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I meet many interesting people at Hotel Bursa in Kyiv, but the most fascinating folks have got to be the Georgians. After dinner a few months ago I found a large group of rough and tumble gentlemen at the bar chatting in a language I definitely didn’t recognize.

They were a group of journalists visiting ethnic Georgian brigades fighting in Ukraine. Georgians have no love for Putin either, so when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, so many Georgians volunteered to help their Ukrainian brothers and sisters, they created their own military bases and brigades featuring Georgian commanders!

This old sweet song

Georgia is a small but ancient country of 3.5 million people bordering Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Situated at the crossroads of the fertile crescent between the Black Sea and Caspian sea, Georgia is famous for its natural beauty, food and wine.

Georgia is also the birthplace of the most barbaric Soviet leader in history, Josef Stalin, who murdered millions of his own citizens and banished millions more to Siberia during his ethnic-cleansing purges.

No, no, no peace I find

Georgians have been victims of ‘frozen conflicts’ in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia since 2008. Like south-eastern Ukraine, these regions have significant ethnic Russian-speaking populations. After sham elections in 2008, Russian troops invaded Abkhazia and South Ossetia to protect ‘Russians’ and liberate them from the tyrannical government in Tblisi. Sound familiar?

Georgians know all too well how important it is for Ukraine to defeat the Russians once and for all. A frozen conflict in Donbas or Crimea is not an option if anyone in this troubled region, especially Georgia, expects to gain independence and membership in the European Union. 

Victory in Ukraine is so important for Georgians, they are willing to fight and die for it.

Other arms reach out to me

The parallels between Georgia and Ukraine are so stark, it’s obvious they came from the same old Russian playbook. Ukraine has been occupied since 2014, Georgia since 2008. Ukrainians revolted against their Russian-controlled government in 2013 when it tried to move the western-leaning country away from Europe and back towards Russia. Georgians are rebelling against their pro-Russian government in 2023 for exactly the same reason.

My Georgian friends assure me that this time they will be successful ridding themselves of Russian oppression and occupation. They know their best chance is to support Ukraine so their bigger brother can return the favour and help Georgia get Russia off its mind once and for all.

Slava Ukraini! Slava Georgia!

Many things in Kyiv are similar to life in the average North American or European city, but there are also many that are different. For example, in Ukraine, nothing is free. And I mean absolutely nothing. Recently the staff at my hotel ordered McDonald’s. 

In Kyiv, McDonald’s is perfectly acceptable food, everybody eats it, and everyone swears that a Ukrainian McDonald’s is superior to those anywhere else. You get all the regulars: Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with cheese and fries, however, what about the handful of ketchup, vinegar and dipping sauces for your McNuggets? Nope. You must pay for your condiments in Ukraine.

Will you accept the charges?

It’s similar with smartphones. There’s no such thing as a pay-as-you-go plan in Ukraine. In Canada, most people are on a two-year contract paying $55 to $95 a month for 2 to 10 GB of data. Included is a new iPhone or Android device, so one gets a new phone every two years upon renewal.

In Ukraine, you can buy a SIM card with unlimited data from any cigarette kiosk or drugstorefor $8 per month! However, you must supply your own device. A new iPhone 14 in Ukraine is $1000, which is nearly double the average monthly salary for a barista or server. This explains why everyone has at least two jobs and three is not unusual.

Want it? Work for it

Want some Tabasco sauce for your huevos rancheros? 50 cents. Honey for your tea? Same. If you don’t have the cash, you’ll be eating a lot of boring meals. 

One of the largest clothing chains in Ukraine is a second-hand shop called Humana. Since all the funky young people at my hotel want the latest iPhone with wireless Air Pod headphones, they save money by sporting pre-owned clothing.I certainly love the idea of paying $8 for unlimited data, but having to buy a $1000 device is daunting, especially considering I’d need to work 60 hours a week to afford it. This is why employment is so important to Ukrainian refugees who’ve moved to Poland or Canada to escape the war. 

In Ukraine if you don’t have a job, you’re not considered a contributing member of society. 

Living the free life

Work if you want to eat, work if you want to have fun, and work to live a good life. Ukrainians work hard. Perhaps we in the west have become too comfortable with free apps, free samples, giveaways, points-programs and credit card cash-back incentives.  And honestly, are they really free?

