I got back to Wroclaw yesterday. My time back home in Kyiv was good for the soul. Yes, of course, it’s not for everyone – there is a war that is raging on. But the spirit in Kyiv is intact and the city is packed. All feels “normal” and then drones and missiles attack and air raid sirens blare … and then nothing is normal. And the next day, life goes on, and the city continues to buzz.

The train ride from Kyiv to Wroclaw via the Polish border town of Przemyśl is intense. Not too uncomfortable, but very very long. And of course, being from South Africa I am always staying close to my luggage and never letting my laptop bag out of my site. Hard to try switch off and catch 40 winks when you are so wired. It is the South African way. We are well trained. And on this subject of crime, I heard an interesting story in Kyiv about the crime rate.

The crime rate in Ukraine is at all time low. Living in Kyiv I can’t say I was ever conscious about crime. In all my time in Kyiv I never heard of a robbery, mugging, hijacking, or anything bad. Coming from South Africa we know all about the crime rate, and we are very aware of our surroundings. So when I get told that Kyiv has never been safer I am thinking “Patriots ?”. Well, that too. But this was about criminal activity. With the war raging on the country is at a record low crime rate.

Of course, I was intrigued. And considering that the world’s commentators went on about how it would be like Mad Max in Ukraine with looting and riots … it’s actually quite the opposite. Everyone is kind in Ukraine and since the war, the kindness is greater than ever.

So why is the crime rate so low. The explanation I heard was funny but plausible. If someone steals my phone, say, and the cops catch the criminal, they just shoot them. No questions. No court date. No lawyers, No fines. Just, BAM – end of that criminal’s career. There is simply no time for crime. The police, for example, are worrying about a war, so if you do something wrong they just end you. Now I am sure this is not the case, but I think you get the message. If you do something wrong they throw the book at you. They are fighting a war – there is just no time for nonsense.

Next month I am on the lonnnnnnnnng train back to Kyiv. Meeting up with our small film team there for a film shoot. We are on the last stretch of our Ukraine film project. We are crafting an important story with purpose. All is good and on track. Something amazing is coming together. A story that will talk to people’s hearts and help drive a different conversation about Ukraine.