591 day of war

Hello, friends!

This week has turned out to be really tough and quite shocking. A few days ago, I received news from my friend from Mariupol, who had been working in Germany when the war started but returned to the country, evacuated his family to the western part of the country, and went to fight. He was a genuinely good person, and we met when I was around 17 years old, playing board games together with a large group of teenagers. He was much older than us but treated everyone with respect and always helped out. Now he's no longer with us; he served on the front lines for over a year, and today he was laid to rest. It's hard to comprehend. Gradually, you realize that many people you knew are no longer alive, and no matter what happens next, they won't return.

Life is no longer the same as it used to be, and it's difficult to accept. There are no friends, no home, no old photo albums. Now life is about queuing for humanitarian aid, working every day to pay rent, and waiting for your turn to go to war.

The country is also observing days of mourning. Frontline settlements continue to suffer greatly from shelling, and recently, a missile strike hit the village of Groza, where a funeral was taking place, and many people came to say goodbye to a hero. Over 50 people died as a result of the attack in a village with a population of 350. It's a horrifying situation, with some people losing almost their entire families. It's terrible, and there are simply no words to describe how such things can happen in our time.

Recently, a friend from Lviv was called up for service, and I realized that life in the army is not as I imagined it. It seems my thoughts about military service were somewhat idealistic, and in practice, it turns out to be a completely different way of life where it's better to conform to avoid many problems. Even in terms of food, this acquaintance is a vegetarian, and during his week of service, he's only given porridge once a day, bread, and tea because all other army meals contain meat. We are now gathering and sending him nuts and easily prepared vegetarian food by mail, and we are also trying to arrange for charitable organizations to supply vegetarian rations for him to have proper meals. Not to mention that many soldiers have to buy their equipment themselves or rely on volunteers and crowdfunding. It's quite strange for a country at war; it seemed that in 1.5 years of war, things could have been organized better, but in reality, everything is happening with the usual bureaucratic problems

I also see what's happening in Israel and express support for the Israeli people in these difficult times. It's painful to witness the world turning into a battlefield, but I believe we can get through this.

Thank you all for your support. I believe that together, we will endure.