Maybe if we had a few less all-you-can-eat buffets, endless refills and free apps, we would appreciate life more like a Ukrainian who must work and fight for everything they have. After all, when the product is free, you are the product and the Ukrainians are definitely not a product! Slava Ukraini! 

WIRED recently published an explosive article The Kremlin has Entered your Telegram Chat, regarding the experience of Russian rights activist Marina Matsapulina. 

Matsapulina, like most Russians and indeed most Ukrainians, was using the globally-popular Russian-developed Telegram. Equivalent to the American WhatsApp, communicating through Telegram is touted as totally private and secure. So how did the Russian secret service know her every move?

Is Telegram, the supposedly anti-authoritarian app co-founded by the mercurial Saint Petersburg native Pavel Durov, now doing the Kremlin’s bidding? Or it is compromised because its servers are located in Dubai, a known friendly nation to Russian oligarchs and expats. 

Nearly everyone in Ukraine uses Telegram – an app created by a Russian in Russia. Should Ukrainians switch to WhatsApp? Listen to this episode of the Decentralists to learn more.

After seven months in Kyiv I’m still having the time of my life. Despite living in an active war zone – or perhaps because of it, I’ve never experienced such a constant stream of good vibes nor have I ever met so many interesting people at my Hotel Bursa in Kyiv. Let me explain by quoting a few lines from the Eagle’s classic song ‘Hotel California’…

Such a lovely place

I’ve been very fortunate to spend half a year in the warm and welcoming environment of what I consider the best hotel in the world, Hotel Bursa. From day one I’ve been met with sincere smiles and caring words by each and every staff member. They all know me by name, and I actually feel like a part of the family.

I’ve been Shazaming like mad because the music in the lounge is incredible. In fact, I’m building a killer Kyiv mix that will become the foundation of my listening repertoire for many years to come.

Any time of year you can find it here

I’m astonished by the amazing variety of people I’ve met from all over the world. Hotels in Kyiv are magnets for foreigners and Bursa is no exception. Guests come from all walks of life and the ensuing conversations are utterly fascinating.

A few weeks ago I spent a Saturday night with a couple of nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who were in Kyiv on their way to inspect reactors and fuel storage in Chernobyl. I enjoyed a riveting chat about atomic energy and the situation in Zaporizhzhia over a yummy bowl of ramen.

A few days later I met two fine gentlemen who invited me to join them for a beer in the Bursa courtyard. We got right down to business discussing the Russian invasion, how to reform the Irish economy, and lab-grown meat. One of them was an humanitarian who’s been collecting donations across the UK to support Ukraine since the war began. He drives a donated truck full of donated equipment like bulletproof vests, night vision goggles and winter clothes from London to Kyiv every few weeks. On this trip he was joined by his buddy who’s one of the main actors from Game of Thrones. I’ll let you guess which character. 😉

Livin’ it up at the Hotel Bursa

I’ve noticed that life during wartime seems to make people far more open and friendly than they may otherwise be. Perhaps when faced with the imminent threat of death from above, it’s natural to dispense with one’s inhibitions and make as many friends as possible. After all, they might be the last folks you ever meet.

Journalists and aid workers comprise a significant portion of the Bursa guest contingent. I’ve spent many nights spontaneously blowing off steam with friends from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations. Furthermore, my Bursa ‘family’ have invited me to countless staff birthday, anniversary and seasonal parties which make me feel as if I never left home.

Last week a German TV station broadcasted from the Bursa on the anniversary of the Russian invasion. It was a big production as twenty people took over the rooftop bar & deck to build a set complete with lighting & cameras to beam the nightly news from Kyiv. Once the show was wrapped, I was humbled to be invited to the celebration that stretched into the wee hours of the morning.

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave

Everyone who comes to Kyiv is living geopolitical history in real-time. This war is not only a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, East versus West, Autocracy versus Democracy, it’s essentially a battle between good and evil.

