We publish some of the communications our comrade Oleg Vernyk has sent, from a bomb shelter in the Ukrainian capital.
By Ruben Tzanoff
The invasion by Russian troops of Ukraine began on February 24. It has already caused many deaths and around a million refugees. The entire territory is a front of resistance to the Russian imperialist invasion, with people volunteering to fight on the front and the preparation of guerrillas. Many people spend the nights in subway stations to protect themselves and organize in air-raid shelters. International solidarity with the people under attack grows and spreads across the world.
Since before the war escalation, the International Socialist League (ISL) has expressed its political position in declarations, interviews and articles. And, since the aggression commanded by Putin began, the sections of our international have intensified the campaign of support for the Ukrainian people, participating in and promoting solidarity actions. Part of our activity consists in maintaining the difficult daily communication with our comrades of the Ukrainian Socialist League (USL), which we reflect below.
Wednesday 2/23
[19:38]: I am in the rural area of Nikolaev for work. I will write after work. I will send the text tonight. The start of the attack is inevitable and imminent.
Thursday 2/24
[6:44]: The Russian attack has begun.
[10:53]: The army is resisting. The Russians managed to break through in the Kharkov area. There is fighting 5 kilometers from Kharkov. Now I am trying to reassure my family and friends. All the USL comrades are fine!
[12:25]: The situation is very bad.
[12:26]: There is fighting in the city of Gostomel, 40 kilometers from Kiev.
[13:00]: Now we are facing the fact that a general mobilization will be announced in Ukraine.
[14:44]: I live near the airport in Kiev. The situation is tense, fighter planes fly out all the time. There was an interception of a Russian missile over the airport. We still have Internet.
[14:45]: I will probably go to the bomb shelter with my family tonight. There are frequent sirens in Kiev.
[14:46]: The Russians broke through from the north, through the Sumi region. Tank columns advance toward Kiev. Looks like they need a blitzkrieg.
[19:56]: Everything is fine so far. I’m going to spend the night with my family in a bomb shelter.
[21:16]: For the first time in my life I am spending the night with my family in a bomb shelter. We live near the Kiev “Zhulyany.” A Russian landing and heavy fighting is possible there at night.
[21:20]: Today, the Russian troops failed to suppress the resistance of the Ukrainian army during the first day of the war. We managed to keep Kharkov. Now there are heavy battles in the south of Ukraine, near Kherson. Russian troops occupied the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The workers were taken hostage. Kiev is still Ukrainian. Lyosha saw how Ukrainian tanks were camouflaged near the Kiev city limits to repel the aggression. USL comrades are as united as ever.
Friday 2/25
[7:18]: Translation of the video: “Friends. Oleg Vernik is connected. Kyiv city. I am 50 years old and for the first time in my life I spent the night in a bomb shelter. Kiev is now in a very difficult situation. We just heard that tank columns are moving towards Kiev. People are very scared. In the morning there were rocket attacks on various objects in Kiev. The city subway is packed with people. Many people use the subway as a bomb shelter. “Because most of the bomb shelters in Kiev are not prepared enough and people use the metro as a more reliable option to save their lives. I want to convey my proletarian greetings to all the comrades of the International Socialist League and express my profound gratitude for being with us, for helping us, for showing proletarian solidarity to Ukraine in struggle. Thank you very much. We are resisting! It is very difficult for us, but Ukraine is resisting. The Russian imperialist aggression was carried out yesterday. Significant parts of the Russian army have attacked Ukraine. The Ukrainian military is much smaller in composition and less prepared. We are not an imperialist state. But yesterday, our boys showed miracles of heroism. And they resist! Today attacks will be launched against Kiev and I really hope that we will not have losses among the civilian population of Ukraine and I really hope that this war will end soon. Long live Ukraine! Long live International Proletarian Solidarity! Thank you comrades. We are resisting!”
[19:26]: Today we will also spend the night in a bomb shelter, since a missile attack is expected in Kiev.
[19:28]: This is a good sign, showing that Putin was not successful with the blitzkrieg.
[19:55]: The family is fine. We’re back at the bomb shelter. Unfortunately, I have no connection with our friend Sergei from the city of Mariupol. And now there are very terrible battles in that city.
