That is where I think Vladimir Putin miscalculated when he invaded Ukraine last year: he underestimated Ukraine’s determination and resilience. I suspect some Americans make the same mistake. Month after month, Ukrainians have lost buildings, heating, electricity, lives; however, they are willing to continue sacrificing and there is a reverence throughout society for those who have given so much.
A recent survey found that 78 percent of Ukrainians had close family members or friends killed or injured in the fighting. That is a staggering number, but if anything, it has strengthened Ukrainian resolve rather than weakened it. On each of my visits to wartime Ukraine, what has struck me most is not the immense suffering but the even more overwhelming resolve to win.
While the pain and difficulty faced by those struggling to learn to walk again is enormous, the adulation of the public is a balm.
“This week, a woman tried to hug me at a bus stop,” said Denys Kryvenko, 24, who lost both legs and one arm in fighting near Bakhmut in January. “People have tried to give me food, give me money, give me hugs.”
Kryvenko told me that even as a triple amputee, he will rejoin his unit on the front lines.
“My unit is waiting for me,” he insisted. He talks about two roles: either as an instructor for paramedics (he is proof of the value of tourniquets, three of which saved his life) or as a counselor to train soldiers fighting in difficult times.
Hands down, best party appetizer ever: Cream Cheese Rangoon Rolls
Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Bake
Specula’s Cake with Cherries: A Delicious and Juicy Treat
Here’s how to do a pedicure at home with baking soda
Citric acid in the toilet: a trick worth its weight in gold
Turkey Club Skewer Lunchbox Idea
Creamy Beef and Shells
Elon Musk To Fund New Anti-Woke Show Featuring Tucker Carlson: “We Need More Journalists Like Tucker Carlson And Less Like Rachel Maddow!”
Rustic Peach Galette (Free-Form Peach Pie)