I know I have picked on the Ukrainian Oligarchs before. I think they are all a bunch of parasites, and I wonder how much they are doing to help the country from where they took everything. The key word is “take”, because that is what they do. Take, take, take. What they don’t do is create. No jobs, no role models, no wealth distribution. And I am sure that when the war is over, they will be the first to cause problems. Perhaps I am wrong though. I hope I am. But enough about them.

Let’s turn our attention to the famous billionaires. You know, the ones that are always in the headlines. The ones with their space race and all. Why aren’t they helping more. Bill Gates, for example, has a lot to say about human suffering when it comes to malaria, but not when it comes to genocide. Perhaps I am just angry and confused. I am no saint either, and I could do more to help people. I do help a lot of people but I could do more. We could all do more. When it comes to Ukraine though my gut feeling is that the billionaires could do a whole lot more. Not that they owe Ukraine anything, but if you think this is a war about Ukraine and Russia then I would say you are wrong. This is about good and evil, and if we don’t help to stop this evil then we are all going to be damned.

The world is being tested here. Humanity is in the spotlight, and I think we are failing. And yes, I am over simplifying and yes I am naive. So here is my thinking. If Ukraine had the money, then can’t they simply buy the weapons they are begging for? How does this even work.

I also think that it is becoming open season for dictators. Yes, this evil is spreading. If the world doesn’t make more of a stand soon, and help Ukraine end this nightmare, it could easily escalate and before we know it we are going to be heading into WW III.

I have been swimming a bit at my brother’s house here in JHB. It is not winter yet, so the water is not freezing, but it has been cold. I am told that a cold swim does wonders for trauma. It certainly wakes me up.

I have been feeling quite unproductive this past month. I know I am always hard on myself so I should probably not worry about treading water for a while. Marta tells me that all her friends back in Ukraine have the same feeling. And my friends still in Kyiv are saying similar things too. It is hard to focus. The past month has been an up and down roller coaster of emotions.

I am always so busy. Now, when I look back, I am not even sure what consumed my time. I am pretty sure a lot of it was just nonsense. My film friend Craig told me it sounds like I am depressed. I have never suffered from depression before, and I am not sure I am depressed. I am always so excited about life, and about all the wonder out there, and the magic we have inside. But now, when I look at the images that are being published from the towns outside of Kyiv, and what those Russian savages have done, I am just lost for words. Actually, I am just feeling lost. Wondering all the time about what is important in life. And thinking, how can this horror be happening in this day and age?!

Things sound quiet in Kyiv now. Our friend Zhanna told me that the Saturday and Sunday nights were not filled with gunshots and bomb blasts, like in the past month. For the past 5 weeks I would pray that my friends in Kyiv were all safe and ok. I miss them, and hope to see them again soon. Everyday we check to see if our apartment building is still there. It is, and everyone is ok. What an insane reality.

The one things that is keeping me sane is writing and our story telling work on the Ukraine documentary film, which we started in 2018. My film director friend Craig, and Janine and Jol, the editing wizards, are capturing and going through a ton of Zoom sessions with people currently in Ukraine, and some who have now left the country, and what we are seeing is powerful and moving.

Alec Hogg from BizNews had a conversation with me on Friday. I listened to it over the weekend. I can’t believe that any of this can be happening. If America and the West doesn’t help Ukraine more then this evil will spread, and then God help us all. The entire world may be treading water soon if this nightmare is not stopped, permanently.

About 10 years ago, at a film festival in Canada, I met an indie film maker from Moscow. A decent clean cut guy, a few years younger than me. We saw his film at the festival and we were impressed. I had not had much contact with this artist until recently. He pinged me when the war broke out. We got in touch over WhatsApp and he shared with me some important Russian perspectives.

I asked Mikhail the film maker if it was true that most people in Russia supported the invasion of Ukraine. I knew where Mikhail stood – he is an opened-minded good Jewish boy. He hates what is going on. And he said to me, “Ronnie, you are asking the wrong question.”

Mikhail said that Russia is a dictatorship and that just about all of society lives in permanent fear. He was suggesting that in such a system if Putin says the sky is pink, then that is what people believe. So if Putin changes the brainwashing and says “We love Ukraine” then everyone loves Ukraine. So the majority of Russians hate Ukraine because Putin hates Ukraine.

