April in Ukraine

It is a colder than usual Spring this year. A little better in the south but in most of the country the fruit blossoms are delayed, it rains, sleets and snows, and freezing temperatures are common overnight.

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Anastasiya Volkova:

Now we most need the same real resilience that we theoretically talked about so much. The ability to adapt quickly and accept reality, refuse projectionism. And lots, lots of tolerance.

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We bought a Car

April 7

We crowdsourced  $ 2100 on a Volynanka.

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The transport of displaced people, stuff and  food in the mountain area of the Carpathians needed a stout truck for the up and down. With its advantages it's petrol, domestic and cheap in maintenance this is perfect.

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We have new and new people arriving at our location every day and such a transport is critical.

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The the Ziva House settlement received its batch of valuable humanitarian stuff from our Danish partners on the pictured motorbike.

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News from Maksym Zalevskyi

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Past 40 tons

April 9

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Way too fast

You too, everything loses its relevance the next day. And it literally flies away.

Sometimes, my actions precede the acceptance of these actions. And that's the problem.

Even when we have daily morning calls, the days are so busy that what happened yesterday feels like last week. And if you haven't contacted someone for days 5, then it's like data from a year ago.

Up to the max! Let's get in sync

Come on tell me... and you realize it's just tons of info. Which is even hard to structure.

And this is not the general news, this is the news from our little green bubble. Where everything is very tightly clipped one by one, from the lack of water in the tap to writing a new application in Europe for grants, donneyta, humanitarian cargo and reports.

The micro reality we live in. Sometimes a day a few joint calls with different geography and scale from small to very large and it breaks me inside too.

And sometimes there is no one to say it to feel it, it's huge enough.

As of today, we have dispatched the first million UAH of financial support and the first 40 tons of humanitarian trucks to different parts of the country across our settlements and farms. Where in one way or another are from 800 to 1500 permanent people and a few more probably thousands of non-permanent displaced people. Because it's even difficult now to evaluate how many have passed. And this looks like just the beginning. We are just starting to get along with the humanitarko кою, but there will be more and more. And this is the opposite economy, which I have been writing about for a long time and which is not completely understood by those who try to bring everything back on the tracks of the classical economy: such as work-home-work, monetization of projects and employment. Doesn't work like that anymore... welcome to the new reality.

From the general news mostly I read the analytics, reports / conclusions of the Armed Forces, British intelligence and the Pentagon to understand the actions on the fronts. In order to understand where it will be hot and where the corridors opened. Where to expect people from.

Then analytics from our eco-seating map, with more than 250 thousand views. And what settlements are now in the top of popularity. To give them support in the first place.

We are going to pump the settlement. Pumping them with costs and humanitarian aid. But not everyone is equally ready for it. Neither resourceful nor ideological.  Therefore, conflicts arise at different levels. And partly I am guilty of these conflicts. Because I'm still crashing like the wind with its starter pace into their retrieve dimensional being. Where I'm not asked.

Sometimes we receive news from the victims settlements. It's already a whole different thing. These are not statistics, not analytics. This is the fate of human beings. It's a tragedy and grief of people and places who have been affected or are not. Close to my heart. And it's tears and bitterness. When you just sit back and whisper: bitches, bitches, bitches, you bitches..

I don't know how to handle this right now. Because on the one hand you have to sit in sensitive circles of conversations and consent, turn on sociocracy and non-violent communication. Diplomacy and charm, that good blagísnogo Maksimčik. The image I am to many. To give smiles and hugs. Baking sweets in the kitchen and taking out a bucket from the compostnogo toilet. Call out love and sympathy to be heard.

And on the other hand, we have a kind of war and we paved the corridor through 70 locations and people from this war come to these locations. And it's not my carpage to take them there and provide everything they need, pump there resources, energy costs, fuel, horizon products for a month, two, three or six months.

But why do we have so many...

And here already Maksimčik ceases to be nâška and tearing patterns at their own pace and scale.

And you can't sit calmly on a long discussion about which one to choose and in which sequence - this car, dishwasher, pan or can wait with careless purchases, because we are for minimalism and we can get around.

Brothers! we need all of these!. We must be functional here and now, not later when more effective and sustainable solutions are on the market. And don't push one single car down south until it finally starts. Or experiment with ecological materials. We need to create new and new spaces to hide, effective and functional, based on the locations that exist, regardless of their primary ideological destination. Oh my gosh! Then throw those mattresses into the yoga room. And to put temporary housing without foundation and insulation and general plan of space.

