What’s life in Wartime Ukraine really like?

Josephine Aitken, BA Social Anthropology

When we hear the word ‘war’ we try to draw on our preexisting knowledge of it, usually of the World Wars we learnt of in school, or con icts in ‘developing’ countries. From media consumption, the image we construct of Ukraine prior is of a relatively unstable country, despite the fact that many lived a great life before the war. ey lived in a free country, full of highly skilled and professional people, with an abundance of beautiful architecture and nature. Ukraine is the largest country in Europe by landmass, and in relation to its vastness, now, in wartime, the West of Ukraine doesn’t live as the East does. ough they still live in uncertainty, attacks in the West are far less frequent, and safety is more assured. Today, throughout Ukraine everyone continues living their life to a varying degree of normality.

I stayed in Odessa for 24 days this September. Whilst it may not be is not on the frontline, Odesa is more frequently under attack than regions in the West of Ukraine. You could o en hear sirens, meaning that Russia had just launched a missile or a rocket into the region. However, most people have become desensitised to these sirens, and the majority don’t go to bomb shelters when they hear them. Ukrainians would comfort me by saying that the Odessa region is larger than the whole country of Moldova and that the likelihood of getting hit by a car is higher than being struck by a rocket. However, you wouldn’t be hit by a car while sitting in your own apartment. I realised that it is impossible to live in a high state of fear for an extended period of time and that the human organism will eventually adapt to a high-stress environment.

I remember a conversation, very casual in tone, about the possibility of a nuclear attack. If there would be a nuclear bomb strike, this ‘nuclear mushroom’ will be seen by most of Ukraine. If you can cover the entirety of this ‘mushroom’ with your thumb, you will be okay. But equally, if you hold your thumb to the sky and are unable to cover it, it means bad things for you. Again, it was mostly the laidback delivery of this subject which surprised me, the logical thinking around something which inspires such dread and fear.

Restaurants, bars, and salons all work as usual, yet nothing is quite the same. Supermarkets must shut when there is an air raid alert, and you can not buy alcohol anywhere past 8 pm. ere is a curfew from 11pm-5am when you cannot be in the streets. is curfew is to protect the Ukrainian people, as Russian spies could be more easily identi ed a er the curfew was imposed. ese hours are a time for Ukrainian forces to nd and destroy enemy military groups, without the possibility of harming civilians.

Now, you will nd fewer people on the streets, but mostly fewer women. In pre-War Ukraine I had hung out in groups of all genders, now it was most o en myself as the only girl. Many women ed the war, but for men, this is almost impossible as the country needs people to ensure the economy continues – and in case they need more soldiers to be dra ed. While all in Ukraine respect and rely on Ukrainian soldiers, everyone reacts di erently. It is quite understandable that many don’t desire to ght and possibly lay down their life when only eight months ago, the question would never have even been posed to them.

Sentiment towards Russia in Ukraine was never very positive, but since this February, it has severely and irrecoverably deteriorated. Despite this, they are not afraid of Russia’s mobilisation, they feel supported by the Western world, con dent in their army and in their nationwide determination to win. e audacity of enforcing Russian ‘citizenship’ upon Ukrainians in annexed regions has, of course, provoked national rage. Although many who work in the public sector are forced to verbally adhere to this, the unanimous knowledge of true citizenship can always be heard behind words. Despite the hardships they experience now, Ukrainians have bright hopes for the future of their country.

Of course, everyone thinks of the end. Many constantly check the news throughout the day, sometimes within the same hour. e people in my surroundings knew that Liz Truss became the new PM of the UK before I did because her stance on Ukraine could be imperative to the future outcome of the con ict. Everyone in Ukraine agrees that these eight months of war seem like years, their old lives seem so distant to them. Many have le their country to start a new life in safety, but many also remain in bordering countries, waiting. e desire for the end is felt by all, but it is felt by Ukrainians more powerfully than any other European could cognitively

Democrats don’t deserve our vote

Sam Landis, BA Social Anthropology and International Relations

Travelling back home to America during the summer typically warrants endless conversations about politics. Growing up in a strongly Democratic household, I was encouraged to engage with current a airs from a young age — and having returned from my rst year of university abroad, friends and family were eager to hear my opinions about Biden, abortion, student loan debt and the like. Unfortunately, they were shocked to hear my latest take: for the time being, I’m abstaining from voting.