My take on things is that before the 2014 revolution in Ukraine and before Russia annexed Crimea, Russians and Ukrainians were getting along. They would holiday in each other’s countries, do business together, marry, play sports, listen to each other’s music, and so on. Most Ukrainians and most Russians have family in each other’s country. I would say that everyone was friendly. But after Putin started the war in 2014 the Ukrainians stopped trusting anything Russian. All airline flights to Russia were stopped. Russian Internet sites were blocked, TV stations were made unreachable, tourism stopped, etc. The Ukrainians were not interested in anything to do with Russia from then on, and they looked to the West more than ever. And up until the nightmare war that started just over a month ago, since 2014, Ukraine was doing good. Economic growth was healthy and the future was looking bright.

Back to the Moscow man. My film maker friend said that a more relevant question to ask Russians is, “Do you support the freedom and peace that Russia brings to Ukraine?” I guess none of us can comprehend the level of propaganda that is taking place there. They are seriously brainwashed by the evil Mr. Putin. I went on to ask Mikhail about Putin and the nuclear button. His answer was sobering. He said, “There is a bad news: he is a fanatic. And there is good news: he’s a coward.” I also don’t believe Putin will be pushing the button. The big issue is, in my view, is that the West is weak, and Putin knows this. President Biden needs to grow some balls, and quickly.

The last thing we chatted about was to do with the sanctions. Mikhail said the sanctions are a joke for now. He explained that the biggest impact from them will be with Russian middle class and creative people. He went onto say that it effects those who do not support Putin and embrace democratic ideas. “The rich Russian oligarchs and state servants like police and corrupted judges will not feel the sanctions“, Mikhail added, “And poor people who always were poor – neither will feel these sanctions.”

So, with Putin’s mass of terrified sheep nothing much will change. Mikhail ended our conversation with, “In any case sanctions will not stop this war.”

Values are what bind us together, apparently. I guess the question is then: what do you truly value? This war nightmare has woken me up, and what I value has been driving my recent behavior.

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton |

If you ask just about anyone now if they like Russia then I am pretty sure that their answer would be a very quick and rigid NO. Hang on, what has Russia done to you personally? But still, no one wants anything to do with them. Putin is without a doubt, pure evil.

Let’s make it a bit more personal and intimate. Let’s say that someone does something bad to me, and you are my close friend, and then the next thing I hear is that you and this guy are now doing business together, and I ask you about this and your response is, “But he has not done anything bad to me.” I am sure if they shot me with a gun then you would avoid them. So yes, I don’t get it. A guy who robs me, for example, is going to rob you too. Our values seem to be more like trends than things we actually stand for and believe in.

Perhaps one day I will publish a list of people I know that I think you should avoid. I know that shaming people by naming names would be not be cool or professional. But I am thinking about it. Fuck it. I am just tired of bullshit.

Values can’t have double standards. And it starts with the small things. All relationships that are healthy are based on mutual respect. But when one party starts to neglect you, then call it a day. I am. Perhaps it took this trauma to make me embrace the values I believe in. I simply don’t have time for people who humour me. Regardless of how long we have known each other, or what we have shared together. If you are not sincere, I don’t want you near me. Take trying to call people on the phone – if it is so hard to get a hold of someone then it reveals something about their attitude. And I can make it easy for someone with a simple text asking them when is a good time to call them. If after a few texts asking the same thing then I am calling it a day.

Through this nightmare war I have reconnected with people I lost touch with. Some I am very fond of, some not. And then there are some that are meant to be good people but not to me, and I don’t want anything more to do with them.

Another bizarre thing I have experienced in this past month is people lecturing me online about how Ukraine should be grateful, and how Biden is a good man, blah blah blah. You are entitled to your perspective and I am allowed to have my own point of view. I think that America is not helping Ukraine nearly enough. The Budapest agreement in 1994 should have been adhered to, but America does not seem to remember what was agreed to back then. And now it is more lip service than real help. So yes, I am not so fond of America and their weak President who is too chicken to call Putin’s bluff. People giving me shit online that are meant to care about me is just mind boggling. No compassion towards me personally, no empathy. Even if perhaps you are right, rather just be kind. Pure selfishness and insecurity. And again, they are meant to be people that care about me but I don’t get that sense of all. Instead they made it personal, and started to criticize me and insult me, simply because I am saying that America is weak. Wow!

This good VS evil battle is polarizing the world even more, and I will end off by saying that if Ukraine is destroyed then evil has won, and it will spread. And then good luck to all Americans and everyone else – everyone will suffer if Ukraine is allowed to disappear. Evil is like a cancer, and if not stopped, it will come and get all of us.

