Ronnie Apteker: Ukraine – the biggest country in Europe, and without a doubt, the least understood
Ukraine endures a grim reality as missile strikes devastate cities like Poltava, claiming lives and leaving many injured. The conflict's toll on the Ukrainian spirit is profound, contrasting sharply with recent Independence Day celebrations that filled Kyiv with hope. Amid constant threats, the resilience of ordinary Ukrainians shines through. Their fight is not just for survival but for preserving a vibrant culture, innovation, and a way of life that the world stands to lose if Ukraine falls.
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By Ronnie Apteker
I tried to sit down a bit earlier and write this text, but it is a very sad day here in Ukraine. So many innocent people were killed and hundreds injured in a terrifying missile strike on the Eastern city of Poltava. I have an IT friend whose family is in Poltava. This is all so hard on the soul. Right now, the mood here is very low. Writing this text helps to stay sane, but it is very painful. And just 10 days ago, it was Independence Day, and the spirit in the city was alive and uplifting. I walked around the city centre that weekend, amazed at how many people were out and about. And there were no missile strikes that weekend. But that following Monday was off the charts. A 7-hour attack here in Kyiv from 6 am to 1 pm, and it was scary. The biggest missile strike on the capital since the start of the full-scale invasion.
There have been so many hectic missile and drone strikes on Kyiv of late that the situation continues to be frightening and surreal. But what is more frightening to me than these evil missiles is the West's attitude to the entire situation. Why does Ukraine have to keep begging for permission for what they can and can't do? Russia doesn't follow any rules or laws, but Ukraine has to behave like gentlemen. This is all so crazy. I have to share a simple perspective on this, something that boggles the mind: the world's leaders are afraid that nuclear war means that they believe that Putin is insane enough to launch nuclear weapons. But yet, at the same time, these same people believe that such an insane man can be negotiated with. Come on. This doesn't compute. Where is the political will? Where are the values? The morals? There are no red lines, just red tape and BS.
Things are not easy here in Ukraine at all, and often, it feels that this evil war is never going to end. Many comment that it may only end when Putin is one day gone. But when that is, your guess is as good as mine. Then, there is another view that war will be over by spring. Ukraine has boldly moved into Eastern Russia and has everyone's attention. Please, God, the war does end next year, but of course, no one knows. The war may enter different phases/stages, but too many people I chat with in Kyiv say that it will go on for years. And in my view, that is dangerous for the world – anything could happen.
I read this comment online this week from a lady in Kyiv, Olena Halushka, "Russia targeting an orphanage, a playground, or a children's cancer hospital has become a routine the world got used to. Ukraine striking military bases and airfields deeply inside Russia is considered an escalation to be avoided. What a shameful time for the free world." I agree with this sentiment. It is a sad world indeed.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen hit the nail on the head when she recently spelt out what's at stake in Ukraine: "There is no alternative to Ukraine winning this war. Because if Russia wins, then all of us lose—not only in Europe but worldwide."
As the Danish PM points out, if Russia wins, then we all lose. Absolutely. Ukraine is the largest country in Europe, and Kyiv, the country's capital, is one of the most amazing cities in the world. Overflowing with creative spirit, eccentricity, energy, humour, and beauty. A place that was waiting to be discovered. A gift for travellers, the curious, the artists, the techies, the architects, the photographers, the coffee lovers and foodies. For everyone. The world will be robbed of this gift if Ukraine ceases to exist. And yet, missiles rain down on this incredible city week after week and other cities all over Ukraine. It is still all so hard to believe. Ukraine is the fourth largest food producer in the world and the IT hub of Europe. If Ukraine disappears, the whole world will feel it. We can already see it in global food prices which keep going up and up. Ukraine's food supply is important.
Today, Putin went to Mongolia, and they did not comply with an International Criminal Court warrant for the arrest of this war criminal due to its energy dependence on Russia. I guess this was to be expected. But it does go to show Putin will not stop unless he is stopped.
I have been living in Kyiv and other parts of the world for quite some time. Kyiv has to be one of the best-kept secrets there is. And to anyone who knows this place, there was the view that Ukraine's capital was on track to be one of the hot spots of Europe in the next five years. The place was booming (even with all the problems Ukraine faced, like corruption, old Soviet mentality, etc.). Creativity and entrepreneurship were rising, and you often heard Kyiv was the next Berlin. This big war has put everything backwards. But Ukraine will keep fighting until the end. That is what I believe.
Ukraine deserves a better conversation in the world. It is enough of all those stupid stereotypes. To help share a more enlightened perspective about this misunderstood land, I joined up with several South African artists and some locals here in Kyiv, and we started a non-profit storytelling project in 2018. A documentary film that is a love letter to Kyiv. It shows us what the world will miss out on if Kyiv ceases to exist. Kyiv, and the rest of Ukraine, is soulful. There is something magical here that is worth protecting. Worth nurturing. It's worth investing in. Have a look at this teaser trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOqMRs3aRY8&t=38s.
We had met many tech entrepreneurs in Kyiv, and this was our starting point. The world of innovation and creativity is in Ukraine's magical capital, Kyiv. What became evident during our filmmaking in 2018 and 2019 was that the negative stereotypes that haunt Ukraine needed to be challenged. And so we focused on a fresh narrative – the people of Ukraine, particularly Kyiv, and what makes them so unique. We had half a film by the start of the pandemic, and then in 2022, as mask-wearing ended, we thought it was all systems go again. But bombs fell out of the sky on the 24th of February that year, and we knew life had changed. And of course, our film had to change too. This was no longer a story about the people of Ukraine redefining their identity. It was a story about survival – about a country's struggle to defend its language, traditions and culture from a neighbour hell-bent on destroying it.
Now, it was more important than ever to try and capture the spirit of modern Ukraine. We were fortunate to have already interviewed a diverse group of citizens before the war. We had an opportunity to see how the lives of our characters had changed: a chef, a painter, a computer programmer, a tech entrepreneur, a lawyer, a property developer, a filmmaker, a professor, a games developer, a pig farmer, an IT executive, a fragrance shop owner and a real estate broker. Were these people going to run for the hills, or would they remain defiant? Would they crumble, or would they resist? "We Are Ukraine" is a story about ordinary people in an extraordinary time. People who have chosen to continue to work, get married, have babies – to continue to live and laugh against all odds. This is not a war story. This is not a story about death and demise. This life story will make you laugh and cry and realise that, in the end, people in Ukraine are the same as those folk from any modern, free nation.
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