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Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

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Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#11

Post by hdjjhhvvhga »

saiya-jin wrote: post #7

> There is a rumor that Putin had recently made a personal order to damage as much of Kharkiv as possible, to retaliate for breaking the hope of being “pro-Russian.” And however absurd it might sound, I am close to believing it because there seems to be no other point in doing what they do now. I have the same impression, just old bitter fart and shadow of a man he once was, entrenched in his untouchable position, th…

It still seems illogical. Kharkiv had a huge Russian population. I had some friends from there who sighed "finally!" when they heard Putin started the invasion. They truly believed he would end the years-long conflict and finally they will live in peace on a territory more or less Russian. Today, there is no single Russian in Kharkiv who would support Putin or even believe what he says. He betrayed his own people.

Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#13

Post by JusticeJuice »

scrose wrote: post #4

On the topic of helping, does anyone have ideas/tips on how to help refugees attempting to communicate with the embassies in another country for refugee status/assistance? I have extended family from Ukraine that speaks very little English and also can’t communicate in the countries native language that they fled to, but my partner and I cannot call those embassies to help relay information because we’re in the USA a…

What countries? If you've got fast internet, I've used skype international calling quite successfully before. Supported in quite a few places. Used it when I had to 'locally' call NZ from Japan once.

https://www.skype.com/en/international-calls/

Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#15

Post by ethbr0 »

redwood wrote: post #5
toyg wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Visions that were not shed decades ago as we falsely believed. Who is "we" exactly...? Because the GWB presidency was very much an embodiment of such a vision, and it was only stopped by a literal hurricane.

It's interesting to me to hear you say that. I would say that about Trump but not GWB in hindsight. At that time I was of the opinion you share and I remember feeling that GWB was essentially everything that was bad in the world… but in hindsight I realize how narrowly scoped my vision was and the spectrum is so much bigger and in fact I now believe it's important to be willing to find common ground with conservative…

As someone probably of similar age to you, my views on GWB have definitely changed as I've aged.

When I was younger, I actively protested, saw his presidency as the antithesis of my values, etc.

At my current age, I believe more that there is no pure "good" in the world. What is good in one way, is by definition tinged with evil in others. And that pursuing one good requires doing (or at least allowing) some evil.

And that what's probably most important is being honest about the evils you do, in pursuits of your goods, and constantly re-weighing the balance on your moral scales.

Biden abhors war and the employment of US offensive military power. That is a good. But it creates evil by providing space for unresponded-to aggression. Shipping weapons to Ukraine to defend its sovereign territory is also a good. But it creates evil by escalating battlefield lethality and depending on the service (and often sacrifice) of brave Ukrainians.

The real world sucks, and there should be no easy answers that let us sleep soundly at night.

Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#16

Post by nathell »

Like every other day, I was shopping this morning at my local bakery in Warsaw, Poland. As I was packing my purchases, a woman next in line after me ordered coffee in Ukrainian.

(We have it lucky. Polish and Ukrainian are mutually intelligible to some extent, which enables basic communication even without knowing each other's languages.)

I said, to no one in particular, "Do widzenia, слава Україні" as I was leaving. She reciprocated the customary "Героям слава" in an obviously moved voice.

Small things matter. We need to support each other in every possible way. Donating helps, so does showing solidarity, and so does spreading the word.

Будь в безпеці, zverok. Our thoughts are with you all.

Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#18

Post by _bhjy »

hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #11
saiya-jin wrote: post #7

> There is a rumor that Putin had recently made a personal order to damage as much of Kharkiv as possible, to retaliate for breaking the hope of being “pro-Russian.” And however absurd it might sound, I am close to believing it because there seems to be no other point in doing what they do now. I have the same impression, just old bitter fart and shadow of a man he once was, entrenched in his untouchable position, th…

It still seems illogical. Kharkiv had a huge Russian population. I had some friends from there who sighed "finally!" when they heard Putin started the invasion. They truly believed he would end the years-long conflict and finally they will live in peace on a territory more or less Russian. Today, there is no single Russian in Kharkiv who would support Putin or even believe what he says. He betrayed his own people.

The entire invasion is illogical. There was arguably some sense to Crimea - there is no sense in this invasion.

Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#19

Post by nradov »

saiya-jin wrote: post #7

> There is a rumor that Putin had recently made a personal order to damage as much of Kharkiv as possible, to retaliate for breaking the hope of being “pro-Russian.” And however absurd it might sound, I am close to believing it because there seems to be no other point in doing what they do now. I have the same impression, just old bitter fart and shadow of a man he once was, entrenched in his untouchable position, th…

We should never violate the principle of diplomatic immunity, even if it's used by war criminals. The personal safety of diplomats is a crucial historical norm in the civilized world and is essential for preventing conflicts.

However just because someone has a diplomatic passport doesn't mean they have complete freedom of movement. Countries can deny them entry or deport them just like any other alien.

Re: Kharkiv Rubyist during the war: We are still here

#20

Post by davidzweig »

scrose wrote: post #4

On the topic of helping, does anyone have ideas/tips on how to help refugees attempting to communicate with the embassies in another country for refugee status/assistance? I have extended family from Ukraine that speaks very little English and also can’t communicate in the countries native language that they fled to, but my partner and I cannot call those embassies to help relay information because we’re in the USA a…

If it's any help, I am helping to organise for the parents of my Ukranian friend to move to Bulgaria. And possibly a few other friends. It's picturesque in the mountains and Russian is widely spoken. Renting an appartment here is about 150 EUR/mo. If they are Russian speakers, they will have a bit easier time here than Poland, language-wise. Call me if I can help: +359 879 340194.
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