Because these rockets are falling on the stations and residential areas, sowing chaos, fear and panic. And streams of new and new people in our settlements including.

We need everything and a lot. And quickly. We're going to speed up. I am so accurate. And this is far from the speed and scale that was in my startup past. What on the one hand seems to calms me down, and on the other disturbs me. Because there is no time especially for rozkačku.

Maxime, get it! let's put this question on pause... Well ok. Let's put it up.

I'm with the understanding like. Just taking a little breath.

And you're already composing five more in your head, who doesn't want that pause, and is ready to move on. Who has this is not a question, but a duty. So exactly as equal as the supply of armor on the front.

Will it be possible to save people, communities, space. Or to keep yourself safe. We work wide, once we were taught this way, we find new locations, new people. The window should open wide, not half.

The universe loves the speed. The adrenaline is taking over. And this is both a star and a cross at the same time.

And who is easy now. It's hard for everyone. Because at this difficult tragic moment we write a new story. No one is not mine. I'm going to get it in general. Because this story of ours cannot be told without a general context. This is an incredible act of shared service. Service to one's own.

Let's hold on. Everything will be Ukraine

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A Birthday Party

April 10

And we have a birthday

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This is Natalia, she is from Kherson. He says there was no cake last year, and here are two whole. And guests from all over Ukraine.

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Natalia came here not alone, a whole commune from burnt Makarov. Been out for a week. Sat in the basement on Danish galetah and rice milk.

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Good thing there was someone to give me a ride.

We keep the celebrations, ours to ours.

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Kedrovka Strawbale

April 11

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Kedrovka settlement in Kyiv region, this premises are no longer there. A straight hit...

Update: settlement, people are healed. Thank you lord

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The settlement specializes in eco-construction made of straw blocks. Training educational seminars over the long 15 years.

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We negotiated to make another eco-seating rally here.

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"Everything is going to be fine. - says Ira, - will write ... I don't know if there's anything to write . I have no words, only plans »

They are like that, never let their hands down.

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Let's support it.

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Tverdynya in Vinnytsia

April 11

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Grandmothers from the settlement of Tverdynya in Vinnytsia consciously gave up their residence for forced displaced families. They themselves moved to the district house for the elderly.

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Where we partially finished the humanitarian cargo from the Danish eco-poselenʹ community. From such an interesting mutual aid.

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Thank you Светлана Затонская Константин Затонский for coordinating and active psychological support of our green corridor. There are so many of you everywhere.

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Pumpkin Pie

April 12

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Carrot or pumpkin?

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- We decided on a pumpkin, it gives more juice, a vegan pie is better with a pumpkin - says Ira. At a dinner together we all taste new pastries. She is beautiful.

Psychhanuli - this is how our women call their activity in the kitchen. Ira from Kiev, Elya from Odessa created this beautiful kitchen tandem. Both are professional musicians. Horses, I guess that's what they call their conservative education. Ira - bass guitar, Elya - violin.

And here is the kitchen. They are out here breathing. Sometimes something creative is something to the knowledge. We are helping. Trying to optimize manufacturing processes.

Yesterday Andrew and I were so excited to choose new pots and pans. Even me got poked out...

- How did you even penetrate the kitchen? Asks Natalia from Khersonu - here is such a limit on access.

- And I'm like part of this cooking team, so it's already done.

In the kitchen, I also breathe. Even when just a helper. Washing dishes, wine compost or fire in the oven. But rarely do we get creative together. And these are the cake times. I think this invention needs to be patented already. Because there is nothing better than discharging the situation in such a position.

Carrot or pumpkin

What to put in the pie. Yesterday I captured a moment when women actively discussed this.

- Look, look at this!

- For what?... - asks Ivanka a little surprised.

We're all now so absorbed in this tasting process in these mysterious recipes so deep that we've forgotten about war. Even the children stopped caprisuvati, and peacefully thovčutʹ in the middle of the room.

This is Vasily who did this redesign of our little space. He is from Kosovo our charismatic vavosp. Sitting listening and watching everyone for a long time. Then he goes to the corner, takes a stick there and starts measuring the table with it. Then the walls and then...

- Should, says turn it around.

Oh no, it's not so comfortable to climb in.

But it turned out to be better, now there is a square for children for games and running and it's easier for us to wash the floor.

Played by the sitar

Anton turned on Indian music and then western classical. Talks about complex mathematical models and the difference between these music schools and civilizations.

He is our music guru, and the conversations here are relevant. If not the kitchen then the music.