I could easily rent an Airbnb to save a few Hryvnia per month, but I’d really miss my local Bursa family and friends. It may be just a hotel, but it’s the people that make it special and that’s what life is all about. No matter what the future holds for Ukraine, I will always carry a part of Hotel Bursa in my heart. I may check out one day, but I will never truly leave.

As I approach my seventh month in Kyiv and now the second year of war, I feel it’s time to share a real connection with day-to-day life in Ukraine that anyone can experience.

One of the first mobile apps I downloaded when I arrived is called Kyiv Digital. Kyiv Digital is an essential component to daily life because it provides instant notification of potential incoming Russian missiles and Iranian drones. Knowing when to shelter in a basement or a metro station is crucial considering the murderous arbitrary strikes on the civilians of Kyiv.

Stand with Ukraine

The vast majority of people reading this blog and indeed on the planet, support the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian tyranny. Downloading the Kyiv Digital app onto your smartphone is an authentic way to connect with the people of Kyiv and truly understand what it’s like to live under constant threat of death from above.

To install Kyiv digital on your iPhone, click here

To install Kyiv digital on you Android phone, click here

After installation you’ll begin to receive alerts of potential incoming missiles and drones that may hit the capital city, synchronized with the air raid sirens that regularly sound in Kyiv.You’ll receive a notification on your smartphone that’s accompanied by an ominous alarm that you’ve likely never heard before. 

On my first morning in Kyiv, I was awoken by a howling siren which made me jump from my bed and run to the window. I thought the air raid siren was blasting from outside my hotel, but it was my phone on the bedside table!

You may be Ukrainian after all

The first time you hear the alarm you’ll be terrified, but it’s surprising how quickly one can adapt to life under constant threat. Some will want to run to the basement, some will raise a middle finger to the sky and curse the Russians, and some of you will silence the alerts and go about your daily business as you become desensitised to the inconvenience of war.

No matter how you feel when you hear the alerts, take heart that in some small way you’re experiencing the hardships of war in real time. If you find yourself quickly adapting to a new reality, you are one small step closer to being a brave Ukrainian. 

Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!

We came to Ukraine because we felt our Manyone app could be incredibly helpful to refugees. Many agreed, so we redesigned it to enable displaced people to securely &privately report details of damage or destruction of their home, land and property (HLP). 

Ukraine must find an efficient way to document and process the expected millions of rebuilding claims, even from those who may not have a property deed or other formal proof of occupancy. 

Furthermore, political agreement and precedent must be established to forfeit Russian assets, leading to a legal mechanism to forfeit them and apply the funds to the rebuilding of Ukraine.

No organization exists to confront these political & legal challenges or to manage such a daunting task. Until now: The Peace Coalition. 

Join the Decentralists to learn how technology and policy can unite to rebuild Ukraine.

I’ve been in Kyiv for a over six months and despite almost daily air-raids, I’ve managed to avoid any personal injury. However, that changed two weeks ago when I broke my right arm.

I wish I could make up a heroic tale of why my arm’s in a sling, but that would be terribly disrespectful of the men & women on the front lines who are being injured and worse every day. The simple truth is that I’m a bit of a klutz. I took a midnight tumble down the stairs from the loft in my hotel room while on the way to the bathroom.

Break ’em if you got ’em

Broken toes and sprained wrists are pretty common for me but when I woke up in the morning and my arm was numb below the shoulder, I assumed I’d dislocated it when bracing my fall. I fashioned a sling from my bathrobe belt then grabbed a Uber to a private hospital in Kyiv. 

War has stretched the Ukrainian medical infrastructure to its limits, but you wouldn’t know it from my visit to the hospital. About 20 minutes after checking in with reception, I was getting an x-ray of my shoulder to assess the damage. Unfortunately, what I thought was a dislocated shoulder was in fact, a broken humerus.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to interpret the x-ray, and the doctor told me I would need surgery. Amazingly, it could happen the same day.

We’re ready for you Doctor

Fifteen minutes later I was checked into a private room and shortly thereafter was visited by a nurse who took blood samples and prepared the intravenous line that I’d need later that night.

Doctors, nurses, anaesthesiologists and surgeons visited me throughout the afternoon to ask medical history questions and ensure I was ready for the operation. At 9:30 that evening I was wheeled into an operating theatre. By 11:30 I was back in my room and fully awake with a brand-new titanium rod right through the centre of my right humerus.

