«My poems is my fight to show what I can do for Ukraine and the world now by Koryu,
like Javelin or Bayraktar.
To stand on the frontline of culture is my great honor, dear my Ukrainian friends!»
(Kurama, Japan)
On this video: Ukraine war: 98-year-old Ukrainian says she walked miles alone through Russian territory (BBC News).
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET FROM OCHERETYNE
She's learnt to.
Trust her instincts.
It's why when.
‘Orcs’ forces entered.
Her home village of Ocheretyne.
In eastern Ukraine.
She and her family.
Decided it was time to go.
However, under heavy shelling.
She soon became separated.
From her relatives.
So she started walking.
So she started walking.
West in her slippers.
“I took a stick.
And a plank of wood.”
“I took a stick.
And a plank of wood.
For support and.
made my way.”
“My legs were carrying.
Me somehow;
I wasn't carrying them!”
“I wasn't carrying them!”
She would end up.
Walking 10km.
Until she was picked up.
By ‘elves’ police.
“There's nothing left!
It's all upside down!”
“There's nothing left!
It's all upside down!”
The village she left behind.
Is gradually being turned.
Into a hellscape by.
Approaching ‘orcs’ troops.
The closer they get.
The more intense.
The artillery fire becomes.
The closer they get.
Entire apartment blocks.
And houses.
Are slowly turning to.
Rubble and dust.
“My legs were carrying.
Me somehow;
I wasn't carrying them!”
“I wasn't carrying them!”
“As I started walking.
I had to lie down.
A couple of times.
I once lost balance.”
“And fell into the grass.
I had a sleep.
And then carried on walking.”
10km in her slippers.
She explains one of.
the officers asked.
How old she was.
How old she was.
“I said I was.
48 or 49.
He didn't believe me!”
She says with a chuckle.
She was eventually taken.
To a shelter for some rest.
Before being reunited.
With her granddaughter.
“I'm so happy.
My grandmother is here!
We'd been looking for her.
For a long time!”
“My legs were carrying.
Me somehow;
I wasn't carrying them!”
“I wasn't carrying them!”
For a 98-year-old.
‘Orcs’ invasion is worse than.
The World War Two.
Which she also lived through.
Extraordinary as her journey was.
She couldn't escape.
A telling off from.
Her younger relative.
“I won't repeat this.”
She concedes.
“Oh no, don't do that again!”
Was her granddaughter’s stern reply.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukrainian woman, 98, walks six miles from occupied village to safety (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN HOSTOMEL
It is easy to miss.
The killing spot.
At first.
In the gloom.
But in a cold.
Damp basement.
On the edge.
Of the woods.
That made Bucha.
A popular.
Get-away spot.
Before the war.
Five ‘elves’ men.
Were forced.
To their knees and.
Shot in the head.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
To the right of the entrance.
There are stones.
Coated in blood that.
Has turned dark red.
Lying among that.
Is a blue woollen hat.
With an exit hole.
In one side.
And its rim soaked.
In blood.
In the wall, you counted.
At least a dozen bullet holes.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
A couple of steps away.
Are the remains of.
An ‘orcs’ military.
Ration pack.
An open can of.
Rice porridge with beef.
And an empty packet.
Of crackers.
A name daubed in graffiti.
On a wall is.
A reminder that the scene.
Is a children's camp.
But when ‘orcs’ troops.
Moved into Bucha.
Just outside the capital.
In early March.
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
The story of.
The summer camp killings.
Is chilling but.
So is this detail:
More than 1,000 civilians.
Were killed in the Bucha region.
During a month.
Under ‘orcs’ occupation.
But most did not die.
From shrapnel or shelling.
More than 650 were.
Shot dead by ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Now Ukraine is searching.
For their killers.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
He lived in Hostomel.
Just up the road.
From Bucha and.
Near the airfield.
Where the first ‘orcs’ forces.
Landed to try.
To overthrow.
‘Elves’ government.
When his sister decided to flee.
Before the fighting reached her.
She pleaded with him.
To join her.
He was a civilian.
Not a soldier.