I'll think about the bubble, and the reality in it. The reality we create here after all. Despite that general information background surrounding.

Around threatening and scary, new tank columns are heading towards Ukraine. Thousands of new bombs, thousands of new victims and refugees...

A carrot or a pumpkin. Better than a pumpkin. This is what we can give, the reality we can create.

A little sip of peace and comfort in our little bubble.

To our little Ukraine

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Somewhere at Sunset

April 13

We made it through. Sourcing

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It's so warm, it's a little easier. So we survived another crisis stage of hiding people. On 40 some invasion day there. That's a summary of it.

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A lot of things happened, and an elderly woman's hand fracture and a small lazaret, where everyone couldn't get themselves together. Both conflicts and people's interlimít, in the background of a cold cyclone, lack of space, water and electricity. Coffee disputes, disputes over caring for animals, for whom to cook in the kitchen and clean. And who's here for the older one and why exactly such rules here.

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Surviving , making it through. Got there, fed and warm. All goals, all alive.

And even the greenhouse has already been moved to its place.

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Yes, this is our small intermediate victory. Our little bubble somewhere in the background of possibly significant external events.

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But we made it through. And I'm proud of our little team somewhere far between the mountains, somewhere at sunset over the edge of a big country, who decided to resist.

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How Did We Get The Water

April 14

How did we get the water Як

This is the story of how vigilance and simple decisions help our foster survive these challenging times.

There is a shortage of water

So with water we have had outages for a long time. Even when it was just a summer volunteer camp, she had enough for ten. And now there are twice as many people and it's mostly families with children, cats and a dog. And somehow the water flow has become critically insufficient.

And against the backdrop of sharp cold and power outages, when everything runs on electricity, it easily turns into a sense of a domestic resource crisis, misery. Against the background of pretty good humanitarian assistance.

Inventory

So, we have three whole water sources. But there's down the mountain where the pump that provides water exactly the kitchen and bath with shower and toilet. There's just not enough water there, the level is low and it's being replenished slowly for some reason.

Another source is on the hump, it's a regular well with a korbo Ін. And we, respectively, carry water in buckets when there is not enough. It sure is fun and everyone is in business. But could do more creative things at this time.

And our community, as it is, is favored people of creative professions, artists, singers and musicians and we, our team, see, including the necessary provision for them to create new cultural content. Culture and education somehow saves this world from ignorance. And not a primitive survival instinct...

This is the logic we have.

So the third well way up, it's all zamulene. And the water there through the hose was assisted in the technical premises of the stable and the barn. And it flows barely thin civko лед rust and yet unfit for use.

Economy

"Never think in the direction of economy and savings, always think in the direction for expansion and abundance. » That's how we were once taught, so the way - the economy should be economical - I don't really like it.

But based on the resources we've had these weeks and the weather. We had to make simple and pragmatic household decisions.

Starting from the next use of water. What certainly bothered me a lot, sorry minimalists, but we save on welfare as much as we can. And especially those different experts who are not with us here and now.

Want to be an expert adviser, turn off the chimney, come roll up your sleeves and expert by hands, preferably with your own tool and machine.

I suggested putting a brick in the toilet bowl. Because eventually the main portion of water was poured there, so needed in the morning and in the evening. As a result, the tanks just turned off and put a brew with water and a mug to flush.

Next we put another big pot for heating water on the furnace. Water heating has knocked our lights out. Because too many electrical appliances were on at once.

First of all, it was the heaters. Because people were physically missing on the fire and maintenance of ovens and work in the kitchen and the rest of the places. Because there are also children and basic mental fatigue of ordinary civilian urban people, educated intelligentsia, traumatized by bombings and daily news of war. When there were more people, we were able to delegate more tasks. And the potion with water was always filled and heated. Which gave the opportunity to wash and even cook right away with hot water. Drink teas or just warm water from this big pot, water what carried away from the well. Refuse heaters, because ovens still give enough heat when working with them systematically.

Later, a gas tile with a cylinder appeared, which allowed to quickly heat up food and diversify the load of the electric tile. Last time I counted 6 times the lights knocked out from the load. And of course, it takes an electrician to get over 3 phases of the joinery. Which we have also worked.

Ade is already a different story and a different type of tasks.

A little physics and magical realism

I drowned the bucket, it must have started with this. The castle on the bucket in the krynicí unzstebnuusâ and it remained swimming in the kryncí. It's swimming there and still is.

So one bucket became less. As they say where it's thin there it breaks.

