They Need To Be Destroyed - November 1st 2023

November 1st 2023

In this deeply reflective episode, Yuriy shares his thoughts on the eve of his second birthday as a soldier. With a sense of solemnity and determination, he contemplates the changing nature of celebrations in the face of war and underscores the global importance of defending Ukraine against an aggressive force that seeks world domination.

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TRANSCRIPT: (Podbean app users can enjoy closed captions)

It is November 1st. 

The last autumn month has arrived a wonderful time. Soon, just in 10 days it'll be my birthday. It's the second one since the beginning of the full scale invasion, I'll be 43. When I joined the army, I was 41. When I return from the war, if I return of course, only God knows how old I'll be. I've already mentioned that the war drags on that. It may last for years and years that Russians still plan to subjugate Ukraine, even if it remains nothing but desolate lifeless ruins. Well, you can understand the mood I'm preparing for my birthday with. Not in despair, but also without a festive spirit. 

Honestly, I don't know how to feel about this day at all because it used to be a family celebration- my brother and I were born on our mother's birthday. We all gathered together in our home in Kharkiv. My mom is thousands of miles away from Ukraine now. My brother turned out to be a covert and deserter living among enemies in Russia, and the house we used to gather in stands empty. It's located in such a dangerous place where Russian rockets constantly lands and no one wants to live where even for free. 

So, now I don't have all the things that used to make my be of the celebration and with each other day of war, less and less remains of what was important and valuable before the full scale invasion. Those times, though it's been just over 600 days seem impossibly distant and almost unreal. It's hard to believe that I could live a civilian life, wear something other than a military uniform, work, go to bars, plan vacations, and visit friends and family. 

All of that is gone now, but there is something much more important- the Ukrainian army, which is currently destroying the worst part of humanity and the greatest threat to the world since the Nazis. And I am part of this army, on which not only the existence of Ukraine depends, but also the entire world where does not want to live in slavery under tyrants. 

These Putin's zombies, these mindless killers who invaded our land, they won't just stop. There's no point at which we'll say, well, that's enough, we won't go further.

Neither Kyiv, nor Berlin, nor London will be enough for them. They will constantly seek to subjugate the world. And that's why there is no time to waste on negotiations with them. They need to be destroyed. Without mercy. Just as our grandfathers destroyed Nazi killers who also dream of world domination. 

In Ukraine, we currently lack tanks, missiles and planes to turn our anger and desire for victory into the health of occupiers, to send them to grave, not by thousands as now, but by tens of thousands. And if all this equipment were to come to us now, it would be the best gift for me on all my remaining birthday and for the birthday of all Ukrainians.