Kulturen spelar en viktig roll i Ukraina och Ryssland har genom historien upprepade gånger försökt utplåna den och dess kulturutövarna. Precicionsbomber har under detta krig till exempel bombat historiskt viktiga konstnärers och författares hem. on big explosions, when nothing remains, no identification is possible - forever missing [entertainment center in Kremenchuk]

On the Donbas front we meet Ukrainian soldiers, outgunned and exposed, who adopt the dogs and cats left by fleeing civilians. Not only are they company, but the animals can hear incoming shells three seconds earlier than any human. When their pets take cover, so do the troops. one historic trauma that of forced deportations, gave rise to another historic trauma, the fear of hunger. “ Then the armoured personnel carrier halted outside the house. “Any talk about heroism, like stopping an APC, etc – that’s for big cities,” he wrote. “We’re a small village, where the number of patriotic people you could bring together was two, three people max. I had known this for a long time, which is why I lived my life as a hermit.” The soldiers finally left the house. Vakulenko told his parents he had been taken to a “special department” set up near the village school, where he had been beaten in the groin. The soldiers had told him: “Don’t get upset.” From day one I stopped writing fiction. I couldn't concentrate on anything but reality. So, when I was asked to comment about events, I started speaking on radio and television then writing about what was happening."Surprisingly perhaps to a British audience, he is not an unalloyed supporter of Zelensky, whose leadership has won worldwide praise, drawing comparisons to Winston Churchill. Although he does believe the president has proved himself under fire. In the Ukrainian countryside, there is a long tradition of having plenty of bread on the table and of eating it with butter and salt or dipping it in milk.

Having registered on TikTok to follow the account of artillery officer Tetyana Chubar, I have started worrying about her too. I am willing her to emerge victorious from each new artillery duel and I would gladly support her quest to paint the self-propelled cannon pink all over – albeit after the war, of course. I think this will not only be her biggest reward but will be the icing on the cake for all her TikTok followers." However I decided to give it a chance. There were quite a few things within the historical context provided I actually didn't know. Even though I kept guard, looking out for hidden pro-russian beasts, I was compelled by the delivery. I loved the rational explanations to somewhat complex reality it has become way too easy to simplify, the labor and emotional resilience this takes is commendable. As of September 2023 the events of the book may be a bit outdated, but the context is nevertheless invaluable and can provide a very good understanding especially to westerners who might not have followed the events of the war so closely.As if by some divine joke, in the Ukrainian National character, unlike in the Russian one, there is no fatalism. Ukrainians almost never get depressed. They are programmed for victory, for happiness, for survival in difficult circumstances, as well as for love of life.” Zoom in, though, and the story of each individual crime contains pains and griefs that belong to it alone. It is unclear, as yet, precisely what impelled the occupiers to take and kill Vakulenko. But his unapologetic, unconcealed adherence to an idea of Ukraine, his shelves of Ukrainian-language books, his patriotic tattoos, his refusal to speak Russian: all of this likely made him a target for the occupiers. He really loved Ukraine. He was trying to prove to everyone here that we should build our own future as a country A dramatic experience makes for a dramatic perception of the future. But, as if by some divine joke, in the Ukrainian national character, unlike in the Russian one, there is no fatalism. Ukrainians almost never get depressed. They are programmed for victory, for happiness, for survival in difficult circumstances, as well as for the love of life. There are many fascinating characters who populate the story. There is Kurkov's friend Svetlana, who is not able to leave Kyiv. She sends a message to him – "I decided to say goodbye just in case. They have warned that there will be a terrible shelling of Kyiv. I'm going to stay in my flat. I'm tired of running through the basements. If anything happens, remember me with a smile." I cried when I read that. There is Tetyana Chubar, a 23-year old single mom. She is the commander of a self-propelled cannon (an armoured vehicle something like a tank) and she has four men under her command. She paints her nail yellow and blue, and she hopes to paint her combat vehicle pink one day. These are just two of the many fascinating, inspiring real-life characters who stride through the book.

Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov is strongest when he writes on cultural matters. Photograph: Sergei Supinsky/AFP The day before the start of the war, our children, including our daughter who had flown in from London, had gone with their friends to the beautiful city of Lviv in western Ukraine. They wanted to visit the cafes, museums, the medieval streets of the old centre. We decided to join them. The journey of 420km took 22 hours. The traffic jams varied in length, from 10 to 50 miles.

Summary

Nothing is being published in Ukraine now and I cannot imagine much reading going on among Ukrainians either. I don’t read, although I try to. War and books are incompatible. But after the war, books will tell the story of the war. They will fix the memory of it, form opinions and stir emotions.