‘She can’t do sums a bit!’
the Queens said together,
with great emphasis.
‘Can you do sums?’
Alice said, turning
suddenly on the White Queen,
for she didn’t like being
found fault with so much.
The Queen gasped
and shut her eyes.
‘I can do Addition,’
she said,
‘if you give me time
– but I can’t do Subtraction,
under any circumstances!’
under any circumstances!’
Fifty-two residents.
Fifty-two residents.
Of an ‘elves’ village.
Have been taken to ‘Mordor’.
By invading forces.
In a cross-border raid.
On the village of Hrabovske.
Authorities in Kyiv say.
Thirteen ‘elves’ soldiers.
Were also captured.
In the border village.
In the northeastern Sumy region.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
One thing was certain, that.
The white kitten had nothing to do with it.
The attack occurred.
At night on Saturday.
When about 100 ‘orcs’ troops.
Attacked the village.
The village of Hrabovske.
Said a spokesman.
For ‘elves’ military.
Joint Forces Task Force.
The civilians were first.
Rounded up in a church.
And then taken across.
The border to ‘Mordor’.
It was unusual.
For invading forces.
To take civilians.
To ‘Mordor’.
Before establishing.
A firm presence.
In occupied territory.
He added.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
White Pawn to play.
And win in eleven moves.
‘Mordor’ has so far.
Not commented on.
The fate of civilians.
From Hrabovske.
But reports from Ukraine.
Indicate they may.
Have been taken.
To Belgorod.
To Belgorod.
A major regional centre.
About 80 km.
Inside ‘Mordor’.
‘She can’t do Addition,’
the Red Queen interrupted.
‘Can you do Subtraction?
Take nine from eight.’
‘Nine from eight
I can’t, you know,’
Alice replied
very ready: ‘but –’
“My friends’ mother.
Has been taken there.
There is no way.
Of contacting her.”
“Even though they tried.”
Said a member of.
The Sumy regional council.
“As far as I know.”
“They’ve been taken.
To the city of Belgorod.
And are being held.
At an unknown location.”
‘She can’t do Subtraction,’
said the White Queen.
‘Can you do Division?
Divide a loaf by a knife
– what’s the answer to that?’
‘I suppose –’ Alice was beginning,
but the Red Queen
answered for her.
That spokesman said.
On Tuesday evening that.
Fighting was still ongoing.
In the southern part of Hrabovske.
But an ‘elves’ website.
Monitoring the battlefield situation.
Said later that the village.
Had been captured by ‘orcs’ forces.
‘Bread-and-butter, of course.
Try another Subtraction sum.
Take a bone from a dog:
what remains?’
Alice considered.
‘The bone wouldn’t remain,
of course, if I took it
– and the dog wouldn’t remain:
Meanwhile.
In the eastern region of Donetsk.
The ‘elves’ military said.
It had withdrawn troops.
From the embattled town.
Of Siversk.
“To preserve the lives.
Of our soldiers”.
‘Mordor’’s capture of the town.
Brings its forces.
Closer to the Donetsk.
“Fortress belt cities”.
Of Sloviansk.
And Kramatorsk.
About 35km.
To the west.
it would come to bite me
– and I’m sure
I shouldn’t remain!’
I shouldn’t remain!’
‘Then you think
nothing would remain?’
said the Red Queen.
‘I think that’s the answer.’
‘Elves’ authorities have been.
Working to move civilians away.
From parts of the Sumy region.
Bordering ‘Mordor’.
But a deputy head of.
The Sumy regional administration.
Says 56% of.
Residents in border areas.
Are refusing to be leave.
And 32,000 civilians.
Including 604 children.
Remain there.
‘Wrong, as usual,’
said the Red Queen.
‘the dog’s temper would remain.’
‘But I don’t see how –’
‘Why, look here!’
the Red Queen cried.
‘The dog would lose
its temper, wouldn’t it?’
Most of the 52 civilians.
Captured in.
The cross-border raid.
On Hrabovske.
Were elderly people.
Were elderly people.
Who had refused.
Official evacuation orders.
“It was a smash and grab.”
Said that spokesman.
“They quickly rounded.
Everyone up and.”
“Quickly removed them.
This had never happened before.
We had never had.
Such raids before.”
‘Perhaps it would,’
Alice replied cautiously.
‘Then if the dog went away,
its temper would remain!’
the Queen exclaimed triumphantly.
Alice said,
as gravely as she could,
‘They might go different ways.’
However.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
Children had been.
Captured too.
“I’m surprised.
There were children.
I’m simply surprised.
That parents treated.”
“That parents treated.
Their children like that.”
‘Gandalf the Green’.
Told reporters.
“I think they simply.
Did not expect.
To be taken to ‘Mordor’.
By ‘orcs’ military.”
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
White Pawn to play.
And win in eleven moves.
The vast majority.
Of civilians had already.
Been evacuated.
From the village.
The village of Hrabovske.
Whose pre-war population.
Is reported to be.
About 700 people.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
One thing was certain, that.
The white kitten had nothing to do with it.
Fifty-two residents.
Fifty-two residents.
Of an ‘elves’ village.
Have been taken to ‘Mordor’.
By invading forces.
In a cross-border raid.
On the village of Hrabovske.
Authorities in Kyiv say.
Thirteen ‘elves’ soldiers.
Were also captured.
In the border village.
In the northeastern Sumy region.
‘She can’t do sums a bit!’
the Queens said together,
with great emphasis.
‘Can you do sums?’
Alice said, turning
suddenly on the White Queen,
for she didn’t like being
found fault with so much.
The Queen gasped
and shut her eyes.
‘I can do Addition,’
she said,
‘if you give me time
– but I can’t do Subtraction,
under any circumstances!’
under any circumstances!’
*Because I read “Border villagers abducted and taken to Russia, says Ukraine” by Vitaly Shevchenko on 24 Dec 2025, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Lt-Col Trehubov and a story of Bitsak, led by ‘THROUGH the LOOKING-GLASS’ written by Lewis Carroll, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