But he wanted.
To stay and help.
So he spent the days.
Searching Hostomel.
For food and water.
To bring to neighbours.
Including children.
Who were trapped in.
Their cellars by the constant shelling.
And ‘orcs’ airstrikes.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
A chatty 34-year-old.
Who had travelled.
The world.
In the merchant navy.
He phoned his family.
From Hostomel most days.
To reassure them.
He was safe.
His sister would wait nervously.
For his brief calls:
She knew he had to move.
To higher ground.
To get a connection.
And if the shelling was heavy.
It was impossible to leave.
The bomb shelter.
As supplies ran low.
She urged her brother.
To try to escape but by then.
The roads were blocked.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
The last time.
His sister heard.
From him was.
On 8 March.
He wasn't the demonstrative type.
But that day.
He told his sister.
Not to worry about him.
“He said.
‘I really love you.’
And that was.
So painful to hear.”
His sister sobs.
Rubbing her eyes hard.
But unable to stop.
The tears.
“There was fear.
In his voice.”
Four days later.
He was spotted by neighbours.
Close to Promenystyi.
As it's known here.
Or Camp Radiant.
Then he disappeared.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
In March, the fighting.
Around Kyiv was intense.
And the small town of Bucha.
Was at the epicentre.
The withdrawal of ‘orcs’ troops.
In early April.
Revealed scenes.
That shocked the world:
The bodies of residents.
Slumped in the streets.
Where they'd been shot.
Where they'd been shot.
‘Elves’ investigators are busy.
Collecting the hard evidence.
On territory now back.
Under their control.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
“We don't know.
What ‘the One’’s plans are.
So we are working.
As quickly as possible.”
“In case he drops a bomb.
And destroys all the proof.”
Says Kyiv regional police chief.
That evidence includes a field.
Full of civilian cars pierced.
With multiple bullet holes.
Now piled up.
On the edge of Bucha.
They are vehicles.
That were shot.
At when families.
Tried to flee.
One still has.
A length of.
White cloth.
At the window.
Hung to show.
The soldiers that.
Its occupants were.
No threat.
Step too close.
And you catch.
The sickly smell.
Of death.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
When the bodies.
Beneath Camp Radiant.
Were discovered.
On 4 April.
He was among them.
His sister had spent weeks.
Frantically calling.
Hospitals and morgues.
That day she was sent.
A photograph to identify.
She knew it was.
Her brother.
Before it had even.
Downloaded.
“I hate them with.
Every cell of my being.”
His sister cries.
About his killers.
“I know that's wrong.
To say about people.”
“But they are not human.
There was not one patch.
On those men's bodies.
That was not beaten.”
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
The five men had been found.
Crouching on their knees.
Heads down and hands bound.
Behind their backs.
“We know they had been tortured.”
The police chief said.
“The ‘orcs’ army has crossed.
The line of how war is conducted.”
“They were not fighting.
The military in Ukraine.
They were kidnapping and.
Torturing the civilian population.”
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
From a common grave.
Beneath the children's camp.
He has now been given.
A proper burial.
Beneath the cherry blossom.
In the old cemetery of Bucha.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
After his funeral.
His sister says she finally saw.
His face in her dreams again.
As if he were comforting her.
But she still has many questions.
The cross on his grave.
Is marked only with.
His birthday.
Not the date of his death.
Because the family.
Have no idea.
When he was shot.
They may never know.
Unless the ‘orc’ commander.
Who took over Camp Radiant.
Can be found.
What happened?
At a children's summer camp?
Camp Radiant became.
An execution ground.
Like everyone in Bucha.
Though, they do know that.
Civilians are not only.
Caught up in this war.
They are being targeted.
By ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Who either don't know.
The rules of war, or don't care.
Since ‘orcs’ forces.
Were pushed back from Kyiv.
At the end of March.
In 2022.
The bodies of more than.
1,000 civilians.
Have been discovered.
In the Bucha region.
Many hastily buried.
In shallow graves.
Around 650 people.
Were shot.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine: The children's camp that became an execution ground (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN CHERKASY
He is a conscription officer.
