March 16, 2022
Translation by Veronika Prykhodko follows below:
Interviewer: Please state your name and occupation (as much as you are willing to share) and where you are from.
- Lohachevska Liudmila Mykolaiivna (Luda), 74, born in 1948. I worked as a Senior Laboratory Worker at a bread-baking complex in Snihurivka (Mykolaiv region, Ukraine) during the Soviet Union times.
Interviewer: Tell us about the difference you feel about the way things were during the Soviet times and now.
Luda: Back in the USSR we were like stuck in a small box, cut from everything, cut from the outside world, just like the Russians now, zombified by Soviet propaganda. They did not let us think about anything else, we could only believe those things that were suitable and favourable for the USSR. Now we live in a free and independent country Ukraine, Putin is just jealous and scared of us. Why? Because if we do not like the President here, we change him. If we like him, even if he does something wrong, we have communication established, we can tell him what he does wrong. Even if something is not right, we can still get over it. Now the war has come…we have joined our forces and now stand together for free and independent Ukraine. Kozaks have lived on this land during a long period of time, they loved freedom and they fought for this land, their land and could never give up on it.
Interviewer: How are you feeling, physically, mentally, psychologically?
Luda: Really bad now…bloody Russians are messing with our land, killing our people for no reason, no reason! I would like to address to Russian mothers. Can they really sleep peacefully now, knowing that their young and beautiful kids are being killed by Putin, bloodsucker, and their dead bodies are just laying on the ground and nobody cares about it. One day they will all be buried in a collective grave and their mothers will not be able to even visit their graves and bring flowers to the graves of their beloved sons. And those young boys, they were supposed to be living life now, going on dates with girls and falling in love, getting married, take their kids to the kindergarten…I feel really bad about what Putin did. And how do Russians bear with it and just swallow it? Do not they see what is going on, how many people he killed already? He is fully covered with blood. There is as much blood on his hands as water in the Baikal Lake.
Interviewer: What are your biggest concerns, worries, fears for the next few days and weeks? Years?
Luda: The scariest part of it all is the bombing and shelling. And he’s using these powerful and huge bombs, our army does not even have a chance to turn the air raid alert on to notify us about it. And innocent people are just dying for nothing, for no reason. Look what he is doing to Melitopol, Kharkiv, he has blocked the cities and does not let people get out of there or get help. Neither the moms with their kids or the elderly can get out. It is absolutely unbearable. It can not even be compared to an animal attack. A wild animal only attacks when it is hungry. Putin is not even a human. I do not know what can be done with him (Putin), maybe just hang him upside down and cut his head (giggling).
Interviewer: Do you have family or friends that are in danger? Are you in contact with them? Have they fled or are they staying in Ukraine?
Luda: Yes sure. Two sisters of my husband. One of them is in Kherson, occupied by Russians and the other one, Natasha, is in Snihurivka. For now they are alright though. But the danger is still there, Russians might not be there today but they can come anytime tomorrow. Russians say “Oh, this is Russian peace”, what kind of peace is that?! This is war! They come to our houses and say “Oh you are living well!” and they start robbing us. Alright, take whatever you like but why are you killing the owners of those houses?! They are killing people for no reason!
Interviewer: If this region falls under Russian control, what do you think will be the major differences compared to before the war. What will change for you?
Luda: We will never fall under Russian control. Never again. We know real freedom and independence and I feel really bad for Russian citizens, they were zombified by Putin and his propaganda. And Russians…are they deaf and blind? What is wrong with them? How is that even possible to send their sons here to kill Ukrainians and get killed by Ukrainians. And those who survive the war what kind of opinion will they have about Russia? Russia will forever remain a murderer.
Interviewer: We hear often that this is a struggle for freedom, independence, self-determination, democracy. In your own words can you describe what these words mean to you?
Luda: Well, I have said before this is freedom, democracy. We can say whatever we want to say, we set our own terms and conditions about life and everything. We all live different lives in different ways here. Some are rich, others are middle class. Some are low income because they are too lazy to work a bit more to make more money. But this is us, this is our life, and nobody can dictate new rules here about OUR lives. Why did they even decide we do not live the way we need to?! We do what we like, minding our own business and you (Russia) mind yours. We do not bother you with that, you do not bother us.
Interviewer: What does Europe mean to you? Do you wish to join the E.U.?
Luda: Even though I would like Ukraine to join the EU I am really disappointed with them. Really disappointed. How could they not stand for us? I understand they help us a lot now by supplying the weapons, humanitarian aid but still, Putin must be threatened by the whole European Union, and he sees that the EU is weak and makes no action and is happy about it. Oh, I wish Putin a great suffer… (then uses an old untranslatable Ukrainian saying to curse Putin and giggles).
Interviewer: What are the causes of this war? How did this happen?
Luda: It happened because Putin was always scared of us, because we lived in a free country and Russians are depressed, Putin despises them in order for them to not ever speak up, demand something or remove him from the office, like we could do.
Interviewer: What are your hopes for peace? What will Ukraine look like in 2 years? What do you want Ukraine to be in 10 years?
Luda: Beautiful, blossoming country…it is spring now, the trees are in blossom already. Our country will be the best in Europe, the best! We were the best already and we will be even better.
Interviewer: Many Americans do not know much about Ukraine. What do you want Americans or Western Europeans to understand about what is happening here?
Luda: Everything is cool and great about Ukraine. Ukrainians are very kind and hardworking, the most beautiful women live in Ukraine. Ukraine is Europe’s granary, we feed Europe, we have huge fields and very great soil. This will help us to improve living conditions. We will be working in fields, growing food in order to export the products into the countries that would like to buy from us.
What I would like others to understand is that there is a real war happening in Ukraine at the moment, the same war that Putin brought to Chechnia, Georgia…why did nobody pay any attention to what was happening there years ago?! Neither did Europe or the USA talk about the same war happening in other countries caused by Russia. Nobody cared about it but now the war is even more real. He is killing our people for no reason. Our army faces off Russians very well on the ground, but he (Putin) is causing way more damage from the air. Those rockets are flying from everywhere, God knows where it was sent from, we do not even have a chance to fight it back. This is what scares us and this is why we are bearing huge losses.
Interviewer: Who did you vote for during the last elections?
Luda: I voted for Zelenskiy. Russians say about us “You are nationalists, Banderivtsi…” Yes, we are nationalists, because we love our country, you do too. We love our ethnicity and race. But look at us, our President is Jewish, the Head of the Mykolaiv region Administration is Korean (Vitaliy Kim), everybody loves him, people call him “our sun”. Look at this, we are very multinational and live in peace all together. We had a great relationship with Russians, used to work together, trade, why not continuing to go this way. We could be friends. Instead, Russia decided to go another way. And Putin now, ahhh, living his best life, eating as much food as he can, sleeping in warm conditions. Oh, I hope he dies…(used another untranslatable old folklore saying).
Thank you.