In this week's member guest blog post, we hear from Anastasiya Baydechenko as she shares her latest experiences from Ukraine, and how her team is dealing with the intensifying attacks they are suffering as a Nation.
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Every contribution counts. Let’s stand together for Ukraine.
If we were asked now what life in Ukraine has been like in recent weeks, I would say it's an online game similar to the «3 Body problem»: we never know what the next level will be like, but 100% more difficult. Back in the spring, we could classify attacks and predict whether we would have a long or short air raid, whether it would be very loud or not, and whether it would be worth hiding in the subway or sleeping in the bathroom. Back in the summer, reconnaissance drones could mostly fly during the day, but now even strike drones fly during the day. Now we have either combined attacks of many types of weapons (Russian, Iran, north Korean) or something completely new. The level of uncertainty is going off the charts now.
Last month, enemy drones were launched at about 5 pm, in very large numbers, on November 25th, for example, 145 strike drones were launched. Most often they fly to Kyiv. Other cities are under targeted attack: Dnipro, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhia. Usually about half will be neutralised by electronic warfare means, and the rest will be shot down by air defense forces, but some may hit civilian infrastructure or houses. There is also always a risk of damage to buildings from the debris of downed drones. From time to time, strategic aviation takes off and then we are attacked by missiles, usually, such attacks are accompanied by missiles from submarines, Kinzhal missiles from MiG 31K planes, and ballistic missiles. For example, on November 17th we experienced a massive attack, the enemy launched 210 air targets at Ukraine, of which 144 were shot down, 41 were destroyed by electronic warfare means, and 2 returned to Russian territory (my applause). But blackouts are back. Kyiv has returned to the constant sounds and smells of gasoline generators.
Оn November 21st, we were attacked with an intercontinental ballistic missile, as far as I know, this is the first case in history of the use of such a missile. There were several videos on the Internet. The complexity of this missile is that it breaks up into 6 shells, each of which breaks up into 6 more, forming a total of 36 targets for air defense.
A pertinent question is, how does all this affect people, businesses, and the country as a whole? Undoubtedly negatively. Although there have always been and will be fatalists who, under any shelling, go to the store, walk the dog, or go wherever they want. And some of our supermarkets are open during the air raid siren.
Still, most people experience a wide range of strong negative emotions from fear, anxiety, and despair to aggression and hatred. Moreover, collective negative emotions are extremely contagious, they easily engulf the masses. General news, propaganda, fake news, and separate information or videos about the executions of our prisoners of war only add fuel to the fire. The situation is further complicated by the fact that, in general, Ukrainians very rarely seek psychological or psychiatric help and are not willing to take medication, antidepressants in particular.
Businesses are undoubtedly under the influence of negative economic expectations, which are stopping development. Global advertisers are very quick to withdraw budgets in a crisis, but more inert when it comes to resuming advertising activity. These frozen budgets are partially compensated by local advertisers, but only partially. The issue of labour shortages, due to mobilisation and migration, is also becoming increasingly acute. Attacks on energy infrastructure and power outages are also an important factor in low business optimism.
But is there anything positive and how do we live with all this?
Yes, nothing has taught us to live in the here and now like shelling, and nothing has taught us more about time management than the blackouts. Many things that have been hanging in the nation's tasks for hundreds of years are now finding their solution in these slightly more than a thousand days of war: the issue of our own army, the critical importance of language, the understanding that national security is not a subject of subcontracting.
Every time we receive new horror stories from the news, messengers, or propaganda tools about some new or another missile that has no analogues and will blow up half of Kyiv, I think, okay, what can I do? I am not an Air Defense. The IAB Ukraine team and I can do our job. Moreover, I believe that when we are not frozen in a reptilian reaction to the danger of the outside world, but see ourselves in the future through plans, tasks, projects, we are signing a virtual contract with Life.
And saying to Death: “Not today”.
Don't forget to Visit this link for a list of trusted organisations where you can make a donation and provide meaningful support to those in need.
Every contribution counts. Let’s stand together for Ukraine.
