Ukraine Starting Over

What are the words lightly exchanged on the street, versus the camping out with friends in Nature, or chilling in the quiet cafe on a lazy summer day ? My brief  survey amongst the people who know me  outside the Kiev is simply this : They will admit business things aren't great for them, they carry on with  their lives in as much a normal pattern as possible, hope for the best and anticipate the least in results. They snicker about various  situations in their parliament, laugh about Russia , and yet for the most part they  are satisfied with the power structure that's in place , the Poroshenko administration has a reasonably solid foundation. The Revolution of Dignity , while it was fueled by rhetoric, along with facts, emotional references and public perceptions : people wanted  to gain their freedom, at any cost.  Yet what now is the result, was it worth it ? They think so : It's hard for people to build trust when they've been  been...

After a slight adjustment, anticipating my return to Ukraine at the end of April, it got reset to the first week of June. I arrived to cool ,  rainy weather. Of course I want to continue my sketchy, near future narrative of Peace in Ukraine, add my 2 cents to the fantasy that seems fairly impossible for now. Intensely dangerous and harrowing situations continue going on in the ATO, under reported in the Western Press. Men continue to come home either badly wounded or dead. Many prisoners not getting exchanged.  In the big city, and in the smaller towns, nobody truly lives under any  illusions about what is going on . Official state channels soft pedal the grim reality in place at the edges of the ATO (Anti- Terror Operation ) .  It's still a pretty serious and unresolved war revolving around an economic agreement , the right of self determination (Joining NATO or not )  : Ukraine's not a colony, the last time I checked,  yet their aspirations are hel...

May 18, 2017,   13:17:47 After being waved through 3 checkpoints Ukrainian , the Russian controlled and then United Nations check point into the central district of Lugansk , each checkpoint is backed up nearly 20 minutes  with cars and trucks ,  every time  as they approached a control point , Misha radios ahead to the checkpoint commanders , then as they near , somewhat stopping the outgoing traffic , allowing them to drive  around the line, Johnny's had a habit of  rolling down his window giving a nod to whoever looked in,  helps in that no document checks are needed for them. Passing behind the block of the previously Separatist check point, Johnny yells out to a wiry young soldier taking a break for a smoke "Vasily! Something for you here, the man approaches , smiling. Vasily : what, I can lose my  job again from  another of your bribes,   Zhenya ? (Grins) Johnny : yes of course, (he reaches into his bag and grabs 3 f...

May 18, 2017 ,  16:20- 18:07 At the Regional administration building.  https://www.google.com.ua/maps/place/Luhansk, All the day long, Johnny is on the phone , IM's , SKype,  chat requests, heavy, long, intense database documents rolling across his screen at his administrative office building, along with annoying interruptions, odd stoppages on the fiber optic networks,  data hiccups, There is  a constant service of tea via his whimsical secretary ALyosha: she is in a laughing mood, which suits him, telling stupid jokes to entertain him, he puts off all his personal stuff, it's just too intense: Patrushev messages Johnny, among other things, strangely,  the head of the Russian Federation's Presidential administration, he is asking about the status of a younger girl, Anna, a redheaded orphan  , she has a small business baking pies  for  the long distance truckers, for some reason, he is asking to send a team to provide for her person...