Yes. But not

Before coming for a half of a day,
I asked a friend whether there are hits in Kharkiv every day.

“Yes. But not in our place,” she answers.
And some “salutes” welcomed us immediately as we stepped on the Kharkiv land from the train station.

I was thinking of the nature of this “but” that she answered. That it really makes a difference. In different contexts, with different persons, depending on whether you are ready to talk and whether a person is ready to listen it means different things.

From time to time people ask me whether it’s better in Kyiv. And I get confused. Saying no will not be true if you compare the situation to February. But saying yes is also not true.
And that’s where the “but” is coming to help. But there are more “buts” in my head than I usually answer.

So, is it better in Kyiv now?

Yes, but russian missiles hit some objects in Kyiv last week. Not in my district though.

Yes, but 20% of my country is occupied. And there are several hotspots now.

Yes, but I can’t stop thinking of people who are fighting at the frontline.

Yes, but so many familiar places in Donbas are under shellings, in very tough conditions, or waiting for the threat right now. Could not imagine that after 2014 Sloviansk, Mykolayivka, and Lysychansk will experience something worse.

Yes, but people are killed, tortured, and raped in the occupation now. Hard to think about Kherson.

Yes, but there is a humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol.

Yes, but how do the Azovstal defenders feel right now in the place they were taken to?

Yes, but there is so much destruction around. I’ve seen a lot. But it’s only a small part.

Yes, but missiles still hit something in Ukraine every day.

Yes, but the president said, we are losing 60-100 warriors every day, 500 more are getting wounded…

Maybe it’s better to just answer “No”.

No, it’s not better. Even though it’s calmer in Kyiv, Ukraine is still at war.

But we will win.