identity. I understand also that many of them lately cut ties with those Russia-based family members. It is certainly easier if you live in the US. Three of my dear friends are Russian, all three of them live in emigration: Germany, Spain and the third one is digital nomad in Asia, sometimes returning home for short time. Let’s keep in touch for sure.
Thank you for your answer. My husband's brother died recently i n Khar'kov, but not because of war, of old age. We had a very good relationship with him and with the money during war. Now, his son sends us emails sometimes. How long you are staying in Ukraine? Do you speak Russian or Ukrainian? Very nice to meet you.
People ask me what will determine whether I stay in the United States or emigrate abroad.
The truth is that I don't know.
When your parents are immigrants and you're first generation, you're raised on a particular promise. You want to believe you've arrived in the land of milk and honey despite the roaches, the overcrowded apartments, the night shifts, and the second jobs. The sacrifice has to mean something.
But the older I get, the less certain I am that belonging and gratitude are the same thing.
As a Black man, I don't know where I would be fully accepted. As the son of immigrants, I don't know where home is supposed to be. The homeland exists mostly in stories. History saw to that. A century of intervention, occupation, dictatorship, debt, and geopolitics left many of us inheriting fragments rather than a place.
What struck me about this essay was that everyone in Kharkiv kept giving the same answer.
"This is home."
Not because it is safe.
Not because it is prosperous.
Not because it is rational.
Because it is theirs.
I don't know what it would take for me to leave the United States.
But I suspect the answer has less to do with economics than with whether I can ever answer that question with the same certainty.
Does the average Ukrainian comprehend the February 2014 Betrayal of Ukraine, the WEST, by the legal structure of POTUS Barry Obama ( the POTUS-White House Cabal)? Was that betrayal by the USA then or now visible to any level of Ukrainian in this huge city?
Is the Balkanization of independent Ukraine by Obama, the USA, even a concept in Kharkiv, let alone a topic for the populace of 2026?
How often do the topics of compensation+ reparation from the Kremlin Muscovy ethnics + the USA, appear in any daily form?
Fascinating! Thank you for a look at life in a war zone. So much, strength, resilience and courage.
This has told me more about life in Ukraine right now than any other texts and news I’ve read so far. It also reminded me so much of how I felt about Odessa when I visited it -spontaneously- in 2011. Svetlanas were there, too. And I loved them all.
I am so glad to find your Substack and so thankful to you, working in Ukraine, in war zone, especially in Kha r'kov, where my husband's nephew lives, and he and his family in the army. I am so glad to hear that the city tries to live by the regular life during war. I am Russian, never was in Khar'kov, and very ashamed that criminal Putin is doing with our closest relative- Ukrainian People. Thank you for your help.
Thank you Larysa. I saw one of your childhood stories, very touching, Thank you for sharing. Also about your nephew. Many people in Kharkiv have families across the border, too and until lately did not bother about their identity. I understand also that many of them lately cut ties with those Russia-based family members. It is certainly easier if you live in the US. Three of my dear friends are Russian, all three of them live in emigration: Germany, Spain and the third one is digital nomad in Asia, sometimes returning home for short time. Let’s keep in touch for sure.
Thank you for your answer. My husband's brother died recently i n Khar'kov, but not because of war, of old age. We had a very good relationship with him and with the money during war. Now, his son sends us emails sometimes. How long you are staying in Ukraine? Do you speak Russian or Ukrainian? Very nice to meet you.
Thank you for reading my comment. Foreigners participating in this crinal war, helping Ukrainians are the heroes to me.
Yes, I had similar feelings in Kharkov. The alarms and the people continuing their ordinary life. I love your description of the swimming experience❤️
I live far away, yet I felt I lived in this buzzing Ukraine city..it’s quite a story living here.
Thank you for sharing 'everyday life' during a war. Very compelling work.
People ask me what will determine whether I stay in the United States or emigrate abroad.
The truth is that I don't know.
When your parents are immigrants and you're first generation, you're raised on a particular promise. You want to believe you've arrived in the land of milk and honey despite the roaches, the overcrowded apartments, the night shifts, and the second jobs. The sacrifice has to mean something.
But the older I get, the less certain I am that belonging and gratitude are the same thing.
As a Black man, I don't know where I would be fully accepted. As the son of immigrants, I don't know where home is supposed to be. The homeland exists mostly in stories. History saw to that. A century of intervention, occupation, dictatorship, debt, and geopolitics left many of us inheriting fragments rather than a place.
What struck me about this essay was that everyone in Kharkiv kept giving the same answer.
"This is home."
Not because it is safe.
Not because it is prosperous.
Not because it is rational.
Because it is theirs.
I don't know what it would take for me to leave the United States.
But I suspect the answer has less to do with economics than with whether I can ever answer that question with the same certainty.
Does the average Ukrainian comprehend the February 2014 Betrayal of Ukraine, the WEST, by the legal structure of POTUS Barry Obama ( the POTUS-White House Cabal)? Was that betrayal by the USA then or now visible to any level of Ukrainian in this huge city?
Is the Balkanization of independent Ukraine by Obama, the USA, even a concept in Kharkiv, let alone a topic for the populace of 2026?
How often do the topics of compensation+ reparation from the Kremlin Muscovy ethnics + the USA, appear in any daily form?