Our nightly news is full of scenes from Ukraine under assault. We are informed about Russias progress, and of the brave resistance. But what is life like for the average citizen living in Kharkiv or Kiev? May I recommend “City of Thieves” by David Benioff under the Penguin imprint. This novel recounts how the author’s grandfather survived the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War.
The novel is not about the military fight, but rather presents an intimate portrait of life in the midst of war. What is it like to live in a bombed out city? Death from a bullet or a bomb is random and indiscriminate. However, the greater enemies are starvation and the cold. When there is no clean water to drink, bathing becomes an impossibility. What people are willing to eat evolves as food becomes increasingly hard to find. The protagonist encounters cannibalism, prostitution, in general a complete dissolution of the social fabric.
The German assault on Leningrad was a tactical failure, yet Hitler’s delusions prevented a retreat. Then as now, the Wermacht determined to reduce the city to rubble. We are seeing that now as hospitals, apartment buildings and other civilian targets are bombarded without any strategic aims in mind. The spirit of those who defended the city was animated by patriotism, but also by the certain knowledge that the invaders would show no mercy. Then as now, their only choice is to fight or die. Russian conduct in this war assures that the Ukrainian people will not back down. Appeasement will only lead to annihilation.
Understanding conflict from the point of view of those living in its midst is vital in this moment. Our national story tends to focus on those who fight for freedom, the soldiers. We owe it to Ukraine to remember those who fight for survival, the civilians.