Ukraine

Andrea

I am not going to pretend I know much of the history of Ukraine and Russia.
Certainly won’t say that I know more than the bare basics about politics.

But, I do know a thing or two about war.
I spoke a bit about this before in this post.
I was born in Former Yugoslavia, where hell broke loose in the early 90s.
We fled from country to country.
My parents lost everything they had in savings and my dad’s education was no longer valid.
Not to mention how it broke up the family.

A lot of people would tell me that I should consider myself lucky to have grown up in Western Europe and not actually have experienced the war.
But the war doesn’t stop once you have actually fled the country.
Being raised by two parents who both had untreated PTSD didn’t create a particularly happy childhood.
I think it is safe to say that the war is pretty much the catalyst for my own mental health struggles.

So, I obviously feel bad for those affected by the war.
Both Ukraine and the innocent Russians.

Why Putin feels the need to show his pride at the age of nearly 70, is beyond me.
At the same time, the NATO is not squeaky clean either and they have a clear hidden agenda for involving the former Soviet countries into NATO.

So far, the only news channel I can handle is WION.
An unbiased news channel honestly feels like a breath of fresh air!Check it out:

https://youtu.be/TzgPJeYZaOU

To combine both the Ukraine situation and International Women’s Day, I have made an attempt to draw a Ukrainian female.
The traditional clothing is very pretty! 😊

69 Comments

  2. Thank you for sharing that Andrea, very brave and insightful! 👍🙏 It’s so sad that anyone should have to be familiar with war and it’s consequences. I can’t imagine the effects it had on your parents and as result onto you! 🙁😢

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    1. Thank you Ken! This type of support means a lot me 😊

      P.s. when I click on your name, it says it no longer exist. So it hard for people to follow your blog.
      You might want to check the following:

      1. Click on your avatar
      2. Go to Settings
      3. Check if the web address is as it should be

      Hope that helps !

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      1. You’re welcome Andrea, you have my respect! Yeh, a few people are having problems with that. I’ll have a look at that so I will. For the moment just go to kenhume31.wordpress.com

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  3. Thank you for sharing your story. What is going on in Ukraine is absolutely devastating. I truly hope Ukraine gets help and this stops. But what would be the solution? Who is willing to stop Russia?

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  8. Hey, Andrea
    I have been reading and seeing your post, it’s very thoughtful and beautiful.
    You have beautiful mind.
    I wanna talk to you. I emailed you once. But you didn’t respond.
    Well, if you wanna reach me. Let me know.
    I understand that you have through a lot.
    God bless you and your family. Be happy 😊.

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  10. The whole situation seems bleak. Innocent Ukrainians are basically getting slaughtered. Heaven knows when this will be over!
    I loved your illustration at the very end. The dove symbolized peace, and the girl : innocence.

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      1. The point of my NROPs is to look at a matter from different angles and then share my opinion.

        It’s difficult to just report facts because I am not close to those things that actually happen. Back in school – I used to report on sporting events, etc, which was non-biased.

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  13. It takes a lot of courage to share such a personal story with others. The whole world seems to be in turmoil right now, but I hope Ukraine finds some relief soon, and that Putin backs down.

    Nice picture, by the way!

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  14. Pingback: Ukraine – Nelsapy

  17. I agree with that whole report you posted. America has committed similar acts like what’s going on in Ukraine. It doesn’t excuse Putin, but maybe if we can understand it people can find a solution.
    It’s horrible what happened to you and your family. I really like your illustrations. If they’re any indication of the person, you’re probably the bees knees – take care

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    2. How to correctly invade and conquer Russia

      Reactionaries love ad hominen non logic. It appears to me that the current Ukraine border dispute, that it compares to the Russian war with Finland prior to the Nazi invasion of Russia. Real live-fire training, it separates good generals from bureaucrats with ribbons. It purges the excess fat from the soldiers as well. Non-commissioned officers make up the backbone of any Army. The only way to test if these sergeants in fact merit their stripes – a bloody cluster-f*ck.

      Russia has the potential for massive air superiority … yet to date it has not taken advantage of this most essential war time asset. Why? For starters, Russian military planners took into account that a war with the Ukraine would invite international intervention attempts. No-Fly Zones in particular. By not employing their air superiority ace, this prevents Nato escalation of this local border dispute. It effectively rules out a No-Fly Zone provocation. No country on the Planet wants to start WWIII.

      By removing the air superiority Ace, this so to speak, equalizes the battle field. Soldiers, like new equipment, require live-fire tests. Armies need to taste the “blood” of battle. Another critical advantage of a relatively much longer conflict … than the West expected … Warfare stands upon the foundation of deception … the Russian Army appears incompetent, consequent to a bloody Ukraine conflict.

      Hitler risked a 2 front war. The Soviet “disaster” war with Finland, most definitely influenced his decision to violate his own conclusions reached in his 1925 Mein Kampf. Stalin desperately needed a 2 front war, he continually demanded from FDR and Churchill, his “allies”, to open up a 2nd front within Europe! The Finnish War greatly influenced Hitlers’ decision to invade Russia.

