#24.02.2022

[o-nexis]

24 лютого 2022 року я прокинулася о четвертій ранку від вибухів, що лунали один за одним, то ближче, то дальше.

цей лютий триває вже 1096 днів.

24.02.2022, 3 роки тому, почалося повномасштабне російське вторгнення в Україну.

[fanartka]

Three years ago, early in the morning, we woke up from explosions - russia started the war by shelling our sleeping houses.

I rarely write about war here because it's my place to relax, to enjoy movies like everyone else, to get involved in fandoms and connect with people, because it's one of the things that keeps me going.

I used to watch movies about the Second World War, read books, and an image froze in my head, that war means burning buildings and dead bodies in the streets among the rubble. And in many of our cities everything was exactly like this. The Russians, who call themselves “liberators,” came and turned into ruins the cities that they could not capture. All war crimes, all abominations and meanness, have been committed and are being committed now. They mock all the rules, torture prisoners of war, torture civilian Ukrainians in the occupied territories.

It is a confirmed fact that they stole tens of thousands of our children, changed their names and are now intensively pushing pro-russian propaganda into them. An abomination. Many of the russian army are criminals convicted of murder, pedophilia and rape, who have been promised release. What do you think these monsters are doing when they capture our people?

I want to say that the UN is nothing, a bunch of mongrels.

The international Red Cross comes to the camps to check whether all the wishes of the occupiers are fulfilled, whether they like salads or need more variety in food. But russia gave them money and agreed that they would not worry about the fate of Ukrainian prisoners of war and the Red Cross now serves the occupiers. The bodies of our people are returned with signs of torture and those who died from injuries, hunger and cardiac arrest from pain.

Surviving prisoners of war tell the details. Everything you imagined about Medieval torture is nothing compared to what the russian orcs are doing to our people. This is so monstrous that the brain displays a 404 error and it seems that humanity, which gave birth to such executioners, cannot exist.

And now, when we have been holding on to the door like Hodor for three years, not letting the hordes of these abnormal people into our land, one overcooked broiler rooster tells us not to offend putin, because he spent so much effort and resources to kill us and wipe our cities into dust. trump tells us to encourage this under-hitler and give him our lands so that he can gain strength and return to fight the war in three years. russians always do this - they sign peace treaties and break them. Just a toilet paper.

For his “help,” trump wanted 500 billion dollars worth of our mineral resources, although over all these years the United States gave us barely 100. At the same time, for this he does not give any security guarantees, he just wants 500 billion for himself and to give the russians those of our lands that they occupied and a couple of years of respite so that the russians could gain strength, trump - to empty our mines and then again the war, which after Ukraine is certainly moving deep into Europe.

A negotiator sent by God... straight to hell.

Ukraine, Great Britain, USA and russia signed an agreement - Ukraine gave away billions of dollars worth of nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees of the inviolability of territories, because we are a peaceful country, but, as always, only Great Britain remembers this.

I live in Odesa - it is a beautiful seaside city with a beautiful old center built by Italian architects. I love my city so much, and when russian missiles destroy houses in it, including those about which UNESCO expresses “deep concern,” it hurts, as if my childhood home had been bombed. And this is also true - after all, I have lived here all my life, I walk these streets, I am familiar with these houses.

At the beginning of January, my child and I were at the anime festival at the Philharmonic. At the end of January, a rocket hit a beautiful building nearby Hotel Bristol, and the explosion also damaged the Philharmonic. I never thought that I would feel the pain of my city being wounded.

My child is growing up in war conditions. I will never forget how in the spring of 2022 we had to hide in the corridor. This measure only saves from glass fragments if an explosion is nearby, but these russian orcs fire missiles that cut off part of a 9-story building like a hot knife through butter. I hugged and covered him, we heard the buzzing growing, approaching us. We looked at each other and in his eyes was not even fear, but very sad resignation, “Mom, is that all?”

It didn't hit us. It hit a residential building 30 seconds away from us. Many civilians were killed. russians killed a family - a little three-month-old girl Kira, her mother, her grandmother. Her father went to the store, it was Easter, and he needed to buy something more. He survived then, but later died at the front. Since then we have had many such griefs. Many thousands of it.

