Later this month marks two years since the start of this evil war. A war that no one here understands. And by here, I mean here in Kyiv. I am at home and have been here for a few weeks. End of next week I will go back to Wroclaw and then a month later I will come back to Kyiv. And so it will go for 2024.

Let me ask you something. If you are reading this and you perhaps know me, and then you later read in the newspaper that I am a convicted mass murderer would you still talk to me … ? If you hear repeatedly that I am evil would you still call me … ? If you found out that I was a bad person would you still want to have anything to do with me … ? If I knew someone and then I learned that this person was evil I would have nothing further to do with them.

Putin and his henchmen are pure evil. Russia is a problem, to Ukraine, and to the world. And yet, Russians are going on holiday to so many parts of the world, constantly. Every friend of mine who travels tells me that wherever they go it is full of Russians. And international companies continue to do business with Russia. And Russians buy products abroad and have them sent to Russia. WTF ?!

Is the world in denial or something ?! I don’t get it. What has to happen here in Ukraine for someone to scream “ENOUGH !!!”

That old famous quote comes to mind, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I play a small role in a software start-up venture called PYGIO. A few weeks ago the company had its third birthday and it was a magical moment in time. The PYGIO team is humble, hard working and spirited. The company is growing and there is so much potential. There have been so many amazing people coming together on this journey and one day it will make for a fantastic story. And speaking of stories, please have a look at this. I hope this piece of text captures your imagination a wee bit.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski recently said in an interview, “The consequences of Putin conquering Ukraine would be catastrophic.” He went on to say, “… the cost of deterring Putin after he conquers Ukraine would be much much higher than the cost of keeping the Ukrainians supplied now.” Additional military aid for Ukraine from the US and the EU is critical. There is anxiety in Poland about the war coming to them if Ukraine is not given the support it needs to win this war. Where is common sense and humanity these days ?!

I can’t understand why the leaders of the free world do not do the right thing. The logical thing. The intelligent thing. The moral thing. Putin will only stop when he is stopped, and the cost of stopping him will go through the roof if he is not defeated in Ukraine.

And what is with that disgusting Orban. How can it be that this pig can block the aid that the EU has earmarked for Ukraine. How does the EU get anything done if one person can just halt what is clearly the right thing to do. What kind of democracy is that ?! Dysfunction seems to the new norm. And cold-hearted people who are playing God. What a mess.

I don’t believe Ukraine will fall, but if they do, that means evil has won and if that is the case then we are all going to hell.

As this hard year draws to a close I can’t but wonder what 2024 is going to bring. More war? It sure looks that way. And if Trump becomes President of America again … God help us all.

I can’t believe that war is now part of our lives. If the leaders of the world don’t come to their senses there will be more war for sure. And in many more parts of the world. The people that are trusted to be running the democratic countries of the world are trying to dance between the light and the dark side. This does not work. They need to make a choice and pick a side.

If Russia wins this war the evil will spread. How can this even be an option?!

This week the US Congress will vote on further aid for Ukraine – that is my understanding. If the US stops supporting Ukraine the war will not stop. Ukraine will continue pushing back the Russians, and Russia is not going to call it a day. There evil knows no limits. But Russia has far more resources and people (mostly zombies actually) and Ukraine will endure more pain and loss.

I can’t understand why some politicians in America do not want to support Ukraine. If Ukraine falls, it will bring Russia into direct conflict with NATO and hence, America (if one believes in NATO … Putin doesn’t, is my bet). Anyone you speak to here in Poland all have the same view. Ask someone in the street here about the war and they all have the same response, “If Ukraine falls we are next”. There is an anxiety here for sure. WW III remains a real possibility.

If more people in America, for example, understood more about modern Ukraine then perhaps the challenge of providing funding for Ukraine would be a bit easier. Ukraine is worth fighting for. It is a gift to the world. And Ukraine is fighting for the world. If Ukraine falls, it will not stop there. As Prof. McFaul at Stanford keeps saying, “Congress should approve new aid to Ukraine as fast as possible—not as a gesture of charity for Ukraine but as a hard-nosed and clear-headed investment in U.S. security objectives.”