I don’t blame them for their distaste — Democrats have undertaken a systematic operation aimed at hypnotising the American populace into believing that voting for them is the only way to secure gains for working people, resist rightwing extremism, ght for women’s rights, and solve climate change. What’s missing from their stump speech is that, in recent years, voting Democrat has done little to drastically change the material conditions of struggling Americans, and that the Democratic Party themselves have been complicit in, and actively caused, many of the issues that will supposedly be xed if you “Vote Blue No Matter Who”. e origins of two-party rule in America are steeped in classism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and every other form of bigotry imaginable. Since the founding of American “democracy”, the main objective has been the construction of a capitalist system built to ensure society’s wealthiest can accumulate unlimited capital while impetuously exploiting workers — paying them pennies while they earn millions, and violently suppressing organising movements and strike action. Internationally, the ruling parties in America have barrels of blood on their hands, instigating countless colonial missions that sought to expand the in uence and power of the U.S. at the expense of innocent peoples’ safety, culture, and livelihood. Today, these foundations are evident.

While Democrats have rebranded into an accepting and progressive party which raises rainbow ags and elects Black presidents — rightfully bashing Republicans as corporate overlords and racist pigs, but with little acknowledgement of their own wrongdoings — Democratic leadership continues to be dominated by the super-rich, engages in violent imperial pursuits, and o ers temporary reforms which serve as band-aids to the structural degradation of America’s political, infrastructural, and economic decay. Millions are denied access to education, housing, healthcare, childcare, transportation, food, and clean water due to their socioeconomic standing, and no solutions have been o ered by Democrats to radically improve these conditions. eir agenda may be better than that of the Republican Party, but the Democratic policy platform is rampant with broken promises, misleading truths, and blatant hypocrisy which will achieve far short of what is necessary.

A er nearly 16 months of campaigning on the ambitious “Build Back Better” platform, Joe Biden and Democratic leadership have delivered much less than expected. While increasing our military budget to $773 billion per year and sending upwards of $15.8 billion of military aid to Ukraine, plans for free community college, a $15 federal minimum wage, and the forgiveness of all student debt have been forgotten. is military expansion comes when national crises, like undrinkable water in Jackson, Mississippi and the devastating Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, have received minuscule amounts of federal funding to ameliorate themselves. And, while Biden’s opinions on marijuana, abortion and LGBTQ+ rights seem to have improved, we must remember how his violent political legacy — namely his 1996 crime bill which sent thousands of Black people to prison on drug charges, multiple votes prohibiting rape and incest victims to receive federally funded abortions, and decades of opposition to gay marriage — have led us to where we are today. e typical response I receive from those questioning my decision to abstain usually rests on the cornerstone of white liberal logic — How could you not vote a er Trump? e “lesser of two evils” debate has been at the forefront of recent Democratic elections, and although a vote for Democrats will likely ensure more short-term gains, for me, it comes down to one question: do they deserve their power? A party which sustains supremacy by lying to the public and mobilising voters based on a platform that o ers false hope and maliciously harvests trust from society’s most oppressed; a party which may be less rhetorically obvious about their bigotry but holds strikingly similar ideologies to conservatives on immigration, war, and the economy; and a party which suppresses Democratic candidates ghting for free healthcare, education and childcare – and which has made it nearly impossible for Green Party candidates to qualify for and retain ballot access – does not deserve my support. As the upcoming midterm elections approach, I’m not optimistic that my abstention will solve the current state of American politics – that seems like something only revolution can accomplish. But it’s time to stop blindly supporting entities which, a er the manufacturing crisis, beg us for our votes and donations in order to dig themselves out of their own grave.