{"id":384,"date":"2025-02-26T23:33:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T21:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/?p=384"},"modified":"2025-02-26T23:33:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T21:33:36","slug":"my-recollection-of-the-24th-of-february-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/?p=384","title":{"rendered":"My Recollection of the 24th of February, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is a bit different to my usual writing here. It is far more personal, far more story like. I wanted, however, to recall that chaotic day, and my experience from afar. It is a very privileged account, as I was fortunate not to be in Ukraine, however, I think it is worth writing, at least for myself.
<\/em>On the morning of the 24th<\/sup> of February, I was in England, at my mum\u2019s house with my wife. We were meant to be back in Kyiv, Ukraine after a holiday to Sri Lanka, yet when the flights started getting diverted, and I kept getting bombarded with emails from the British embassy to leave Kyiv, we decided, just in case, to go to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had gone to bed after watching some news, with American big brains talking about the imminent invasion on the BBC. I, admittedly, was not that convinced the Russians would launch a full-scale invasion. How could they think they could take a country of 42 million with an army of 240,000? <\/em>Well, I had begun to have doubts about my doubts a week or so prior, when I heard the soldiers were moving into attack formations, when Putin said Lenin created Ukraine, but still, it seemed irrational, even for Russia!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, at around 6am GMT, my wife, who had contacted some tropical fever after our trip, woke me up to say \u201cthe Russians have attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After hearing \u201cThe Russians have attacked\u201d I had several reactions at once. One reaction, a pure one of physical need, was to go back to sleep. I needed rest, as due to my wife\u2019s fever I was severely lacking in it. I closed my eyes immediately to give in to this response before each other reaction, seemingly from a different aspect of my psyche and body, kicked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are the cats okay?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are my wife\u2019s family okay?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are our friends okay?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where are the Russians?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we do?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who do we contact?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sources do I check to learn more?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grabbed my phone, to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, what is the situation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApparently, they\u2019re coming in everywhere. Every airport bombed. They\u2019re going towards Kyiv, Mariupol is under attack, the south is being bombed. It doesn\u2019t look good\u201d My wife said<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheer panic. These words were everything I feared but denied. \u201cWhat about our cats and things?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a contingency plan for this situation, some friends with a car would take the cats and important documents west and we\u2019d figure out the rest. Our plan for if we were in Ukraine was to get to Uzhhorod. We didn\u2019t plan further. No one really did. No one thought about what\u2019s after you\u2019re somewhere safe. However, the plan fell through, as the couple to take our cats got out of Kyiv very early. Understandable as the woman was pregnant at the time (now safely in Poland). Thankfully, the friends house sitting for us were there still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I asked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat can I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCheck on our friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you guys alive? What are you doing? <\/em>I began to write in the chat but I saw there were about 40 messages. I understood several of them had woken up, and were coordinating. Not much to do. So, I rewrote along the lines of: I hope you all get through this. No idea what we can do from the UK but if we can help, let us know. We\u2019re trying to get our cats and friends out atm.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since arriving in the UK, I was trying to sort out my wife\u2019s visa, as the UK had already opened the family scheme, and while my wife had a tourist visa it would eventually expire. So, I had to call the home office, again, as I had and did for several days. First number told me to call another number, the second told me a third, the third, told me to call the original. They all didn\u2019t know. One woman insisted my wife would have to leave and reapply, as there was no scheme for people inside <\/em>the UK. She was incredibly rude. Another woman hung up. One man, thankfully, calmed me down, told me not to leave, and something would be sorted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also had an interview scheduled that day. Somehow, I got to the second stage. I barely remember the job, but I remember saying \u201cWell I was living in Kyiv but\u2026.\u201d And her reaction was of just pure Britishness \u201cOh god, hope your wife\u2019s family are okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat on my computer and got every live map, every telegram channel I could find, twitter, whatever, to see what was going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny news about our flat?