535 day of war

Hello, friends!

The past week, much like the previous one, has been filled with daily air alarms. Rockets and drones fly over us every day, and it's simply impossible to get used to it. As always, our only savior is the air defense system, which manages to intercept most of the rockets, but there are still destruction and casualties.

Summer is coming to an end, and there's still hope for some progress on the front, as without it, the coming year will be quite challenging. However, for now, everything remains unclear, and it's difficult to say what the future holds.

Meanwhile, the pressure on the heads of the leadership of military commissariatsis increasing in the country, and now people who were on the front lines and are no longer able to continue fighting due to their health will be allowed to these positions. This is a positive event, some waves of mobilization were with noticeable violations

Mobilization is indeed a complex issue. On one hand, the front requires a significant number of personnel, and there are many soldiers who went to fight in early 2022 and still haven't had a chance to rest, as there are not enough replacements. Some individuals have been in combat since 2014 and have spent half their lives in war. Everyone needs a break, but there's a shortage of people to replace them. Therefore, waves of mobilization are likely to continue, but with the change in military leadership, there's hope that it won't be as harsh as before, where people were forcefully taken from the streets and transported to the military offices.

In general, I've noticed that reading the news has the most negative impact on my well-being. When we were on vacation and didn't pay much attention to what was happening, I felt much better. Now, I can feel how all the problems are making it increasingly difficult to feel normal. When you watch the news, there's hope that something will change the situation and that the war will end soon, but it's been 1.5 years already, and there's no end in sight.

There's hardly any work now, so we're saving as much as we can and trying to spend more time walking and cycling around the nearby villages. Even though I lack energy and motivation, I try to go cycling with Nastya at least once a week, hoping that it will help us create positive experiences and distract ourselves.

Today, we rode our bikes for 35 km, walked through fields, and found a beautiful resting area in a village. After such rides, the physical fatigue is quite pronounced, and it helps to momentarily disregard the mental exhaustion from the war. It seems that this is the best way to relax and recharge somehow – you just need to exhaust yourself physically :)

Thank you all for your support; I'm glad you're still with me!