      Stalin also had a pretty good insight as to where the Nazis would invade. Napoleon invaded Russia through Lithuania. This threatened the Capital City of St. Petersburg. But it became obvious that Napoleon sought a climatic battle to defend Moscow. The Nazi generals, like Napoleon sought Moscow as the first Prize objective of the war. As a consequence of Stalin’s disastrous Collectivization starvation of the Kulaks in the Ukraine, hatred for Stalin made that territory an open door for the Nazi invasion of the USSR.

      The current quagmire in the Ukraine therefore bloodies the Russian Army; it culls bureaucratic Generals and sergeants from the Army; it makes the Russian Army appear weak and incompetent. The latter entices the General Staff of Foreign hostile Capitals to likewise fall into the seductive trap that an invasion of Russia – as a quick little war. Russian military planners however, they base their strategies on a long destructive war.

      In point of fact, any war with Russia more closely compares to the Pacific war made against Japan. Western generals should well remember the trench warfare of WWI. Encircle large Cities, cut off their supplies, and turn these isolated cities into prisoner of war camps. By making the inhabitants of these strategic surrounded cities, this obviously excludes St. Petersburg, its frozen winter lake likely prevents a total enclosure of that city, the invasion Armies could “kill the enemy with kindness”.

      By digging trenches around isolated “prisoner of war camps”, the inhabitants of those cities would depend upon supplies of both food and medicines from the invaders! The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising conclusively proved the stupidity of that Corporal had infected the minds of the Nazi generals as well. Had the Nazis treated their captured prisoners with dignity and respect; permitted them to write letters to their families, and feed them rather than starve them, this would most certainly have broken the Will of the enemy to fight.

      The Pacific War, the US navy employed the strategy of Island hopping. An invasion of Russia, key prisoner of war isolated cities would established heavily fortified WWI like trenches which would likewise serve as supply route fortifications. Furthermore, by not shattering the glass of these prisoner of war surrounded and isolated cities. Should the invading troops decide that their strategic interests require to capture a “Stalingrad”. Then they could not only achieve surprise, but just as essential, they could time the attack of their Armies to capture that “Stalingrad”, in conjunction with moments after their bombs exploded all the glass within that city.

      The shock effect of shattered glass, a one shot chance to capture the city while its inhabitants suffer shock from those mass explosions. Buildings with no glass window do not produce the explosive shock felt by building whose glass explodes due to the pressures of high explosives, napalm, and white phosphorus bombs. A tight “window of opportunity” exists to quickly capture an entire city due to the shock effects of mass exploding glass.

      Sharply contrast the Nazi stupidity and arrogance, they bombed Stalingrad days, even weeks before their soldiers attempted to capture that city. The Nazis lost all shock and surprise – and thank G-d, they lost WWII as a consequence of their racial bone headed stupidity, coupled with their dumb ass barbarism — which effectively steeled the Will of their enemies to make a fight to the death — as happened in both the Warsaw Ghetto Revolt and Leningrad.

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        1. 11 paragraphs does not seem like any where near an entire blog. Discussion of strategic military strategy requires more than a simple sentence. General Patton, a historian of warfare famously compared the case of a current up coming battle with earlier battles throughout history.

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            1. You R correct. I am sorry to have offended you by advertising my blog on your blog. Have a nice day and please accept my sincere apologies.

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  19. Having witnessed the devastation in Sarajevo and the displacement of people after the Dayton Accord, I then went onto Pristina and saw it all over again. Imagine my horror that once more in Europe we are allowing people in Ukraine suffer.

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  21. Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so sorry you and your family had to experience that. The world has been flipped upside down … it’s sad. Praying for peace. Love your illustration. ❤️

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  23. I live elsewhere, grew up in war as we had to fight the evil of communist uprisings, infiltration by insurgents, bombs in public places while the West was beating us with their whips. My heart cries out for the people in Putin’s Antichrist communist sights, the people forcibly removed to Russia. Who can remember the Gulag system? God help those innocent women, little children. May God visit Putin for a sobering chat. 🇷🇼

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  25. Thank you, Andrea, for sharing your story and beautiful artwork. I’m so sorry you have had to experience war, but know that you’re touching many through your honesty and vulnerability. Wishing you the best, Barb

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  27. Oh, Andrea. I feel for you. I can’t imagine growing up the way you did, but I hope you’re safe and sound now. Thank for for sharing your story with the world. This drawing is beautiful! Thank you also for stopping by my blog and supporting me. Take care!

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  28. I’m not sure what is hidden about the agenda of protecting countries against their habitually invading neighbour. But, oh gosh, you are so right, of course. I don’t know how, but I wish this would stop soon for the sake of all of us, the ordinary people in Russia, Ukraine and everywhere else.

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  30. Dear Andrea

    Hello from the UK. Many thanks for your post. I love your drawing.

    You are quite to say that NATO has issues too. I find the whole thing more like political theatre, designed to inflict maximum pain on the countries involved, let alone the rest of the world.

    There is much more to this than meets the eye, which is why I did my own post recently on the situation, albeit using humour as otherwise one might merely despair and be no good in exposing the lies and deceit going on.

    Kind regards

    Baldmichael Theresoluteprotector’sson
    Please excuse the nom-de-plume, this is as much for fun as a riddle for people to solve if they wish.

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  31. Thanks for your enlightening account. I also appreciate WION, discovered it since the war started. They report positive and negative on both “sides.” I also love the traditional dress. I envy their having something like that to be proud of.

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