“I live on the seventh floor.
The rocket hit the fifth floor.
Early this morning, at around five.
But I’m fine.”
A 73-year-old retired businessman.
And the only remaining resident.
Of a large apartment block.
On the edge of town.
He bends over to share out.
Some dried food to the eight cats.
Seven of them strays, abandoned by neighbours.
He now looks after.
That resilience, and a strong collective spirit.
Seem to be widespread in Lyman.
Among those who have clung on.
Amid the snow and rubble.
In a nearby courtyard.
Beside a giant bomb crater.
A 45-year-old railway technician is busy.
Chopping wood to heat a basement.
He has been sheltering.
In the basement with.
21 neighbours.
For the past nine months.
Lyman still has no running water.
Or central heating system.
And the daytime temperature.
Has been hovering around freezing.
“What can we do?”
He shrugs, stroking.
The head of a stray dog.
He and his wife recently adopted.
When he’s not busy with his axe.
He helps neighbours repair.
Broken doors and windows.
In their badly damaged apartment building.
His wife walks past, hurriedly.
With buckets of water.
She, a 41-year-old accountant.
Has pumped from a well in the yard.
“I still find it stressful.
To stay outside.
In the open.
For long.”
She says, before heading down.
A dark flight of stairs.
And into the cramped cellar.
Of 6 Railway Street.
That resilience, and a strong collective spirit.
Seem to be widespread in Lyman.
Among those who have clung on.
Amid the snow and rubble.
The boom of artillery fire.
Close to the front lines.
Is still audible every few minutes.
In the railway junction town of Lyman.
It is nearly four months.
Since ‘orcs’ troops were forced.
To retreat from here, pushed back.
Some 25km to the east.
Despite heavy fighting continuing.
In the Donbas.
Civilians are trickling back to liberated ‘elves’ towns.
Close to the front line.
In Lyman, devastated.
By ‘orcs’ forces last year.
Some 13,000 residents are living, precariously.
In gruelling winter conditions.
As ‘orcs’ forces approached.
Lyman last June.
41,000 civilians fled.
Leaving about 10,000 people behind.
Many of those were elderly, or poor.
Or, like he and his wife.
Had sick relatives.
Who refused to leave.
For the next four months.
About 60 people squeezed.
Into the same cellar.
On Railway Street.
“It was difficult at times.
People are different.
Some became aggressive – we’re not used to.
Living all together like this.”
His wife says. Adding to that.
Stress was the fact that.
By her reckoning.
About a third of those.
Who had chosen to stay.
In the cellar were pro-‘orcs’.
Actively hoping that.
Ukraine would lose the war.
“Yes, there were people.
Who supported ‘Mordor’.
But they left when.
Ukraine started liberating territory.”
“When the so-called ‘orcs’ authorities moved out.
They went with them, taking their children.
Probably because they were scared of.
What would happen to them here.”
That resilience, and a strong collective spirit.
Seem to be widespread in Lyman.
Among those who have clung on.
Amid the snow and rubble.
On 3 October.
Lyman was liberated by ‘elves’ forces.
And soon afterwards.
The town’s mayor returned to discover that.
“80%, maybe 90%” of the buildings.
Had been damaged or destroyed.
The railway lines are still a mass of.
Broken overhead cables and blocked tracks.
In recent months, the mayor and his team.
Have managed to restore electricity.
To most of the town.
And the surrounding villages.
There are roughly 700 children.
Living in Lyman.
And the mayor estimates that another 3,000 residents.
Have returned since the town was liberated.
“At the moment we do not recommend.
People to return here.
On the contrary, they’re better off.
In safer places and cities.”
“There are no comfortable.
Living places here, for now.
People will be accepted in other regions.
And will be provided with accommodation and food.”
He says, driving to the site of.
A two-week-old missile attack that.
Ripped the entire wall off.
A nine-storey apartment block.
That resilience, and a strong collective spirit.
Seem to be widespread in Lyman.
Among those who have clung on.
Amid the snow and rubble.
The mayor says local police are.
Still dealing with “a handful” of.
Lyman’s residents suspected of.
Working for ‘orcs’ occupiers.
But he believes the experience.
Of the past year has persuaded.
Many pro-‘orcs’ residents.
To change their views.
“I think those people now understand.
That they made a mistake.
They were led astray.
By the media.”
“Watching ‘orcs’ propaganda.
On television every night.
And thinking it was the truth.
They were in a minority.”
“And they have already changed their minds.
They see that this ‘orcs’ world.
Is not the one.
They’d been led to expect.”
That resilience, and a strong collective spirit.
Seem to be widespread in Lyman.
Among those who have clung on.
Amid the snow and rubble.
Aid groups provide food.
Which is distributed free of charge.
A 62-year-old woman is queueing.
For food at the local hospital.
She seems to reflect.
That change of heart.
When asked about the security situation.
In Lyman since it was liberated.
In recent months.
Pro-‘orcs’ civilians.
have often hinted.
At their allegiance.
By implying that both sides are.
Equally guilty of shelling towns.
And that it is therefore impossible.
To assign blame.
“The bombardment hasn’t stopped.
The shells still hit the town.
We don’t know who is firing.”
She begins.
But then, unprompted.
She changes her mind.
“I suppose it must be ‘orcs’.
Yes, no doubt,” she says, adding:
“We’re ‘elves’.
This is an ‘elves’ town.
The shops are open. Our pensions come on time.
The state has not abandoned us.”
*Because I read “Ukraine war: Resilient civilians return to liberated town of Lyman” by Andrew Harding on 23 Jan 2023, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem as a story of Alexander, a story of Valeri and his wife Ira, a story of Alexander, and a story of Valentina.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Resilient civilians return to liberated town of Lyman – BBC News
**My friend shows you this poem with another my poem together also on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them!
