Terrorism...and Christmas

Argentina, where I'm spending some time, is a nation now at peace. However, economic turmoil and more than 40% of the population living in poverty, mean frequent protests and high crime levels. I've recently experienced a street robbery - I wasn't physically harmed but it left me feeling violated. 

And Argentina has had relatively recent experience of state terror. Yesterday I visited a memorial park, dedicated to the victims of the dictatorship in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which tens of thousands of people, considered to be opposing the state, 'disappeared.' Several, very long, walls list their names, in alphabetical order, and ages when they disappeared.

Putin, today's dictator of Russia, also uses state instruments of terror to instil fear and deter opposition. He would, otherwise, probably not be able to continue his illegal invasion of Ukraine, given the hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers dying. Anybody who opposes him is likely to be imprisoned. Elections are rigged so that he is the assured victor. The opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was given a prison sentence of nearly 30 years, on a pretext. He hasn't been heard from for nearly 2 weeks - a concern, given that he nearly died after being poisoned with novichok in Russia, in 2020. Navalny’s disappearance coincided with Putin launching his 'campaign' for a fifth presidential term. The length of his leadership will exceed Stalin's if he has a sixth term in power, as is likely. 

But it's nearly Christmas, a time of celebration for families, especially  children, whatever their circumstances. The title photo is of children celebrating at the Ukrainian centre in Buenos Aires.

Santa Claus managed to visit Kherson, seemingly from Canada!

Best of all, for me at least, a little boy that we know, in one of the UNICEF centres, learned to sing "Jingle Bells," in English! This is a still from the video...

I know, from experience, what life will still be like in Kherson - the constant thuds of incoming or outgoing shells, and the fear of death will not stop because it's Christmas.

I also know, from reports from friends, that aid is not getting to all the people who need it. As one person put it, in response to the new border restrictions, "It's a pity that we still have a lot of bad people who steal."

We tend to focus on Kherson because this is where our work was concentrated, in our last few months in Ukraine. But other cities, away from the frontline, are frequently attacked by missiles and drones - last night, explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv. And the battles continues to rage on the frontline...the city of Bakhmut has largely been reduced to rubble.

As always, children suffer. Ukraine‘s prosecutor’s office said, this morning, that nine people were injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on Kherson. Suspilne news reports that, amongt the injured, were a woman and her three daughters: 2, 4 and 9 years old.

Over Christmas I will keep close to my heart this image - a little boy, constantly kicking his legs back and forth, all the whole way through "Jingle Bells," and the little girl beside him, in unison. It made me laugh.

May these two children, and others like them, enjoy their Christmases and stay safe.