After a great night’s sleep, I had a final x-ray to make sure everything was good, given some painkillers & antibiotics, then sent on my merry way 24 hours after I was admitted. The entire process was efficient, professional, and inexpensive. My American friends will be especially surprised to hear that the bill for the entire experience was just over $2000.

Honestly, I felt a bit embarassed taking up valuable doctors’ time fixing the result of my clumsiness. I couldn’t help but think of the thousands of brave defenders suffering far worse injuries for a much better cause. However, I was glad I saw a Ukrainian surgeon. After a year of this illegal & unjustified Russian invasion, Ukrainian surgeons are rather experienced in trauma care.

Founded in 482, Kyiv is the oldest continuously inhabited capital city in Europe, and celebrated its 1,500th anniversary in 1982. 

Kyiv is also the religious and cultural capital of the Slavic people defined as predominantly Christian and living in Eastern and Southern Europe. Ukrainians are far from the only Slavic people. Russians, Belarusians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians,  Montenegrins and Bulgarians are all considered Slavic.

As such, Kyiv is special place to all of them. It is the jewel in the Slavic crown.

Same Saint different Church

The oldest church in Eastern Christianity is Hagia Sofia in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), built by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I in 532 AD. The oldest Orthodox Church in the Slavic region is Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv which was founded in 1011 AD by the Grand Prince of Kievan Rus, Vladimir the Great.

Justinian built Hagia Sofia as a tribute to his Christian God but also as a political tool to show the power of Christianity and its emperor. For nearly a thousand years, Hagia Sofia was the world’s largest cathedral featuring the greatest domed interior space. Justinian certainly created the perfect edifice to flaunt his power and control.When Vladimir the Great wanted a centrepiece for his new Christian Empire of Kievan Rus, it must’ve seemed obvious to build a showcase cathedral. Not only did Vladimir adopt Justinian’s political strategy, he even named his church similarly, Saint Sophia. 

Both churches were the crowning achievements of the most powerful rulers of the most powerful Christian empires at the time. 

Universal Ukraine

For over a thousand years, Ukraine has been a melting pot of many different cultures because of its geographical nexus between East and West. The result is a nation of some of the most intelligent and creative people in the world. 

 Most know that Ukraine is blessed with some of the best food producing land on the planet, but few know about Ukraine’s natural resources. The Black Sea coastline of Crimea and Odessa plus the mighty Dnipro River, make it easy to ship food and minerals around the nation and to the world.

It’s no wonder that Putin, and before him the Soviets and even Tsars have always coveted Ukraine for its great wealth and proud people.

It’s Kyivan Rus not Russian Kyiv

But Kyiv is special. The cherry on top. The jewel in the crown. There’s no great Russian Slavic empire without Kyiv. There’s no legitimate role in the Orthodox Church for Putin’s spiritual lap-dog Patriarch Kiril. Putin’s obsession that Russia is the centre of the Slavic world is impossible without control of Kyiv.

The Soviet era has been history for over thirty years. Putin is just a little man with a big gun who longs for the good old days of oppressive communism. It’s time for Russians to slink back across the border because Ukrainians will never stop fighting to protect the sparkling jewel they built over the last ten centuries.

Ideally, people should live peacefully and united by things like democracy, the rule of law, education and healthcare. Ukrainians however, are united by famine, war and oppression.

In a previous blog Homesick, I mentioned how the current Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is the fourth genocidal event forced upon the people of this great country in the last century. A look at these events in more detail reveals why war, famine and oppression deeply scar the Ukrainian psyche and defines their national identity.

Existence is futile

First was the Great Russian famine of 1921-23 which killed an estimated one million Ukrainians. The famine was the worst on record and attributed to a combination of the Bolshevik revolution and resulting Russian civil war, brutal Communist grain policy and poor rail transportation links.

Barely ten years later, Ukrainians suffered another famine courtesy of Josef Stalin and the Soviet Union. The Great Holodomor of 1932-33 was a concerted effort by the Russian government to suppress Ukrainians and ultimately eliminate resistance to the Communist regime, including efforts to build an independent Ukrainian state. Sound familiar? Four million Ukrainians starved to death over two years and many thousands more left for greener pastures in North and South America.

