Variation #25
By KS Lack
Print: Variated Edition 4/18
Frameless sunflower, destroyed frame
When we talk about frontline fighting in Ukraine, we often picture 600+ mile battleground stretching across the eastern part of the country, where most of the active fighting occurs. The villages and land within this zone have been devastated. Few civilians remain, though there are more then one might expect—those who cannot or will not leave their homes, no mater how destroyed they may be.(A)
This battleground is currently shifting as Russian troops slowly break through Ukrainian defenses. Pokrovsk, with a current population of 20,000, has been evacuated. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is just 25 miles away from the Russian border. While a significant portion of the population has left, Kharkiv remains home to over a million residents. The city has once again come under fierce attack, with daily missile strikes. Although some services relocated underground for protection, most of Kharkiv’s citizens continue to live resolutely above ground, defiantly carrying on despite the relentless shelling.(B)
On the other side of the front line, in the occupied territories, Ukrainians live under what the UN has described as a “climate of fear.” In schools, the Ukrainian curriculum has been banned; replaced by indoctrination into Putin’s version of Russian culture. Residents are forced to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship and obtain Russian passports in order to access basic services like electricity and water. Their movements are heavily restricted, and expressions of Ukrainian identity are brutally repressed. Verified reports reveal the existence of torture facilities; many people have simply disappeared.(C)
Reducing villages and cities to rubble. Teaching children that their culture is fake. Punishing dissent with torture and death. All of these actions serve a single purpose: eradication. Every day, Ukrainians are fighting for the right to say, “I exist.” Imagine, for a moment, what it must feel like—to know that, one day, you might wake up, look in the mirror, and realize the person you saw yesterday has been erased. Because this is what is at stake, right now, for them.
A) For more on Ukrainian refugees, see Variation #12.
B) For more on Russia’s bombing campaign, see Variation #6 and Variation #18.
C) For more on Russian war crimes against civilians and children, see Variation #8 and Variation #1.
See below for further reading and background.
What Ukraine has Lost, The New York Times, 03 Jun 24.
When Home Is Now the Front Line, The New York Times, 8 Apr 24.
Key Ukrainian front line city evacuates as Russian offensive gains pace, Atlantic Council, 01 Sep 24.
With Deadly Offensive in Kharkiv, Last Month Civilian Casualties in Ukraine Hit Highest Level Since June 2023, Deputy Relief Chief Tells Security Council, United Nations, 07 Jun 24.
Despite Relentless Russian Attack, Life in Kharkiv Endures Underground, The New York Times, 17 Sep 24.
UN report details ‘climate of fear’ in occupied areas of Ukraine, as the Russian Federation moves to cement control, United Nations Human Rights, 20 Mar 24.
Life in occupied Ukraine, NPR, 21 Jan 24.
Ukraine: Russian Torture Center in Kherson, Human Rights Watch, 13 Apr 23.