Ukraine – Page 6 – Natalia A.

10 spectacularly stupid things that people have said to me since EuroMaidan started

EuroMaidan is the general name given to mass protests that erupted in Ukraine when the government backtracked on signing an EU association agreement. According to some folks, the government did this purely to appease Russia. According to other folks, association terms were not favorable enough. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle –Continue reading “10 spectacularly stupid things that people have said to me since EuroMaidan started”

That was a crazy game of poker

…Is how I’m going to sum up the last four years or so. It was funny and scary and cool. I became a playwright, and a mother, and I did a lot of journalism of the sort I’d always wanted to do, and I also did a lot of management that tested me in surprisingContinue reading “That was a crazy game of poker”

Also – Ukrainian beer is cheap and good

Just sayin. Reading the comments, I have to reflect on how much British readers don’t understand the way Ukrainian government works. When I say that “racism in Ukraine is no longer being swept under the rug,” they say, “Aha! But your Foreign Ministry is denying it even exists!” That’s because Ukrainian government doesn’t really *do*Continue reading “Also – Ukrainian beer is cheap and good”

Obligatory media post-mortems

Of Bryansk. Of one particularly high-profile tragedy in Bryansk. (I do think this particular case could have happened anywhere. But the domestic violence component is particularly troubling – as I have serious doubts that the mother in question could have gotten help even if she wanted to.) And of the case of Oksana Makar inContinue reading “Obligatory media post-mortems”

A picture by Sasha Andrusyk is a Kiev tradition by now

…And Holy God, it is amazing how much Lev looks like his father here. Like, we broke out some of Alexey’s old baby pictures and had a look recently – and it is ridiculous, how physically similar father and son are (though the forehead and the hair are clearly mine, all mine 😉 ). Incidentally,Continue reading “A picture by Sasha Andrusyk is a Kiev tradition by now”