See better, Lear;
and let me still remain
The true blank
of thine eye.
Since ‘Mordor’ launched.
Its full-scale invasion.
Of Ukraine.
Western nations have imposed.
Far-reaching sanctions.
On the aggressor.
In a bid to stymy.
Its war effort.
But on the ground.
Here in Ukraine.
These sanctions seem to.
Have limited impact.
What, art mad?
A man may see
how this world goes
with no eyes.
Just outside Kharkiv.
At a secret location.
Lies a collection of.
Twisted metal remnants.
From attacks.
In and around the city.
It’s a scrapyard.
Of savagery.
– the remains of.
Many of the ‘orcs’.
Bombs, rockets.
Missiles and drones.
Used to hit.
In and around Kharkiv.
Over the past three.
And a half years.
Look with thine ears:
see how yond justice rails
upon yond simple thief.
Hark, in thine ear:
“This is the material evidence.
With which we, as prosecutors.
Will prove the guilt.
Of ‘Mordor’.”
“Of ‘Mordor’.
In committing war crimes.”
Says a man of.
The Kharkiv Region Prosecutor’s Office.
Every piece of.
Rocket and drone here.
Has been carefully.
Collected and analysed.
change places;
and, handy-dandy,
which is the justice,
which is the thief?
He shows you.
One of the latest editions.
– an ‘orcs’ version of.
Iran’s Shaheed drone.
‘Mordor’ has recently been.
Firing hundreds of these.
Kamikaze drones at.
‘Elves’ towns and cities.
They’re relatively.
Cheap to make.
He tells you.
– about $20,000 each.
What, art mad?
A man may see
how this world goes
with no eyes.
He points to.
The nearby carcass of.
An ‘orcs’ cruise missile.
He says these cost millions.
But these weapons are not.
Fully ‘orcs’-made.
– they contain “many components.
From western nations.”
“It’s possible for ‘Mordor’.
To circumvent sanctions.
But doing nothing is not.
An option either.”
Look with thine ears:
see how yond justice rails
upon yond simple thief.
Hark, in thine ear:
The US President appears.
To have lost patience.
With ‘the One’.
After early efforts.
At rapprochement.
Between the US and ‘Mordor’.
The US President has.
Now threatened to boost.
Sanctions on the Kremlin.
Unless ‘Mordor’ agrees to.
A ceasefire in Ukraine.
By this Friday.
change places;
and, handy-dandy,
which is the justice,
which is the thief?
The US President has said.
Secondary sanctions will.
Also come into force.
That day.
Affecting any country.
Trading with ‘Mordor’.
Affecting any country.
Trading with ‘Mordor’.
See better, Lear;
and let me still remain
The true blank
of thine eye.
He has already imposed.
An additional 25% tariff.
On India.
For buying ‘orcs’ oil.
The US envoy met ‘the One’.
In Moscow on Wednesday.
For talks ahead of.
The looming deadline.
Fare thee well, king:
sith thus thou wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence,
and banishment is here.
So, if the US President.
Chooses to impose.
More sanctions.
On the Kremlin.
Would it be enough?
To force ‘Mordor’?
To change course?
In this war?
The prosecutor believes hitting.
‘Orcs’ oil and gas exports.
Could have a significant.
Economic impact.
“We will not be able.
To stop it with.
A snap of our fingers.
But we need to do it.”
“But we need to do it.
We need to act.”
There is hope that.
The US President might act.
See better, Lear;
and let me still remain
The true blank
of thine eye.
Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres.
From the ‘orcs’ border.
Has borne the brunt of.
Many strikes.
Throughout the war.
Thousands of buildings.
Have been damaged.
Or destroyed.
Throughout the region.
Almost 3,000 civilians.
Have been killed.
97 of them children.
What, art mad?
A man may see
how this world goes
with no eyes.
Police Colonel shows you.
The burnt-out shell.
Of the police headquarters.
He used to work in.
An ‘orcs’ strike.
In 2022.
Killed three of his officers.
As well as six civilians.
He points to the gaping hole.
In the wall.
Where the missiles entered.
‘Orcs’ tactics, he says.
Haven’t changed.
“‘Mordor’ tries to hit.
And kill as many civilians.
As they can.”
Look with thine ears:
see how yond justice rails
upon yond simple thief.
Hark, in thine ear:
Colonel’s job is.
To investigate.
Every single civilian death.
He’s leaving no stone unturned.
He has 1,000 men and women.
Working for him.
Now dispersed in basement offices.
Right across the city.
They’re carrying out.
Painstaking forensic work.
To build a criminal case.
Against those responsible.
Photographs of ‘orcs’ military officers.
Who’ve been tied to.
Specific attacks are plastered.
Across the wall – the wanted.
change places;
and, handy-dandy,
which is the justice,
which is the thief?
In another building.
Crime scene investigators.
Carry out DNA tests.
To identify the latest casualties.
– ‘elves’ civilians killed.
In an ‘orcs’ rocket attack.
As they queued up.
To collect water.
Colonel shows you.
Footage from strike.
– unrecognisable charred bodies.
Lie on the ground.
“It’s hard to do this work.
But it’s very important work.
For future justice.
For us, for the ‘elves’ people.”
What, art mad?
A man may see
how this world goes
with no eyes.
He shows you.
A three-dimensional computer image.
Of a mass grave.
In Izium.
Where more than 400 bodies.
Were discovered.
Where more than 400 bodies.
Were discovered.
“Some of the cases leave.
A scar on all of us.
And we will never forget.
This trauma.”
Look with thine ears:
see how yond justice rails
upon yond simple thief.
Hark, in thine ear:
Colonel wants to see.
An end to this war.
Colonel wants to see.
An end to this war.
He hopes.
The US President’s.
Increasing pressure.
On ‘the One’ will work.
But the police chief doesn’t want.
Peace at any price.
“Peace without justice.
Is not really peace.”
Even if a ceasefire.
Can be agreed.
It still won’t address the wounds.
Of most ‘elves’ people.
change places;
and, handy-dandy,
which is the justice,
which is the thief?
At a cemetery.
Outside Kharkiv.
Is another reminder of.
The cost of the war:
The ever-growing ranks.
Of dead ‘elves’ soldiers.
The ever-growing ranks.
Of dead ‘elves’ soldiers.
Each grave is marked.
Each grave is marked.
By the blue and gold.
Of the national flag.
The silence here.
Is only broken by.
The sound of them.
Flapping in the wind.
See better, Lear;
and let me still remain
The true blank
of thine eye.
Nearby, in the civilian section.
Of the cemetery.
A mother and her family.
Are placing flowers.
A mother and her family.
Are placing flowers.
On their daughter’s grave.
On their daughter’s grave.
She was just 14 years old.
When an ‘orcs’ glide bomb.
Took her life.
Last year.
She was sitting on.
A park bench in Kharkiv.
Enjoying the warm summer afternoon.
With a friend.
Fare thee well, king:
sith thus thou wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence,
and banishment is here.
Can the US President’s?
Increasing pressure?
On ‘Mordor’?
Bring any comfort?
But the mother’s not optimistic.
“These conversations have.
Already been going on.
Too long.”
“But so far.
There are no results…
Hope is fading.”
Hope is fading.”
See better, Lear;
and let me still remain
The true blank
of thine eye.
*Because I read “On Ukraine’s front line, twisted wreckage shows sanctions haven’t yet stopped Russia” by Jonathan Beale on 5 Aug 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 Dmytro, a story of Colonel Bolvinov, and a story of Sofia and Yulia, led by ‘KING LEAR’ written by William Shakespeare, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Twisted wreckage shows sanctions haven’t yet stopped Russia