The boy crushed to death by the ceiling of his childhood room, the family members who survived when everyone else died. My city is under constant attack. Today there were three air raids and there will probably be more at night - they often fire at us at night, preventing us from sleeping. And in the morning you still have to go to work, it’s amazing how quickly such things become part of the routine.

But many other cities were destroyed along with their inhabitants. Parents buried their children in playgrounds near their homes. Do you know what the russians are doing in several dilapidated cities that they captured? Realtors film advertising reports from apartments abandoned by their owners in a hurry. They walk through other people's rooms, show off a child's high chair and furniture, and point out a slightly burnt window and wall as a flaw in a house for sale.

There are not enough words in the whole world to express the disgust at this vile meanness that we feel. I know that people are usually not interested in worrying about problems that are happening somewhere far, far away. But I want people to understand: we cannot repeat the mistakes of the last century. No one should flirt with dictators. I think putin has a lot of dirt on all significant politicians in many countries of the world. I wonder what's there?

Inhumans like putin cannot live without reveling in the suffering of others, but they themselves are cowardly. They are like street thugs who beat up the weak, but run away in terror when danger threatens them. Now is the right moment to stop such an evil as the russian federation. If you don’t do this, the world will end up in World War III, but if Germany didn’t have so many resources and cannon fodder in the last century, then putin has it all.

I usually don’t talk about war, but sometimes all these thoughts come out like a scream, and it’s hard to stop.

It’s monstrous to see such awful crimes taking place for three years, while politicians and organizations that should be putting out this fire are roasting marshmallows on it. The world should not be ruled by people like this.

I hope this war will end soon. But it should not end in such a way that the war criminals are rewarded, because otherwise the world will begin such chaos from which it will not recover.

[is-this-working]

On this day, 3 years of brutal war, I think of my friends who were killed. I mean, I think about them every day, I look at their pictures every day... but today I am reminded that they will never witness Ukraine's victory--be it this year, next year, in five years...

Because the ruzzians killed them.

Ruzzians killed them while they were delivering humanitarian aid, doing evacuations, teaching how to help each other when wounded.

These volunteers, 4 foreigners and 1 Ukrainian, will never get to celebrate victory with us.

[kejay1]

24.02.2022

I remember this morning and will remember it forever.

When I was driving to the academy, I had a feeling that I didn't have to go anywhere. And the sky was full of crows, so many of them that I felt like something was wrong... It was such an unrealistic feeling, like I was in some kind of film. When I arrived, the academy was empty. I went into the locker room and then heard the first sirens. It was very scary.

That's when I realised that what I was afraid of back in 2014 was going to come true...

[dole4ka]

24.02.2022 - РОССИЯ НАПАЛА НА УКРАИНУ.

[dontforgetukraine]

Comic by Mariam Naiem

I like to spend time with friends one-on-one. But lately there are three of us. [The silhouettes of the speaker and friend in each scene, except for the first, are always accompanied by a large humanoid shadow looming over them and listening in.] --- "In case something happens, finish my book, okay?" [my friend asked of me as we sat together] "Ok," [I said while the shadowy specter sat next to my friend.] --- "I don't have any plans for afterwards," [my friend in the military said as the specter stood behind them and we looked to the horizon.] --- "How are you?" [I asked as we knelt on either side of the flowers.] "Good! I went to the cemetery and laid an equal amount of flowers to all three of them." [The specter knelt behind my friend.] --- "I don't see my life after the war," [my friend in the military told me from across the table. The specter loomed over them and reached to touch them.] --- "I am sick of this! WHO ARE YOU? We didn't invite you," [I said, confronting the specter. It towered over me.] --- "Yes, you did not," [it acknowledged, revealing a scythe in its grasp and presenting a slip of paper to me.] --- 24.02.2022 INVITATION from Russia.

Text in brackets were added by me for accessibility purposes to help transcribe and describe the comic.

[swamp-cats-den]

Will never forget how long the 2-metre walk from my bed to the window in the morning of 24.02.2022 felt as I was desperately trying to persuade myself that the booming, earth-shaking sound was just an unusually vicious thunder, and simultaneously thinking 'what if I pull the curtains open and there is no rain?' I pulled the curtains open, and there was no rain. No thunder clouds. Just the faces of neighbours also woken up by the missile explosions looking out of the window. That's when I understood that the war began.

