I Had a Good Day

University - 10

Thursday & Friday - week 3

I bring Oksana her second cup of coffee not long after the first. She knows this is the signal to get up and join the day.

She moans a little, but I am growing accustomed to her moans. I take her by the hand, lead her to bathroom. I run shower and, when it is hot enough, gently propel her under it. I showered more than an hour ago. I am ready to dress.

Which I do while Oksana is in shower.

I do not think I have ever met someone so unadapted to mornings. It would be very annoying, if it were not so sweet. Still, I must be firm or we will never get anything done.

I make more coffee. I lay out some breakfast for Oksana. I tidy up apartment while I wait for her to be ready.

We have deliberately chosen Wednesdays for our midweek date nights, as Thursdays are the only mornings when neither of us has a lecture, tutorial or essay group scheduled. It takes a lot of the stress out of the awakening process, and affords us a little time together before we launch into the day.

Eventually, she is ready and we set off for campus. It is nice to stroll together through the midmorning city. The first rush gone. But there is still some bloom on the day. We divert via my favourite deli, to get some rolls for lunch. A treat. And coffees to take out. A necessity, in view of the standard of coffee substitute provided in the campus canteen.

We part on campus, with a promise to meet again Saturday night. I say, come early to apartment, I will get in something for us to eat. Oksana smiles, OK. She heads off to her lecture on business reputation management. I go to see my Journalism tutor.

The proposed field trip to Donbas is firming up. Departure will be a week today. We will have a meeting tomorrow, and a full military briefing Tuesday next week.

I eat my lunch with my tutor. Then a brief time in library before lectures in afternoon. Watching the political situation unfold in UK is fascinating. And now more scandal about what President Trump said to President Zelenskiy about delaying US aid.

After lectures, I spent about another hour in library. Then back to apartment. It is quiet evening, studying, making essay notes and some progress with essay.

I check in with friends on SW and fall sleep.

Friday is just another day. Up and out early to campus. Lectures and study time in library.

Significant event is meeting for Donbas field trip. Six of us are going - producer, camera, sound, presenter, editor/researcher, writer (me). Three girls, three guys. We leave Thursday lunchtime, drive east about 200km to military barracks. There we will change into military uniforms and equipment. Leave all personal comms - phones, tablets, laptops - which we cannot carry in war zone.

Army will provide heavy duty cameras, recording equipment for us to use. This is all specially adapted for use in war zone. We will then join military convoy to travel about another 600km to front. We will stop overnight at a military encampment and complete journey Friday morning. We will return to Kyiv after six of seven days, depending on army transport capacity.

On the way home, I call at sushi shop, buy a selection of items for tomorrow night. Then to deli, for a couple of fresh made pizzas. One with salami, one with red and yellow peppers, onions. I can easily heat these in my oven.

Back in apartment, I put food in refrigerator and settle in for evening. Some friends were going out for beer, but I am too tired to watch people getting drunk. I have a coffee and some salad. Apple.

Just before 20:00 I call Papa, Mama, to tell them about field trip. Mama is quite stoical, warns me to be careful. Papa's immediate reaction, do you want me to see if i can get you out of this? I don't laugh, but explain that i really want to do it. Then he is ok, suggests some stuff to take to front for soldiers there, bring them some happiness. It is good idea.

We exchange other news about home and university. The village is collecting money to buy new car for priest. Papa has confirmed booking for ski lodge outside Bukovel for ten days after Christmas. I have letter about flying club membership.

Then I settle down again to enjoy evening with my own company. More study, some leisure reading. Chat with friends on SW.

Go to bed thinking about tomorrow.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

TheSirfurryanimalWales · 61-69, M

Russia's War Against Ukraine
Timothy Ash: Will Zelensky sell out on peace, corruption fight?

By Timothy Ash. Published Oct. 2. Updated Oct. 2 at 11:15 amThe Ukrainian leader made a statement to brief the press regarding the just-approved ultimate edition of the so-called Steinmeier Formula regulating a possible local elections in Russian-occupied Donbas as part of the Minsk peace settlement.

Strange evening. I had lots of people telling me Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was about to make a big announcement last night. I had assumed it was something to do with National Bank of Ukraine independence given earlier in the day he had been at the central bank pressing some flesh and trying to reassure officials that he was on their side.

Earlier in the day, the courts had delayed by a week a PrivatBank hearing – my suspicions had it that the trip to the NBU and the Zelensky visit were linked. Zelensky might well have wanted nice photo ops and public relations at the NBU – supporting the International Monetary Fund program and did not want this derailed by anything on the PrivatBank issue. This suggested to some no doubt that there is some kind of control over the courts.

In the end, there was a nothing burger statement from the presidential palace on Zelensky’s visit to the NBU, saying he supports the IMF program but not the firm statement of support for the NBU and its approach on PrivatBank as the central bank had hoped.

I think the NBU and IMF will have been disappointed by this.

But what we did have yesterday was a Zelensky press conference where he seemed to support the Steinmeier approach in Donbas peace talks.

If true this would be a major concession from Kyiv to Moscow as it largely gives what Moscow wants which is autonomy for the Kremlin’s so-called Donbas People’s Republics and Luhansk People’s Republic — the Russian-controlled areas of the eastern Donbas in Ukraine — and a veto in effect on Ukraine’s geopolitical orientation.

It’s a bit like the Swiss Federation approach. I spoke to journalists at the presser and they said Zelensky was very nebulous. Perhaps he was trying to imply he was giving Moscow what Putin wanted, but not quite. Enough perhaps to kick off Normandy Format talks again and keep the Europeans happy – the French at least want to bring Vladimir Putin in from the cold – but not inflame nationalist sentiment at home. And remember that over 10,000 people have died in Ukraine looking up the barrel of a Russian gun. It’s still raw emotions.

Zelensky was nebulous around the Steinmeier plan as this is an explosive issue in Ukraine. Nationalists hate the idea. Indeed, last night demonstrators were on the streets calling this a sellout. It was only a few hundred demonstrators but these have all the potential to be very violent and can build to something much bigger.

Now back to PrivatBank. I have a sneaking suspicion that all this is linked. Notable I think that Zelensky seems reluctant to distance himself from billionaire oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky and kept Arsen Avakov as minister of interior. Both were known to control nationalist militia groups which were instrumental in pushing back Russian forces in Donbas back in 2015. Likely if Zelensky is set on agreeing to the Steinmeier approach then having Kolomoisky and Avakov on side would be useful.

All well and good but the concern there is Kolomoisky keeps his nationalist guys in check to support the Steinmeier deal and gets Privatbank back as the quid in the pro. The hope for those supporting this approach is that the Europeans look the other way on Privatbank just happy the peace process is moving forward in Ukraine – keeping the IMF program on track.

But Ukraine loses on rule of law, and the Steinmeier plan kills Ukraine’s Western orientation so Putin wins in terms of control over Ukraine. Clearly this suits Trump as well.

Risks are also that we see violent demonstrations in Kyiv still – not sure Kolomoisky or Avakov can stop these entirely albeit they can moderate their size.

Ironic that Zelensky was elected on a platform of delivering peace in the east and fighting corruption. It will be sad if delivering on one of these means selling out on the other.