Put certainly different, but as the one said - something needs to be changed. And here Vasyl got out and found somewhere in the warehouse a pump, Andrew brought hoses and we still threw that pump into the well.

The hose Vasyl let down from the well to the house just on the ground and put in a regular pot. And there goes the water.

- I didn't turn on the pump, says Vasily. It was magic how he sucked it without electricity and passed us water. But he did it just down the slope.

Like the joke just buy a lottery ticket God will do the rest.

We decided to develop our success and hose down to the lower well where our main pump is. And the water slowly filled it over night. Typed it up and stopped up. Although the water level in the upper spring has not changed much.

So we have enough water not to save it. And we have become super cool permakulturní practices, survival guru.

So friends stop watching Jeff Lofton and retire Holzer. We are here creating a new history of eco-settlements.

- Look they are cleaning the drains. I say to Vasily. We need to help them, this is our water too.

That's what Vasyl says, but we have to go already.

We grabbed a shovel and left.

- God help us!

- thank you God give you too!

Peter and Galya are local hutsuls.

- but you have channels here like in Egypt, I say

- Well, yes, if it weren't for channels, our houses would be tired in the swamp. There used to be a pond here, but the children are small - dangerous. So he was buried.

We undertook to clean the canals with them. Off to the mountain to our third source.

- there should be a hose, says Halya. You will find and you will have water.

We dug up a muddy spring for a long time. It turned out to be somewhere cubic, surrounded by boards. At the bottom, the hose was dug, closed by a metal plug with holes. Washed, purčistili and the capacity started to fill with pure spring water.

So we solved the issue with water in just about three weeks. Still not fully back up as we would like. But now you can boldly proceed to the issue of sewage.

It's good that Valera came, he's an expert in this case. I'm thinking in the next three weeks and we'll solve this issue.

Because there is still a long war ahead, which means new people who will be looking for refuge.

Wow, we have about a hundred of these favors now and the number is growing. There are similar processes everywhere. Repairing old houses, cleaning wells, stoves and greenhouses.

This is what our war looks like in places where there is no booze and where you can stay for a while and get yourself together. Our green corridor of eco-settlements in which our little history of unification of communities is written.

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The New Map

April 14

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Over 250k views

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Analysis of refugee relocation across Ukraine and Europe through our green corridor of eco-resortions.

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Where do they click most often right now.

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On the map about 90 locations across Ukraine and more than 320 across Europe.

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Financial support forced displaced families in settlements exceeded 1,150 million UAH.

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Humanítarna more than 300 thousand UAH.

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The main articles of spending:

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Clothing, energy, food, housing and infrastructure, agrotechnics, fuel, toiletries, medicines.

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Help: Donnejti, grants and volunteering international and national.

The world with us, the society with us, the God with us.

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Thank you to everyone involved

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Tool Kit

April 14

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Well fsʹooo, now we can't be stopped

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Update. The owner of this instrument is now in the front. We bought it through one hand and now it works for the good of our protection. And works behind him Sasha from Kharkiv. His family is here right now.

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And once a long time ago during peaceful times I dreamed of such an instrument. God's ways work in a very strange way, and I'm thankful that they do.

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History of Ukrainian-Lithuanian friendship

April 14

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- How are you? Need some help ?

- I need 20 gas stoves. We can't find.

- All right.

Raymondas and I have short business dialogues, they started back in Denmark at the Baltic Eco-seating Congress. And somehow it got a twist. We invited them to our winter convention and then they came to their own. There was a very warm reception as if I had arrived to old relatives, whom I just haven't seen for a long time.

We want to look at the sea. Well let's have a look.

We were on a tour of Lithuanian settlements, and before that on ours.

And here comes the war...

- Maxim, we collected some money from our settlements. We want you to send us your support. 2000 euros, a little but you need it now.

This was in the early days of the war. No one has ever thought of especially some donneites, we just started forming a green corridor.

Well this was our start.

And now these gas stoves, I didn't know who to ask except Lithuanians. Raymondas and Reda said well and already on the second day everything was bought and sent to Polish address. Then Yanosh, our volunteer, took them to Chervonograd, and already from there on the settlement. The first batch has arrived, will get the rest soon.

Gas stoves are a very important diversification for quick cooking. We accept people in the country houses, there are often old wiring and electric stoves are not always the best option, because it is a boiler, heater, washing machine and electric kettle and that is what happened. As they used to say: traffic jams are flying out.

