Ronnie Apteker: Four years on, Ukraine's War from an eye witness

Key topics:Life in Kyiv amid war, exhaustion, and the psychological toll on civiliansWestern hypocrisy, weak sanctions, and political failure to stop RussiaUkraine’s resolve to resist invasion despite mounting global risks.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Ronnie Apteker.I am In Kyiv, the place I think of as “home”. It is the coldest winter in years and the hottest war imaginable. Soon it will be 4 years of this evil Russian invasion, and there is no end in sight. A year ago, we moved to London. I come to Kyiv every few months. I had someone ask me in London recently, “Where were you before coming to London?” I said it was a long story, but that ultimately we were living in Ukraine. And they looked at me and almost shouted, “What the hell were you doing in the Ukraine?!” “The Ukraine” part is one thing, but the tone of this question I have heard way too many times. And this is London, often regarded as a centre of education and enlightenment. Sadly, that has not been my experience so far. It was as if this man could not believe that I was living in what he regarded as a shithole, one which he unwittingly referred to as an area, not a country. It is not the Ukraine. It is Ukraine. And it is a soulful land that deserves a better understanding in the world. Another one I have often heard, from those who know a bit more, but are still off the mark, goes like this: "Is Zelensky a good guy?" In my view, Zelensky is a good guy. Sure, far from perfect, but his heart is in the right place. That is what I believe. But this question is a consequence of Russian propaganda, which is very powerful. Whether Zelensky is a good guy or not is not the point. Russia bombing Ukraine night after night is the problem. And it needs to stop..Read more:.Kyiv of Mine: Life, loss and love in a city under siege - Ronnie Apteker.Then there is Trump. The most corrupt person in the world, in my view. Under Trump, Ukraine has been messed around for over a year. Trump continually puts pressure on Ukraine and does nothing to punish Russia. There is now a photo hanging of Trump with Putin in the White House, and Russia remains one of the only countries to have no tariffs enforced on it by America. I see FIFA is wanting to allow Russia to compete again as Russia (not in ”neutral” mode, whatever that even means). And the list goes on and on. Russians travel the world, go on holidays, and do just about anything they like. It is shameful.Being In Kyiv now is totally surreal. This big, beautiful, ancient city is covered in snow, and on the surface, it does look like the same fairytale land that I discovered with my friend Jacques over 18 years ago. But there is no fairytale here right now. Just millions of exhausted people who are on edge. The mood here is intense, and the word “apocalypse” often comes up in conversations..I feel blessed to be here, but it is not easy on the soul. People are suffering, and they are worried. We are trying to capture this state of mind - we are busy filming more material for Kyiv of Mine (our YouTube documentary project), and we believe that this work will one day serve as a documentation of this modern city and what it is going through. We started this filmmaking journey in 2018, so a lot has changed. No one then could have imagined a full-scale war. I still cannot believe I am experiencing war. If someone had told me that one day there would be a war in the modern world, in Europe, with tanks and rockets, well, I would have thought they were mad. But here we are. Over a million Russian soldiers have been injured or killed in the past few years, and Putin will not stop sending his brainwashed citizens to their deaths. And Ukraine will not give up, so this is not to end anytime soon. Most people here believe it will end when Putin dies. And there is also the fear that a larger war will break out involving all of Europe. It may not be a war like with soldiers and tanks, but it will be a hybrid war and an online war. And yes, missiles and drones could easily fly towards Warsaw and the Baltics. We have a lot of friends in Poland, and their anxiety levels are up up up. Where I am in London (when I am not in Kyiv), I often consider that it is one of Moscow’s main targets. Missiles could be sent to London for sure. They hate the UK, which is ironic because so many Russian oligarchs have their kids living there..At the start of this week, there was one of the biggest attacks so far on Kyiv. My understanding from the local news is that the cost of the missiles and drones for this attack was over 300 million US Dollars. The majority of Russians live so poorly. That money could be spent investing in their people, but no, the Russians will let their new Tsar do anything to them. It is one big lost cause, in my view.It has been quite a week. The head of NATO, Mark Rutte, came to Kyiv on a surprise visit. Sounds nice. But everyone here is tired of the blah blah blah. He made a speech and said, “We stand with Ukraine”. Ukraine doesn't need words. It needs more weapons and it needs them now.I read that in the month of January that Europe purchased a record amount of gas from Russia. And Russia’s shadow fleet travels over the oceans pretty much unaffected. Sure, a tanker is seized here, and another is raided there. Window dressing. Stop them all. This will prevent Russia from fuelling its war machine.Ukraine is very grateful for all the support it gets. Make no mistake. They thank America and Europe all the time. But Ukraine has only ever received enough to make sure they do not lose, never to allow Ukraine to win. It is all very cruel.These peace talks in the past month have been a big farce. Russia does not want peace. Their actions speak volumes. They terrorise Ukraine night after night. The two sides are divided by fundamental differences that Washington simply chooses to ignore. Russia demands Ukraine’s surrender. Ukraine will never do that. Russia will not stop unless it is stopped. The only way to end this is to arm Ukraine, tighten sanctions, and seize the shadow fleet. Since Trump returned to the White House, the percentage of Ukrainians being killed and injured has risen. "Negotiations" have allowed Russia to become more brutal. There is no pressure put on Russia. And US Senator Lindsay Graham is once again talking about sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, but it never happens. More blah blah blah. Graham’s words have gone nowhere for months. Putin murders Ukrainian civilians, and Trump buys time for Putin with fake negotiations, and Graham provides cover for Trump with talk of action and weapons that never happen. This crap just goes on and on.The Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk recently asked, “Why has Trump's year of negotiations been the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion? The number of deaths and injuries has increased by 31 per cent compared to the previous year. Why did Putin not allow himself such brutal strikes on civilian infrastructure under Biden, whom Trump calls “weak,” but totally destroys peaceful cities and disregards the “strong Trump”?”.Read more:.Why Ukraine can’t simply give up its land for peace: Marc Champion.It is a sad state of affairs. For Ukraine, and also for the world. Very, very shameful. Keep in mind that not defeating Russia is a choice that America and Europe have made, and it is going to bite us all in the ass. And yes, I know there are going to be haters that will say “this mad Ronnie wants to start WW III”. Putin is not going to send nukes anywhere. He is a coward. And remember, if Putin is allowed to succeed in Ukraine, then God helps us all. The dictators will all be more confident and anyone with nukes can then do what they want. Is that a world you want to be a part of? Bullies will rule.I'd better try to get some sleep. I did not sleep much last night again. An air raid siren went off last night but I slept through it, only to be woken up by a drone being shot down with a loud explosion. I got my to-go bag next to me (passport, water bottle, power bank, phone), and I hope it stays put tonight. I am seriously tired, but nothing like the rest of the people here, who are beyond exhausted, but not broken. Ukraine will never give up. If Russia takes over, they will destroy everyone and everything here. That is what happens under occupation.

Ronnie Apteker: Four years on, Ukraine's War from an eye witness

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