GJIROKASTER, ALBANIA—
Dear Readers,
I am in Albania, a country friendly to Ukrainians and pro-Ukrainians, a country without the time limits of Europe’s Schengen zone, for a necessary mid-war restoration of energy and strength. This week, while we keep posting every single day here and on Instagram, LinkedIn and X, our Under Fire News team is in remote strategy sessions to sharpen our work.
If you have been reading us for free and believe that our journalism is worth something to you, join the paid subscribers—$10 a month. For that, you get one piece of serious journalism every day, plus the Daily Notebook, which keeps you **ahead of the curve in a chaotic world, especially in mil-tech developments. **
These are hard days in Ukraine. Even getting petrol in Kyiv has become dangerous, with Russians often bombing multiple gas stations a day, in addition to the usual houses, in the capital. This makes Kyiv the same as a frontline city.
For the first time in the war, grocery stores have empty shelves. Crucially, it’s mainly foreign products that are currently hard to find. Ukrainians are adept at growing their own good things on their fertile soil, and this summer was a fertile growing seasons. **But the near-hourly attacks on Kyiv have introduced a new kind of pain and fear. **And everyone is worried about winter.
The hard times and worries are spreading far beyond Ukraine. Whatever we face, we will continue to be here with you every day.
The good news: Warrior friends in and near the ever-expanding front line zone are the most optimistic, cheerful people I know, especially right now. They continue to chip away daily at the task of Russian removal. And as we have seen these years, Ukrainians, when in a pinch, find new ways to HOLD ON. There are good things happening, things that we will not yet report.
Yes, Kyiv in particular faces the worst winter campaign yet. It’s still summer and it’s already brutal. Yes, the Russian human safari in the east is getting worse. Yes, there is a global supply shortage of Patriot air defense missiles (and more)—a problem for all of the free world.
But yes, Ukrainians continue to work and innovate. So, steel yourselves, but do not let depression overtake.
Heck, even amid the warnings from those who create AI that AI could threaten humanity, I’d have confidence Ukrainians could find solutions.
This weekend is Rosh Hashanah, the festival of starting again. In war and in life, we need times of renewal and assessment. Right now, Ukrainians, who had become amazingly adept at intercepting Russia’s Iranian desgined Shahed drones, are starting again by finding solutions for the newer jet-powered killer drones and for a world without American Patriots to defend against incoming Russian ballistics.
If Ukrainians don’t find solutions, it will be hell. But—
“[If you can] watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will* which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
…
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
—Kipling, “If”
*That “Will” is the Ukrainian spirit of воля (volya)—the will to be free.
To all our Jewish readers, in Ukraine and everywhere: shanah tovah—a good year.
Kindly consider becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll be helping our team—Niko, Blacksmith, Whitesmith, Dmytro, Ferdinand (all in Ukraine), Beata, our contributors, and me—carry on. And you’ll be keeping yourself well-informed as fellow members of this cheerfully defiant Resistance!
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Yours sincerely,
JP
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