Saturday 2/26
[19:49]: In relation to NATO, our position is public and known. The USL needs to place programmatic political accents correctly, depending on the situation. At the same time, it is correct for the ISL to continue criticizing NATO in its documents, in order to identify the correct strategic perspectives for our international, despite the fact that, at this moment, this criticism is not correctly perceived in the mass consciousness of the Ukrainian workers.
[20:01]: I’m scared for Sergei. I’m trying to get in touch with him, but so far I can’t. His phone is off.
[20:04]: Now all the regional cities are being attacked by the Russian army. But in Mariupol, the situation is more difficult, since it is located in the Ukrainian part of the Donetsk region.
[20:10]: We thought that Putin would fight for Donbass. And he attacked the whole of Ukraine.
Sunday 2/27
[18:55]: There was no missile attack today in Kiev. Perhaps the peace negotiations have begun. We await news.
[19:07]: From now on it is forbidden to record videos and take photos in our bomb shelter. There are already more than 300 people here. I was chosen to be in charge of keeping order. Tomorrow in Kiev, the curfew should be partially lifted for a few hours. That is, people will be able to leave.
[22:22]: Misha, a translator from Buenos Aires, wrote me a very nice and warm letter! Thanks to him for his support!
Monday 2/28
[14:10] We were able to leave of the bomb shelter for a few hours today. I will write to you in more detail. Many things to do.
[22:50]: So far we are calm, but we are afraid of the bombing. Zhuliany airport is just a few meters from our bomb shelter, which can be attacked or used for Russian landings.
[22:55]: I think you’re doing everything right. Many thanks to the entire ISL for supporting Ukraine in this difficult time.
[23:02]: Long live international proletarian solidarity!!! Long live the ISL!!!!
Tuesday 3/1
[11:20]: Meanwhile, in our area of Kiev, everything is fine. I will write later.
[21:54]: Heavy shelling has started. Near our bomb shelter, the rockets are already falling very close. Unfortunately, I don’t have a computer here and I’ll be slow to respond from the phone. I’ll start responding tomorrow, if the night passes without casualties.
[23:38]: My bomb shelter is very close to the airport. The rocket attacks are very close and very strong, but there are no attacks on residential areas yet. Our shelter is in the basement of a school, in a residential area. People are very scared of the bombings. No one sleeps among us.
Wednesday 3/2
[14:17]: I’m very tired. The night is over, which is good. In the morning, the men from the bomb shelter and I organized a patrol around the shelter, unloading food and toilet paper that volunteers have brought us. There is not a single moment of calm.
[14:21]: I think it will be possible for me to participate in the proposed audio chat on Wednesday, March 9th. We currently do not allow video chats. Long live international proletarian solidarity!!! Long live the ISL!!!
[19:56]: Comrades of the USL want to participate in the Conference of Socialist Women on Saturday, March 5, both from Kiev and Ivano-Frankivsk, in western Ukraine.
Thursday 3/3
[12:52]: The night passed quietly. But around 12:30 loud explosions began to be heard. It was the bombing of the town of Gatne, which is very close to Kiev. Also, there are no military units there. Why are they striking the villages?
[13:01]: This is scary. In my opinion, Putin went completely crazy when he realized that blitzkrieg did not work. What the Russian army is doing now is inconceivable for a normal person.
[17:45]: A journalist from London called me. He asked about the work of our bomb shelter.
Friday 3/4
[10:38]: The night was very hectic. There are battles near Kiev itself in the Bucha and Gostomel area. In the morning there were two large explosions in the Kiev – Borshchagovka area. We have up to 300 people in the bomb shelter at night. Mostly women and children. Many try to leave for the west of Ukraine, but now it is difficult because the roads are being bombed.
[14:38]: The shelling is already close to our shelter.
[14:39]: Today is a very hard day. The fighting is already taking place at the gates of Kiev, in the direction of Chernihiv and Zhytomyr, at the northwestern entrance to the city.
[15:01]: These are real fascists who are bombing a high-rise residential building.
[15:03]: This is a suburb of Kiev called Irpen, 12 km from the center of the capital.
[15:12]: I learned that the Russians bombed and occupied Zaporizhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Let us continue promoting the mobilizations and actions in support of the Ukrainian people who are resisting the invasion.