This Yom HaShoah, I would like to shine a light on an issue that the neo-fascist Russian state has attempted to hijack and spin into a justification for war crimes and ethnic cleansing of the Ukrainian people: the Holocaust in Ukraine.
Ukraine lost 1.2 million Jews during the Holocaust, a casualty number second only to Poland. They would be some of the Holocaust’s first victims. Ukrainian towns which had prewar Jewish populations as high as 60% saw their Jewish populations decimated, with many of the survivors becoming Russified. Today, the majority of Ukrainian towns which were once called shtetls have no Jewish inhabitants.
«Бесголосся» (Wordless) is an 18-minute documentary by the Ukrainian NGO Після Тиші (After Silence), a historical and anthropological organization dedicated to breaking the taboos and silence around Nazi and Soviet violence in Ukraine. Through discussions with non-Jewish survivors of the Nazi occupation in the town of Turka (Турка) in Lviv Oblast, «Бесголосся» explores both Jewish heritage in Ukraine and non-Jewish Ukrainian memory of the Holocaust while challenging Russian fakes and antisemitism.
The film is in the Ukrainian language, with subtitles in Ukrainian and English. Click the links below to watch.
«Безголосся» - документальний фільм про Голокост на Львівщині
‘Wordless’ - A documentary about the Holocaust in the Lviv region
May the memories of all those lost during the Holocaust in Ukraine be a blessing.
I overslept a massive air raid.
81 missiles and 8 "Shahed" drones. They fired pretty much every type of missiles they have at the same time: Х-101/Х-555, Kalibr, Kinzhal, Х-31П, Х-59 and drones.
They are still targeting our energy infrastructure, even though by now it should be painfully obvious to them that they are accomplishing nothing with these attacks. Nothing that would bring russia closer to victory.
They do this at night so that people don't know about the air raid and can't take cover. In Lviv oblast russian missiles hit residential buildings, at the moment it's known about 5 deaths.
In Kharkiv there is is no electricity, water or heating. The city and the region are under fire from the russians every day.
Later in the morning russian terrorists shelled a public transport stop in Kherson. 3 4 people died as a result of the shelling.
Next site, the Styr River (річка Стир), which starts in Lviv Oblast, then flows through Rivne Oblast and Volyn Oblast, before flowing into Belarus. The cities of Lutsk and Varash are located on the Styr River. In 1651, the Battle of Berestechko took place on the river. That was a battle between Bohdan Khmelnytsky's Cossacks and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. It was also important during other battles in history, between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the "russian" empire, and also during WWII.
#StandWithUkraine
#СлаваУкраїні 🇺🇦🌻
Here's another Volodymyr Zelenskyy quote, one which I feel is especially important.
"In today's world, where we live, there is no longer someone else's war. None of you can feel safe when there is war in Ukraine, when there is war in Europe."
The deputy chairman of the Security Council and former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, presented a “new” map of Eastern Europe, which showed parts of present-day Ukraine within other nations, according to Russian media.
Vinnytsia Oblast could become part of Romania, Uzhhorod could go to Hungary, Poland would get Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zhytomyr, while the rest of the regions would join Russia, according to Medvedev’s map.
Transnistria, a part of Moldova that recently asked Russia for “protection”, would also be counted as part of Russia, the map suggested. According to Medvedev, Ukraine would retain only a small territory with its centre in Kyiv.
“Russia needs to follow its current path. The historical parts of the country [Ukraine] should return home.”
- New US-made longer-range bomb expected to arrive in Ukraine
- EU seeks ammunition boost for Ukraine in bid to approach goal
- Macron urges Europe to 'accelerate' aid to Ukraine
- PACE approves draft resolution on seizure of frozen Russian assets
- Three NATO allies sign deal to speed up military deployments to eastern flank
- Ukraine's military spy chief expects Russia's offensive to fizzle by spring
- Ukraine says Russia not handing over alleged POWs bodies from crashed plane
- Ukraine downs Russian Su-34 jet over Luhansk Oblast
- Ukraine's Lviv becomes first region to remove all Soviet-era monuments
- Russia and Belarus to create joint state media company
Good morning World! Good morning Ukraine!
Viktor Chonhovai, a 27-year-old native of Ivankiv, Kyiv Oblast, joined the military alongside his father because he wanted to protect him.
But, he lost both legs and 3 litres of blood on the battlefield. Despite the odds, Viktor now undergoes treatment and prosthetic preparation at the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Centre.
Before the war, Viktor worked in a radioactive waste storage facility in the Chornobyl zone. On the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, he decided to evacuate his wife, two-month-old son, and parents from their village, which was soon occupied. They sought refuge in Zakarpattia, his father’s ancestral homeland. It was there that Viktor’s 54-year-old father received a conscription notice, prompting his son to mobilize as well. Together, they enlisted in the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade.
Viktor adopted the call sign “Chornobyl.” In more than a year of service, he saw action in nearly all areas. He asked his superiors to spare his father from active combat duties, and as a result, Viktor’s dad primarily engaged in non-combat missions.
Viktor was gravely wounded during a counter-offensive operation in the Zaporizhzhia sector. The mission involved securing recently captured positions, but they failed. The enemy dropped grenades from drones, one of which landed at Viktor’s feet, causing profuse bleeding. A comrade swiftly applied a tourniquet to his wounds, hoisted him onto his back, and carried him 3 kilometres to the evacuation point.
“Completing such a task and surviving, even without legs, is a blessing,” Viktor reflects today. In the four months following his injury, he has faced many challenges, enduring numerous surgeries and painful treatments, in various hospitals across different regions. During his long healing journey he was constantly supported by his wife, his son, and the thought of his father, still serving on the frontline. The final stage in Viktor’s recuperation brings him to the Unbroken Centre.
Transported to Lviv for rehabilitation and prosthetic fitting, complications emerged. Surgeon Stepan Kuchabsky reveals, “The patient presented with left stump pain. After examination, osteophytes were discovered, indicating that the left thigh bone had begun to grow due to trauma and inflammation. Corrective surgery was necessary to remove this bony growth and reform the stump.”
Viktor’s recovery is a difficult one, necessitating three to four months before the start of prosthetic preparations. Moreover, Viktor’s case is complex, with a double and relatively high amputation, demanding persistent physical therapy and determination to master the art of walking on prostheses.
Prior to the war, Viktor loved to play soccer with his village team. He now dreams of sharing the sport with his son, even if it means doing so on prosthetic limbs.
Source: Unbroken FB