No one in Kyiv thought that Russia would invade. No one thought that the war would go on for this long. Most thought it was going to be over in a couple of days. No one in the world thought that the Ukrainians would put up such a fight. And if you reckon that this is about Russia VS Ukraine then I think that you are wrong. This is about good VS evil, and that affects all of us.

If evil is allowed to thrive then God help us all. Evil, like a cancer, will spread, and before long we will all be terminal.

So, yes, we all need to help fight this evil, in any way we can. I know all the arguments about NATO and what the consequences will be if the West gets directly involved. Putin is not going to push the button. They are too selfish and indulgent for that, with their lavish lifestyles and what not.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke

The West needs to grow some balls and call Putin’s bluff. This is about fighting evil and if we bury our heads in the sand, then it is going to haunt us all until the end of time. Humanity is being tested here, and in my view, we are failing.

I am no economist but one quick look on Google and you can see that the Russian Ruble has basically bounced back. So much for all these tough measures the West are putting in place.

America and the West (NATO specifically) don’t want to send in troops to help in the fight against evil. No one is even asking them too. Mr. Zelensky is begging for support. For arms and technology, to help them fight off this evil. And yet, he is getting mostly lip service.

When we were in Krakow, after leaving Ukraine, I met a man from the world’s leading military contractor. A very warm, decent American man. It was a chance meeting, and we have stayed in touch online. This is what he sent me a few days ago, “I attended President Biden’s speech last night in Warsaw. Good speech. Nice words. Weapons, aircraft and ammunition would be better.”

I keep thinking, with each passing day, how naive I really am. If you think that Putin is going to stop at Ukraine then you are naive too. Again,this is not about Ukraine and Russia. This is about good and evil. If we allow this evil to fester and spread then God help us all.

“The world is learning that we are all connected and evil against on of us will affect all of us. The impact of the last 6 weeks is going to be years of suffering globally.”

Kyiv is one of the world’s best kept secrets. Everyone who comes there is amazed. And they can’t wait to come back. It is a beautiful city, made for walking and exploring. You could stroll around for two weeks, summer or winter, and still not see and experience everything. Yeah, it is not a small city.

Ukraine has many challenges is not a perfect place (it is currently a war zone), but it has charm and soul, and that makes up for any flaws. Ukraine suffers from corruption and parasite oligarchs, but they are working on this, and things are getting better, year on year. And yes, the roads need to be improved, and medical care needs to develop further, but it was all in motion, and there was a big light in the tunnel. Ukraine is hard working and it is innovative and inspired. Most people in Ukraine have difficult lives, and the average salary is around $500 a month. These are humble and modest people and they are kind and warm. And they have the best sense of humour you could ever experience. People joke a lot in Ukraine. In Kyiv life was always filled with smiles and laughter.

There are many booming industries in Ukraine. Real estate in Kyiv was going gangbusters, and the IT sector is a phenomenon. Ukraine is the tech hub of Europe. Agriculture is the country’s largest industry – Ukraine is one of the biggest food producers in the world, and is often referred to as the breadbasket of Europe. Creativity and design are an inspired affair in Ukraine’s capital. International movie shoots had become common, and news of movie stars spotted in Kyiv was frequent. Top musicians perform in Kyiv constantly, and in my view, Kyiv was called “The next Berlin” for a very good reason. Within the next 5 years it was going to become a global hot spot. If Ukraine is destroyed we all lose here. The world is always looking for something new and fresh. Kyiv had it all to give. If it is taken away from us, the world loses out big time.

I could write a small book on eating out and coffee culture in Kyiv. When you come visit one day you will all be in for a stunning surprise. I have eaten at some of the coolest places around the world and Kyiv kicks ass. Yes, the silly stereotypes are strong and so many people often would ask me “Do you eat a lot of bread and soup in Ukraine?” We did in winter, and it is on the next level. You could do a culinary tour of Kyiv and you would be licking your lips at every encounter. Italian, Indian, Georgian, French, Isareli, Thai, Chinese … you name it, Kyiv has it, and it is all off the charts good. You would be seriously blown away. And the gourmet burgers … oh man !

A month ago we were still in Ukraine, heading towards Krakow. Our apartment in Kyiv , which we call The Nest, is a magical place. It feels like we have not been there for a long long time. These past few weeks have been intense, to say the least. From The Nest it was an 18 minute walk to the city center. In winter, when it snowed, it was about a 30 minute walk to a practice ski slope. You name the season, there is always so much to do in Kyiv. And it is photographer’s dream come true. I hope we get back there soon. I believe we will. I am feeling optimistic.

Here are a few pics of some parts of The Nest … I miss the magical views. Sunsets are spectacular.