Here's a reminder that Ukraine still needs donations badly to fight off the invasion.

United 24 and Come Back Alive are both verified charities that support the Ukrainian military. They offer various options, for example, collecting money for medical equipment, humanitarian demining and rebuilding Ukraine if someone doesn't feel comfortable donating towards weapons.

[cryingprincess13]

Anora winning 5 Oscar’s including best film is fucking disgusting. A senseless movie full of “mysterious russians souls” and actors who actively or passively support genocide of Ukrainians winning best film and everyone around the internet so happy about it.

Yo, do yall want to know how Ukrainians spent Oscar night? Sleepless, not because of excitement, but because of russian drones and bombes. Just like night before, and before. Just like every night since 24.02.2022 and 14.02.2014.

You wanna see real “mysterious russian souls”? Go watch 20 days in Mariupol. It also has oscar if you please.

[ftgrfk-blog]

24.02.2022

Mariupol

[snovyda]

I see other Ukrainians writing about their memories from 24.02.2022, when the full scale invasion started... it is true that that day is seared in the memory clearer than any of the actually good days in life.

Somehow, everyone in my twitter feed was anticipating it to start on that day in particular. I remember going to bed on the 23rd having just put my new bedsheets on it, and checking social media before sleep. The last tweet I saw before falling asleep was, "Kharkiv, hold on tight, our dears". Everyone assumed they would invade just from the east. There was still this very foolish trust in Belarus present then...

And then at around 5AM I got woken up by the sounds of distant explosions. I got up and walked to the window, looking at the horizon, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I took my phone, saw that our work group chat was buzzing with messages - my colleagues had also been woken up. I was still standing by the window when my mother come into my room, crying, saying that it had begun.

I turned on my work computer and got on video chat with some of my coworkers. Nobody knew what to do, but talking to each other on video made us feel ever so slightly lost.

And then followed several days and nights of sitting in a basement. To the sound of fighter jets flying low right above us, so loud it made the walls hum, and not knowing whose jets they were. To the sounds of explosions, of artillery launching. To the sounds of fierce battles in Bucha and Irpin, which I live just a few kilometers away from.

The basement we were in was tiny and later deemed categorically unfit to function as a bomb shelter. If the house had been hit, we would have all been just buried there. But that would all be later...

[derehono]

24.02.2022.

The day that changed my life forever.

24th of February 2022 should have been my usual day. No, not usual. A wonderful day. I should have been checked with a doctor, gave notice to teachers in high school of my absence, and then fly away on vacation, my parents wanted it so much.

On 23rd of February 2022 I felt happy. I had a secure, happy life, preparing to finals, hanging out with my friends, already having an offer from university.

Until 5AM 24.02.2022.

I had not a single class in my school since then.

I haven’t seen my friend group in 2 years.

I didn’t have my finals.

We did not have that vacation.

“Daughter, wake up. This old psychotic man attacked us. We are leaving.”

That was my first photo of the day, trying sarcastically keep myself normal. I remember that actual emptiness, reading my classmates texts about how their windows were shaking because of explosions, the sky was orange. They sent that video.

He called it “a special military operation”.

I collected random clothes, some hobby stuff just to keep my sanity, grabbed my pet, emptied my safety locker. I was scared that russians would intrude into our home and steal all my savings, so I throw away key to that lock. This key became my symbol of war, I have never found it even after return.

When I with my parents and pet got out of flat to car we heard for the very first time air raid siren. We would hear so many more of them, we would learn to differentiate them, but then we were confused.

It was my second photo. People were going away. Foot, cars, bicycles. I remember such a surreal picture. Some moms were carrying their toddlers, one woman was carrying a bucket of water with turtles, other people were carrying cages with parrots, with dogs, with cats, with exotic pets despite air raid siren, temperature, rain. Everyone was so confused and scared.

Few days later the road we were riding was occupied. Bridges destroyed. Factories burnt. Supermarkets demolished. Houses in ruins. Road in holes. On the side of the road burnt cars with “DO NOT TOUCH, POSSIBLY EXPLOSIVE”. That gut wrenching feeling seeing photos of dead bodies and recognising the place.

