A city in darkness....

The light of day is slowly fading, and the second biggest city in Ukraine will fall into darkness. 

Today was a reacquaintence with a city I first got to know with Fiona, at the back end of 2022. Kharkiv. 

That winter was bitter and so hard for Ukrainians. After the destruction of vital infrastructure, against the rules of war by Russia, Kharkiv as with many other places struggled. Often no electricity, no heating, no water. Aid poured into Ukraine to help. I remember we bought wood stoves, generators, candles, cooking stoves, torches etc. Slowly Ukraine survived that winter, but it was hard.

I thought, wrongly, that I wouldn't see that sort of situation again. How foolish of me. Today, the same again is happening. Because of the delays in supplying the necessary defence capabilities for shooting down missile attacks, Russia has once more destroyed large sections of power generating plants, including complete power stations, which Ukraine has not been able to protect. With predictable consequences.

Night has now fallen, and I write this in the dark. It's hard to imagine life without constant access to electricity. And not knowing when you will have it again. It's stressful. And that's what Russia wants. To grind down resistance. To make people give up.

But.....given the people I saw today and their passion for Ukraine, Russia won't achieve this goal. 

Today I met individuals that each, in their own way, fight for Ukraine. Sveta and her husband, along with other volunteers, who in their small home and another use facility, have provided more than 30,000 square meters of camouflage netting. They are rightly proud of what they have achieved. Donations keep this going forward. Monies well spent. But donations are always needed.

The cat obviously needs alternative camerflage colours !!!!

We had coffee in a small coffee shop - another passionate supporter, Dima, providing free coffee to many, including me today. 

Finally, with donations raised in Trawden and using the kind assistance of Marina, who runs a voluntary project, and Nadia, our translator, we bought household products. Again, in a shop where it was clear they appreciated this small token of help. These will be taken to give to the people in the villages very close to the front line. We are not allowed to do this as it's too close to the combat zone, namely 3 kilometres away. 

The people here are happy for the continued support that Trawden and others make. Please continue to support if you are able to do so.

To make a donation:

1. Open PayPal and, when asked for name of payee or email, enter trawden4ukraine@hotmail.com

Or, if you live in/near Trawden:

2. Use the Ukraine collection box in Trawden community shop.