Ukraine – Page 3 – Journeys of Heart and Mind

Image of the day – 28

Similar tank traps have been used along the front lines by both sides in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.

I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.

We have some history today. The river is the Churn and it runs in several different channels through the Cotswold town of Cirencester. On the bank you will notice three, large, concrete blocks; there’s also a fourth, partly hidden by the block on the left. The blocks were placed here during the Second World War to slow down German armour in the event that Britain was invaded. German failure to win the Battle of Britain in the air war prevented the invasion, but at the time the blocks were cast and put in place invasion remained a real threat.

The trees in the photo and the wall in the background are more recent than the blocks. The river bank led to an open field with the grounds and gardens of Abbey House beyond at that time, with the centre of the town on the other side of the gardens. The town would have been very vulnerable to attack from this direction.

Similar tank traps have been used along the front lines by both sides in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The main difference is that modern, concrete traps are pyramidal (‘Dragon’s Teeth‘, not cubic. The sloping sides use less concrete and are more effective against tanks, but concrete cubes were also commonly used in the 1940s.

It pays to anticipate problems. But wars are rarely anticipated years in advance; political differences can boil over into actual conflict quite suddenly. And once they have started it can be very difficult to bring them to an end.

NOTE: These blocks can be seen from Grove Lane in Cirencester, quite close to the Norman Arch. From inside the Abbey Grounds, walk through the arch and turn right along the footpath for just a few yards. Look across the river, and there they are! A piece of Cirencester history that you can see for free.

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Cirencester

For convenience, here’s a list of all the Cirencester area images:

A417 roadworks, Advent Market, Bishops Walk, Baunton, Canal 1, 2, Castle Street, Christmas lights 1, 2, Church 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Churn flood, Countryside, Fallen tree, Fleece, Gasworks, Gloucester Street, Hare 1, 2, Hospital, Market Place 1, Phoenix Fest, Riverside Walk, Stone plaque, Stratton Meadow, Tank traps, View, Wonky 1, 2, Yellow Iris

Themed image collections

The links below will take you to the first post in each collection

Cirencester, Favourites, Irish holiday 2024, Roman villa

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!

Two videos about Russia’s actions

I’m not going to add any comment of my own here; both videos speak for themselves, they are eloquent.

Please watch these two videos, one from Times Radio, the other from Anna who publishes a daily video about events in Ukraine as it struggles against the continuing Russian invasion and partial occupation of its land. Watch them to the end, and pass on the link to this article or to the videos themselves. Let family members, friends, and local politicians see this for themselves. Thank you.

First the news and discussion on Times Radio:

And next, an impassioned plea from Anna:

I’m not going to add any comment of my own here; both videos speak for themselves, they are eloquent. It is, I believe, well beyond time for the collective West to face down the evil regime in the Kremlin much more directly, much more effectively, and with greater and growing determination.

The actions ordered daily by Russian political and military leaders are not acceptable in any way.

Another message from Yara

Sometimes the worst things are done when the perpetrators are most afraid; and right now I think Putin is very much afraid.

This is a message of despair from a brave Ukrainian lady who deserves so much better. All Ukrainians deserve so much better. Yet I know the despair will be temporary.

Yara has an irrepressible nature and despite the terrible circumstances I know she will regain a measure of hope and want to share Ukrainian culture and art with her readers again quite soon.

Please do read her message for today. Below I’ve copied a reply to it that I posted there a few minutes ago. I think there is growing cause for hope, and that’s what I wrote about and want to emphasise.

But before I share that reply: What can you do to help? Visit Yara’s site and take a good look around, read some of her other, more upbeat, messages. Consider becoming a supporting member, buy her a coffee, leave her a reply to one or more of her posts. Contact your government representative asking them to do more. In the UK write to your MP. Hint: Write again after our upcoming elections, you might find you have a different MP.

My reply

Wanting better for you, Yara. Wanting better for Kharkiv. Wanting better for every part of Ukraine.

Sometimes the worst things are done when the perpetrators are most afraid; and right now I think Putin is very much afraid.

Everything in Russia is beginning to fall apart – in fact, more than ‘beginning’. The evidence is everywhere.

There is a big shake up in the Russian Army, many senior officers are being arrested, perhaps because Putin fears a coup. Shaking things up does not make an army more effective. Just the opposite.
Inflation is ‘under control’ according to Putin. He is ignoring something like 8% inflation per month. How long can he pretend?
Crime rates are spiralling out of control.
Buildings are collapsing (not bombed, just badly built and lacking maintenance).
Roads and railways are broken, water supplies are broken, power supplies are broken, Ukraine is destroying oil refineries. Nothing is being repaired because so many skilled people either left Russia, or have been sent to die in Ukraine.
Nearly half the Black Sea Fleet is on holiday, resting peacefully on the sea bed.
Aircraft, air defence, airfields are being destroyed daily.
The war is going badly, very badly in fact.

What will happen next?

Putin’s time is probably short now, everything is going wrong for him.