But back then it was still lively, not a road of death. I remember reading news then. First victims, first shelling. Invasion from East. Invasion from Kharkiv region. Invasion from Crimea. Invasion from Chernihiv. Invasion from Zhytomyr. And we were in Zhytomyr region at that moment. Explosions in Kyiv. The border was destroyed.

I felt nothing. Just emptiness.

This precious girl was keeping my head cool all the road. She was also scared and irritated, but she was so strong, such an amazing girl. I am so proud of her.

We were heading to my grandparents who lived closer to West Ukraine, so we would be safer. The road that takes usually just 4 hours but that time it took 13 hours. 13 hours of driving exhausted and nerved. We saw soldiers, trucks, jets, how barricades were built, signs were removed.

But we made it. We were lucky. Lucky to be alive, to have family alive and mostly close to West, further from russia. Even though, part of my extended family still was under occupation in Chernihiv region, suffering from such close border with belarus.

When we arrived, we were just silent. Then collected mattresses for shelter, asked grandpa to grab some patrol (we knew that they would definitely destroy reservoirs and literally next day the started doing that), and just fell asleep in something that we arrived in, being so scared.

That day I also cut ties with russian friend who I am shamed to admit having. He was proving me that this is just a military operation, no one would be harmed.

Then, arrived spring that I will never forget but at the same time never remember. I remember 10 people in one floor house. I remember the whistle of rocket that woke us up. I remember sirens. I remember news. I remember losing hope. I remember first photos after deoccupation of Kyiv region. I remember how forgotten friend of my dad suddenly called him saying that his city is fully destroyed, his neighbour right on his eyes was exploded attempting to get into the car and evacuate.

I remember my first mental breakdown. How I was crying in the darkness, but quietly so no one would notice.

We were able to return home three months later. But we are just lucky. Someone would never return. Someone is not even alive to see their home again. Someone’s home is forever destroyed.

I was lucky that I have secured my place at foreign university before war, but my whole family is still in Ukraine.

War is not over at all. 20% of Ukraine is occupied. So many displaced civilians, so many deaths. No one could even count, we do not have any access to bodies. Only way to identify is to deoccupy and find mass graves. No other means. Children are suffering from PTSD even in such a young age. Almost in every city, big or small, you would find graveyards covered in Ukrainian flag, grave of the soldier.

Maybe media does not talk that much of us, but it doesn’t mean that everything is alright. Avdiivka is destroyed, right now operation searching for people under debris of the civilian house after attack is undergoing.

And this is happening all the time.

Who was punished for Olenivka? Who was punished for destruction of Kakhovka Dam? Who was punished for all fully destroyed cities? Who was responsible for all that absolutely atrocious videos torturing Ukrainian soldiers?

Please, remember, Ukraine is still on fire. People are still dying. Soldiers cannot even counterattack because they do not have enough ammo, just for protection. Information war is also waging, sharing all that misinformation, Nazi narratives, russian propaganda.

Remember.

Help.

Share.

russia is a terrorist state.

Glory to Ukraine.

Glory to the Heroes.

[cherrydj-l]

24.02.2022

2 years/10 years of war

I'm angry and tired. I miss life without sirens and without waking up to terrible news

we still need so much to fight and survive. please consider helping Ukraine by donating or spreading the information 💙💛

[is-this-working]

I attended a march through the city ahead of tomorrow's date.

The Tryzub was held high and proud 🇺🇦🔱

[hachikojesus]

3 years ago, I got up early and started preparing for the test, I was in boarding. Then I've heard the missiles and realized that it's really happening, then ran to wake up my roomies and texted my mom this: "Mama, we are getting bombed."

3 years ago was the last time when I saw my own house. We were forced to evacuate because the entire village, next to our town, was literally burned down to the ground.

3 years ago, I've last saw my family. Grandparents and one of my aunties with her man got under russian's occupation. They've escaped, barely alive. The house was destroyed by 25 missiles, aimed only at their house.

24.02.2022, 3 years ago, the full-scalled Russian invasion in Ukraine began.

[katyasuperb]

24.02.2022🇺🇦 Already 2 years. My heart is broken

[wintvies]

when they ask me what my hobbies are but i lowkey wanted to end my contract with oxygen since 24.02.2022