Ukraine deserve and needs a more enlightened conversation in the world – the stereotypes are so bad, and they have gotten even worse since the start of the war (because of all the TV news coverage which generally show the worst of Ukraine). Kyiv, the nation’s capital, for example, has beauty, eccentricity, magic. It is often referred to as “the next Berlin”. And yet, most people can’t even tell you where Ukraine is on a map.

I dig Alex Garland – he is an ace storyteller and filmmaker. I am keen to see this movie when it comes out next year. Sadly, I think it is not far from the current reality. If Trump is not re-elected end of next year, then I reckon this film is right on the money. And if Trump does become President again, then God help us all. This of course is my view and I may be totally wrong.

I am sitting here in what Marta and I call the Bear Office, in the Nest in Kyiv. It is good to be at home. We are busy working on the film. It is almost coming to a close, and I am happy to say that the film has turned out so beautiful.

Film making is an art. And like all art there is a big difference between making art and selling art. When the film is ready soon we will try and pitch it to a streamer (like Netflix) and if the film is excellent there is a chance they will take it. If it is good they won’t take it – it needs to be way better than good. I think we are in with a very good chance.

This journey started in 2018 and has been an intense labour of love. Of course, everyone is a film maker these days. I mean, everyone who puts up videos on YouTube. My one friend who is a proper film maker says to me a few weeks ago that there is a difference between film making and content creation. He said YouTube is about content creators and film making is something different. I was thinking about this difference. The difference is time. YouTube videos are often put together in a day. This project has taken has 5 years and it will go into year 6 soon.

It is like a blogger compared to an author who writes books. Yes, they both write but one writes content, typically quickly, and the other could spend a long time writing a book. Or a professional photographer compared to someone who is an influencer on Instagram. It takes time to write, develop and make a film. It takes time to write a solid book. It takes a chef time to create something amazing but it takes a few minutes to make a fast food burger.

This blog piece, for example, is content, and not some great literary work.

Time is about analogue. And being quick is about digital. That is my view.

I prefer old school. I prefer analogue. I prefer life. Life is not about online. To live, is to go offline.

I remember the spirit in Kyiv at the time of Maidan. Change was in the air. And in the years that followed there was a boom in just about everything. Creativity peaked, entrepreneurship was rocking, and Ukraine was on an exciting path, with all its challenges and problems. Then, in 2019, Mr. Zelensky was elected as president, and one thing was for sure: Ukraine is a true democracy and freedom of speech is fundamental. The Russian war in Ukraine is all about this. Russia is not a democracy, has no free speech, and is simply a big petrol station with nuclear weapons. Ukraine is about progress and the future. Russia is the opposite.

https://kyivindependent.com/how-ukrainian-identity-evolved-since-euromaidan/

Despite the challenges faced in the decade following the Revolution of Dignity, also known as the EuroMaidan Revolution, Ukrainian identity has coalesced around a robust civic society and a cultural renaissance that has provided strength and resilience in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

Not only has Ukrainian identity embarked on a transformative journey since then, but so has European identity itself.

Here in Poland anyone you speak to has the story: If Ukraine falls (which I don’t believe will happen) Poland is next. And if you say something like “but they are part of NATO so they will be ok” then you are mistaken. Putin is just warming up, and his alliances with other dictators is expanding. He will keep testing the West to see how far he can push things. He does not just hate Ukraine, he hates the Western world, and all it represents. He is pure evil and will not stop at Ukraine. If Putin attacks Estonia, for example, do you think America will suddenly send troops to fight with Russians on the ground … I don’t think so.

Ukraine is fighting a war in Europe, for Europe. Ukraine needs to win this war. That is central to Europe’s security, and the free world.

In two weeks time I will be in Kyiv, at our home there. Kyiv is calm at the moment, but everyone is waiting for the next big missile attack on the infrastructure. Russia will try make Ukraine freeze again this winter. Ukraine needs more support from the West. All the support it can get. To me it seems obvious but for some reason, America, for example, is not sure. If Ukraine does not win this war the cost to America, and the world, will be way way higher.

Prof. Snyder wrote this in one of his newsletters about a month ago: After more than a year and a half of war, it can be hard to imagine it ending. And yet it can, and will. The Ukrainians can win this war, provided that we do not let them down. What they cannot do is constantly remind us how important the war is. We have do some of that work for ourselves.