Ukraine’s nightmare might end very suddenly, though nobody knows when. It could be in a year’s time, or just a month, or a week, or it might be tomorrow.

None of this affects how you feel right now, so you (like so many in Ukraine) will have to suffer longer. But feelings change day by day, One day, hope will grow like a tree in the springtime. Hope will blossom and flourish. But perhaps not today.

I know you, like all Ukrainians, will cling to hope until it’s no longer needed. Then you will all be able to sing, and dance, and have parties in the street, and then start on the huge task of rebuilding your shattered lives and towns and cities.

Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava! 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦

War, survival, victory

Nobody asks your permission or opinion, and suddenly people and places you love are injured and damaged by bombs and missiles.

Today I want to bring you news from Ukraine. I’m going to do this by giving you a glimpse through the eyes of Yaroslava Antipina who lives in Kyiv; if you want to know about a topic, the best sources always include local people.

The image above shows one of Yara’s pages on the web, here (and elsewhere) she writes regularly to inform her readers about the war, but also about Ukraine and Ukrainians. She shows us the architecture, the places she visits, the art galleries and museums and cathedrals and much, much more. Like all Ukrainians, and like my parent’s generation in the UK, Yara knows what it’s like to be thrust unwillingly into armed conflict. Nobody asks your permission or opinion, and suddenly people and places you love are injured and damaged by bombs and missiles.

But that’s enough from me today. I’m simply going to re-post Yara’s latest Sunday message to her followers. I recommend and urge you to read more of her material, you can find her in various places.

–oOo–

Hi!

I am writing to you from sunny Kyiv. The weather is mild and gentle, and on such days, it is hard to believe that the war is walking heavily somewhere on our land.

The situation in Kyiv is not so bad compared to frontline or near frontline territories. If you come here, you will see a city that tries hard to live. And you even feel this tension, this strong desire to show everyone, especially the enemy, that we are alive and our spirit is strong.

I have just got this thought…

Do you also feel that my letters are like conversations between two people? I hope so.

Okay, in this letter, you will see photos of Ukrainian artists from the so-called Samarkand era. Samarkand is a city in Uzbekistan. From 1941 to 1944, this city became a home for many Ukrainian artists. I will briefly tell you about this era a bit later in the letter. And the photos are from the exhibition I visited this week.

Petro Sulymenko (1914-1996), Sher-Dor, 1942

Some explanation: Sher-Dor Madrasa is a 17th-century madrasa (Islamic school) in the historical centre of Samarkand.

Let’s talk about the war. I rarely tell you about the situation on the frontline. It is a topic better explained by war experts or military personnel. But this week, I heard and read a lot about it, especially Chasiv Yar, so I decided to figure out why Chasiv Yar is so important for the russians.

So, Chasiv Yar is a city in Donetsk Oblast. About 13,000 people lived here, but as of early April, about 700 remained. It is the highest point for hundreds of kilometres around. The city stands on hills that protect it from the east and south like defensive walls.

Chasiv Yar is the ‘gateway’’ to the cities of Kostiantynivka (7 km to the west) and Kramatorsk (25 km to the northwest). If the russian forces manage to capture Chasiv Yar, they will have the opportunity to launch an offensive on them and other settlements of Donetsk Oblast, which still are controlled by Ukraine. You can read a short review in Politico or a detailed explanation of the importance of Chasiv Yar in The New York Times.

Oleksandr Syrotenko (1897-1975), Evening. Samarkand, 1943

I want to add a few lines about the situation in Chasiv Yar now. Of the 700 people still living in the city, 80-85% are older people who refused to evacuate. Their main argument is that this is their home, and they want to stay here till the end.

Since February 2023, Chasiv Yar has had no gas and water supply, electricity, and poor mobile phone connection. Those who have stayed here rely on generators and water from wells to keep themselves alive.

All high-rise buildings in Chasiv Yar have been damaged by shelling; 80% of the damages are critical.

–oOo–

There are four more images of beautiful paintings and more informative text, but I want to encourage you to see those on Yara’s site… Thank you!

Everyone should see this

If you want to face down the playground bully you need more friends than he has, and preferably a larger, heavier stick to fight with.

Here’s a Times Radio interview of General Sir Richard Shirreff, sharing his thoughts on events in Ukraine, recorded on 9th April.

Times Radio interviews General Sir Richard Shirreff

Why do I think everyone should see it? Britain has done more to help Ukraine than many Western nations. So have Poland, France, Germany, Canada, the Baltic States, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

But we need to do so much more. If we do not, we are risking a future war between Russia and NATO. That, of course, is the last thing we want to happen, but if we don’t prepare for the worst case now, it may happen anyway, and partly (even largely) because of our lack of preparedness.

If you want to face down the playground bully you need more friends than he has, and preferably a larger, heavier stick to fight with. We have friends, but right now we are brandishing a twig and hoping the bully will turn away in fear.

He will not.

Sir Richard makes this very clear. That’s why we all need the chance to hear and evaluate what he has to say.

A coffee is always welcome!