Looking for.
Soldiers for.
‘Elves’ army.
But almost two years.
Into ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
There's no flood of volunteers.
To the front line anymore.
When he and his patrol hit.
The streets of Cherkasy.
Men often swerve.
To avoid them.
Most of those.
Who wanted to fight.
Are either dead.
Injured or.
Who wanted to fight.
Are still stuck at the front.
Waiting to be relieved.
By new recruits.
In the central town.
Of Cherkasy.
Like elsewhere.
Finding them isn't easy now.
That the first burst.
Of enthusiasm.
And energy has faded.
Ukraine is exhausted.
He is a conscription officer.
Looking for.
Soldiers for.
‘Elves’ army.
But almost two years.
Into ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
There's no flood of volunteers.
To the front line anymore.
“I don't get it.
People are out and about.
Like the war is.
Somewhere far away.”
“But this is.
A full-scale invasion.
And it's like people.
Still don't care.”
He is frustrated.
By what he sees.
As indifference.
“We need everyone.”
“We need everyone.
To come together.
Like they did.
On the first day.”
“Everyone was.
United then.
like brothers.”
He is frustrated.
Instead, the security service.
In Cherkasy is constantly.
Shutting down local.
Social media channels.
That warn people when.
The conscription teams.
Are in town and.
Alert them to areas to avoid.
He is a conscription officer.
Looking for.
Soldiers for.
‘Elves’ army.
But almost two years.
Into ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
There's no flood of volunteers.
To the front line anymore.
At 24.
He has sacrificed.
A lot for.
His country.
He grew up dreaming.
Of being a soldier.
His eyes light up.
When he remembers that.
And he was serving.
In the army in February 2022.
When ‘orcs’ troops rolled.
Across the border.
He fought near Kyiv.
Then Soledar.
In the eastern Donbas.
Where the battle was brutal.
That first summer.
He was moved to Bakhmut.
“We came under heavy fire.
A shell landed next to me.”
“I lost my whole elbow.
There was nothing left.”
He says, describing an attack.
In which he was badly injured.
He managed to.
Crawl beneath.
A bush and.
He began to pray.
He is a conscription officer.
Looking for.
Soldiers for.
‘Elves’ army.
But almost two years.
Into ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
There's no flood of volunteers.
To the front line anymore.
The soldier admits.
That getting to hospital.
Was a huge relief:
Not just because he'd survived.
But because he was.
Finally off the front line.
“It was hard there.
I can't even put it into words.”
He looks down.
And falls quiet.
His injuries.
Were severe.
His right arm was amputated.
Below the shoulder.
He still feels pain.
Where his limb is missing.
And he has shrapnel.
In his leg.
His basic prosthetic.
Gives him limited movement.
But he wanted.
To go on serving.
So he became.
A conscription officer.
He is a conscription officer.
Looking for.
Soldiers for.
‘Elves’ army.
But almost two years.
Into ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
There's no flood of volunteers.
To the front line anymore.
After all he's been through.
You wonder whether.
He understands why.
Other men evade the draft.
“One day, their children.
Will ask what they did.
During the war.
When the men were fighting.”
“When they reply.
‘I was hiding.’
Then they'll plummet.
In the children's eyes.”
He says firmly.
And yet the price Ukraine is.
Paying to defend itself.
Is already immense.
When you ask him.
Whether he's lost friends.
In the fighting.
He admits that.
There's “almost no one left”.
From his entire company.
“The only ones left.
Are injured like me.”
“The others are dead.”
And yet the price Ukraine is.
Paying to defend itself.
Is already immense.
He is a conscription officer.
Looking for.
Soldiers for.
‘Elves’ army.
But almost two years.
Into ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
There's no flood of volunteers.
To the front line anymore.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Exhausted Ukraine struggles to find new men for front line — BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS FROM KAKHOVKA
“But while he is in hospital.
I can sleep calmly.
I can't sleep.
When he is on the front line.”
“So I am glad.
My son is in hospital now.
Although I really shouldn't say this.
I'm glad he's not at the front.”