\u201d I asked my wife<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey taped the windows, waiting to get a lift, a few options are potentially happening. But, they said, if there\u2019s another siren, they may go to the shelter without the cats\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut they promised\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoe, we aren\u2019t being bombed\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had visions of our two cats, scared, in their cat carriers on the street, surrounded by explosions and death<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did learn, quite fast, that no, Ukraine had not lost its entire Airforce, that was nothing but propaganda. I did also learn a horrific number of trolls from the developing world have a weird affinity for Russia on telegram, but then again, that\u2019s like thinking the Daily Mail comment section is representative of the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was after some time, I realised\u2026it wasn\u2019t all lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia had botched its landing at Hostomel and lost its paratroopers, elite forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia lost helicopters over the Kyiv Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was supposedly a fighter pilot who took down seven planes already. Later, we learned, this was not true. But words cannot express how the Ghost of Kyiv was a story I really needed. I still choose to believe. And a friend recorded a plane from our apartment, I like to say it was the ghost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyiv, Ukraine, was fighting back. Mariupol was holding on thanks to Azov and other battalions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odessa, while under attack, was not being amphibiously assaulted (to this day I am still surprised at this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People were queuing up to get weapons, while others got in their cars and tried to flee to safety. We all do what we think is best.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brave people stood in front of tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people resisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife told me \u201cThe security guards of our residential complex, you know the ones that wake us up every morning by yelling at taxi drivers? Apparently, they\u2019re not entirely useless\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re taking security seriously. Checking documents, patrolling, and helping anyone get to the shelter to wait things out. They also said \u201cAll family welcome, and pets are family\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank god\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That day, and frankly, the next few blurred. I still cannot fully remember the order of events. Me calling the home office. Checking telegram channels. Checking on friends. Updates about our cats and friends. My wife\u2019s family\u2019s safety. Bombs here. Soldiers here. Death here. Missing child here. Lost cat here. Lost dog there. \u201cPut sunflowers in your pocket\u201d. Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Odessa, Chernihiv all under threat of Russian troops. Every region, apart from Zakarpattia, hit with bombs. Big brain takes about NATO expansion, \u201cALOHA\u201d from Tulsi Gabbard, NAZIS!, AZOV, all flooded my social media. The day became a blur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostomel held. Kyiv, held. Russian troops getting closer. Who knew what was next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelensky released his video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am here\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyiv would stand. It will stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That night, on the 24th<\/sup>, I contemplated the pub but decided to avoid the questions. I grabbed a beer instead.  I couldn\u2019t do anything else. And that, that is what felt worst of all to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, at around 12am, still awake, obviously, my wife said to me \u201cI have news\u2026es\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t pluralise\u2026doesn\u2019t matter. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe cats behaved on the journey. They are near my parents. The car broke down, something with the tire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh shit\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad is going to help\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh good\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spent more time holed away in the room, the news came, our friends and cats got to the flat. I went to smoke with my beer.  I stared up at the black sky. It was peaceful. Tonight, Ukrainians would face another night wondering what would fall from it. As they do still now. We just didn\u2019t know how long that would continue. I didn\u2019t know what was next for us either. At least we were safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each day was wake up. Doom scroll. Check in on friends. Call home office. Interviews. Plan next steps. Doom scroll. Call home office again. Go to the pub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The barrage of questions I faced between all of this: Are you guys safe?  When did your wife arrive to the UK? Russia bombs kindergarten in Kharkiv. What do you think will happen Joe? Please call the other line. How long have you been using SEO practices in your work? Oh, I might need someone to look after our house for a bit, would you want to stay at ours? We got to Krakow, not sure what is next. How are you feeling? How is your wife\u2019s family? Do you want another pint, it\u2019s on me? Do you think Putin will give up? Do you think the Russians will do anything? Kyiv has held. Ghost of Kyiv shot down more planes. He doesn\u2019t\u2019 exist. Zelensky is still there. The NLAWs arrived. What time can you do an interview? NAZIS IN UKRAINE. How is your flat?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My struggle was nothing compared to most Ukrainians or people in Ukraine. I didn\u2019t have to deal with overpacked trains, bad phone signal, bombs, guns, the real fear that I hope no one has to experience, the complete uncertainty. We were safe. But it was my experience, and I wanted to share it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife\u2019s fever subsided in a few days. Eventually, we got the visa for my wife. Not that we stayed forever. Most my friends left; some came back. Like we did. I also got a job after some time. And, most importantly, Kyiv held. Kharkiv held. Odessa held. Mariupol did not. Kherson was retaken. I don\u2019t know what is next now for sure. I can make educated guesses. I have been wrong before and probably and will be again. But I learned on that day, that Ukraine will always stand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a bit different to my usual writing here. It is far more personal, far more story like. I wanted, however, to recall that chaotic day, and my experience from afar. It is a very privileged account, as I was fortunate not to be in Ukraine, however, I think it is worth writing, at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[67,68,16],"class_list":["post-384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diary","tag-24th-of-february","tag-englishman-in-zakarpattia","tag-ukraine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":386,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions\/386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}