World War II resulted in the largest extermination of Ukrainian people to date. The invasion of Ukraine and Russia by Nazi Germany and the resulting resistance killed an estimated 10 million Ukrainians including more than 600,000 Ukrainian Jews. A quarter of Ukraine’s population was lost during this third national calamity in only 24 years.

Seventy years of relative peace in Ukraine ended in 2014 when Donetsk, Luhansk and the Crimean peninsula were forcibly annexed by Russia. Tragically, on February 24th 2022, full-scale war returned in the form of Vladimir Putin’s illegal and unjustified “Special Operation”obsessed with the destruction of an independent Ukrainian nation. 

Never Again

This time it’s different. The Ukrainian people have had enough of Russian murderous aggression. Ukraine won’t go down without a fight, and they’re proving to be pretty damn good at it.

Every Ukrainian I’ve ever met has lost someone to famine or Russian aggression. Furthermore, every Ukrainian has family living beyond their homeland, those who were forced to leave horrendous conditions. It’s a terrible legacy, but it also fuels a shared strength to rally and declare in unity, “Not this time!”

Existential threats like the current Russian invasion define the Ukrainian people and unites them in a common cause. I’m proud to be just one on the millions who support Europe’s peace-loving eastern flank. Slava Ukraini! 

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24th 2022, caused the largest forced migration of people fleeing conflict in history. In just three months over 14 million people, or 32% of the population fled to another country (refugees), or to another location within Ukraine (Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs). To put this into perspective, the second largest conflict migration was 13 million Syrians displaced over an eight-year civil war.

The fact that people being displaced from their homes due to war is still a ‘thing’ in the 21st century is crazy enough, but this is hardly the first time Ukrainians have been forced to endure such cruelty.

Resistance is Existence

The 14 million displaced by Putin’s “special operation” are, in fact, the fourth major displacement of Ukrainians in the past 100 years. Incredibly, all four have been caused by Russians. 

Existential threats like the current invasion define the Ukrainian people and unites then in a common cause. Unfortunately, it’s also made them experts at fleeing the country to survive.

With a history like this, who has a future?

With history like this it’s easy to understand why Ukrainians, especially those with children or those living in the occupied territories have fled. Kyiv is relatively calm now aside from the odd missile or drone strike. In the early days of the war when missile attacks were numerous and the Russian goal was to ‘liberate’ Kyiv, many fled from the capital and surrounding region. Today almost every Ukrainian I know has a visa to expedite emigration or is applying for one.  

Indeed, many are still leaving Ukraine. One of my friends moved to Abu Dhabi in December to get away from the cold winter often without heat or electricity. Another tells stories of her aunt who moved to Greece to escape the war only to spend her days agitated and nervous. Why? Because of the absence of air raid sirens. To her, the fact that sirens sound is a warning of bad things incoming. With no siren, there’s no warning of impending doom.

Standing room only

Each day there are five trains from Kyiv to Przemysl in Poland and back and surprisingly, they’re all full. For every person leaving Ukraine there is another entering. Some are journalists and humanitarians but many are Ukrainians who spent the weekend shopping in Warsaw. My friend who went to Abu Dhabi to escape the winter returned three weeks later in the middle of January. Another friend who left in April with his wife and young son, returned to Kyiv in September. Why? It’s simple – they all dearly miss their country, culture and people.

Don’t need to be one to miss one

I’m not a Ukrainian citizen and I’ve been in Kyiv for only six months, entirely during wartime. I’ve no reason to stay and I can leave anytime which I briefly have. However, even I’mhomesick for my friends and ‘family’ in Kyiv after a few days. I feel like I’m missing something special not sharing the day-to-day resolve and joie de vivre of the Ukrainian people during this war. Imagine how all the Ukrainians who fled their country nearly a year ago must feel! 

This is why we at The Peace Coalition are so dedicated to helping rebuild Ukraine and provide refugees & IDPs with secure digital technology to accelerate the process. Homesick Ukrainians all over the world deserve to return to a safe and modern community and restart their lives. It’s a human right. Slava Ukraini!