Go switch the cut and think what to refuse. You know me, I don't want our forced displaced families to turn down something in 2022 especially in basic cooking needs. And they were looking for something there somewhere better in Europe. I want people to fully implement themselves here in our settlements. We now have the whole bloom of Ukrainian activism here and so will continue.

We still have a big shortage of gas tiles. They were disassembled for the needs of the Armed Forces in the early days of the war and there are no new supplies. The manufacturers are silent.

Accordingly only from Europe.

There are balloons for some reason, there are no just tiles.

So in this case it is a very point and addressable help.

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Victory Gardens

April 15

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The greenhouse arrived to the Zhiví ї house in Verkhoviní. It's already 15 greenhouses dispersed

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30% of Ukrainian people are displaced now--around 12 million of us. 4.8 million have left the country.

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Up from the Ashes

April 16

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Ecohutir Rainbow, Kherson region

- Maxime, I want to advise or make a festival for me this summer, Alexey asked me somehow during the lockdown.

- Make sure to, we are all waiting for him.

The annual summer festivals of full-fledged nutrition were held here. In the morning there was a Tsigun, and then Bobrovitsky conducted women master classes on clay work. And we quietly trolled him and stumbled by the watermelon lake until a complete disruption.

Tonight there was a piano and we sang all the songs we could remember. There were still legendary cookies Alexius made of whole grain flour. Contact improvisation, massages and meditation.

Every year it was some sip of summer, a small child and given to us in this place...

We will definitely bring it back and rebuild it, and we will hold another festival.

Thank God all are alive...

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Visit to the City

April 17

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Yesterday I was on a day in my city, for the first time since the lockdown.

It was a very camera man. Listening to Skryabin and Dead Rooster on the cassette. Talked about the forgotten feeling of being at someone's home for birthdays, talked a lot about modern Ukrainian culture, creativity and our artists and different positions before the war. About how Europe and the world reacts to it. I didn't want to go.

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I met the curfew and walked an empty dark city. I was thinking about how here once during the war people came back from some day. And these old Polish buildings probably remember all of this and remind us how fragile this world can be.

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Thank you Наталка Курсик and guests for the great atmosphere and delicious pizza.

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Twitter. Anatoly Melnyk:

BELGIANS DISCUSS EVENTS IN UKRAINE.

An older Belgian woman pays for the morning newspaper and asks:

- Mesê, and what's happening there in Ukraine? In my opinion, something is terrible, but I don't understand anything about it!

- Madam, - I answered, - because you bought a newspaper - everything is clearly told, even there are cards.

The woman lost looks at me and says:

- Mesê, do you know how old I am? 95! In these articles it's not so easy to give advice.

- Beautiful. imagine for a minute that the Le Penne party wins the French presidential election and insists that Belgium is not a sovereign state but an artificial formation created after the Napoleon wars that never existed before with such a name.

Further, France claims that Flemish nationalists are suppressing the French-speaking Wallonian population, that their province of Limburg in ancient times was actually part of the Duchy of Lézh and therefore must be joined by Valonia.

But that's not all - at the beginning of the XIX century Belgium was part of France, it should become French again

- Sorry, - tried to deny madam, - but my father was a Flemish and he never oppressed anyone!

- Oh, Madame! - a man smiled, - haven't you heard about the Flemish collaborators during the Second World War? They cooperated with Hitler! Those are still the marks.

- Why did I hear about them. - The lady denied it. - But I also heard about the SS brigade "Vallonia"!

- The more, - the messie has been harmed. - So, madam, imagine that France has launched a special military operation to denacify Belgium. During the month, not only Brugge, Ghent and Antwerp are bombed, but also our Liezh. It's okay - we will endure. We are all for humanity and mutual understanding, aren't we?

What is a few thousand people killed and maimed? But then all of us will live in the warehouse of great France!

- But I don't want to live in the France warehouse! I am Belgian ! - kept denying the madam.

- That's the same thing Ukrainians say, - finished his example a man.

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Water Water Everywhere

April 18

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Bayraktar news: the marathon has come to absurd

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There is no water in Mykolaiv for the fourth day. On the side of Kherson, the racists interrupted the pipeline and the water is pouring  out into nearby villages while the 500-thousand city is sitting without water.

 

We have on têlêku Gosha and Sasha spinning humorous news of the world.

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Satire is now where in general we go to find out about the news. And where did journalism go?  Is it all a military mystery now except the fact that the censoring of Quarter 95 has passed.

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Alina Zakrevska: is it better for this half of the population to blow bubbles in the pink ball of ignorance? To scream with a clear conscience "we didn't know"?

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