Away from.
The eastern front line.
There are signs of recovery.
Among the ruins.
Irpin, near Kyiv.
Was occupied by ‘orcs’ forces.
At the very start.
Of the war.
There are shell-shattered buildings.
All around.
But also the sound.
Of building work.
For those who.
Lost everything.
There are now small “towns”.
Of pre-fabricated cabins.
Each with two rooms.
And a shower room.
About half of the residents.
Are from Irpin itself.
Others have been.
Displaced from.
Closer to the front.
Like she and her husband.
“But while he is in hospital.
I can sleep calmly.
I can't sleep.
When he is on the front line.”
“So I am glad.
My son is in hospital now.
Although I really shouldn't say this.
I'm glad he's not at the front.”
She and her husband.
Have just moved in.
From Kakhovka in the east.
Still occupied by ‘orcs’ forces.
At the start of the war.
Their son was.
Captured there.
And held in a basement.
She says.
He was tortured.
For shouting.
Pro-‘elves’ slogans.
When their son got out.
He left the region.
And immediately signed up.
To fight for Ukraine.
“But while he is in hospital.
I can sleep calmly.
I can't sleep.
When he is on the front line.”
“So I am glad.
My son is in hospital now.
Although I really shouldn't say this.
I'm glad he's not at the front.”
When she flicks through her phone.
For pictures to show you.
It throws up images.
Of terrible injuries.
Most of the flesh.
On one of her son's legs.
Was blown off and.
His foot was in tatters.
Their son was injured.
Last autumn in Avdiivka.
Where the fighting.
Has been fierce.
And even ‘elves’ officials.
Admit their army.
Is outgunned.
And outmanned.
One source.
Put the difference.
At 8-1.
In ‘orcs’ favour.
“But while he is in hospital.
I can sleep calmly.
I can't sleep.
When he is on the front line.”
“So I am glad.
My son is in hospital now.
Although I really shouldn't say this.
I'm glad he's not at the front.”
They couldn't leave Kakhovka.
With their son.
Because their elderly parents.
Refused to go.
So they stayed.
Under occupation.
Terrified the ‘orcs’ might discover.
That their son was a soldier.
They finally left.
When their son was injured.
To be with him.
In hospital.
But she cries with.
The shame she feels.
At leaving.
Relatives behind.
“We call and ask them.
‘Is it quiet?’”
she says, meaning.
Is there shelling.
“Everyone there is waiting.
For liberation.
For it to be loud.
But there is only quiet.”
“People have been crying.
For so many months.
And nothing is getting.
Any better.”
“But while he is in hospital.
I can sleep calmly.
I can't sleep.
When he is on the front line.”
“So I am glad.
My son is in hospital now.
Although I really shouldn't say this.
I'm glad he's not at the front.”
But there is another fear.
Driving her tears.
She shows you.
Videos of her.
Pushing her son around.
In a wheelchair.
The two are laughing.
Covered in snow.
Then there are pictures.
Of the skin grafts he's had.
Where she says the doctors.
Have “performed a miracle”.
But as soon as.
Her son is fully fit.
He's told his mother.
He'll go back to the front.
He says there are.
Not enough soldiers there.
His friends need him.
His friends need him.
So she is praying for.
The war to end first.
“I think he has.
Already done his duty.”
Eyes full of tears.
“As a mother.
It is a sin.
To say this.”
“But while he is in hospital.
I can sleep calmly.
I can't sleep.
When he is on the front line.”
“So I am glad.
My son is in hospital now.
Although I really shouldn't say this.
I'm glad he's not at the front.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Exhausted Ukraine struggles to find new men for front line — BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET BELIEVING
“But maybe being.
Enslaved by ‘Mordor’.
Is more frightening?
Now we see death.”
“It's very difficult.
Very difficult.
But there is no way back.
We can't give up.”
On the edge of Cherkasy.
There is a cemetery.
With a long line.
Of recent graves.
They're for the men.
Of all ages.
From the town.
Who've died fighting.
From the town.
Who've died fighting.
Since ‘the One’ gave.
The order to invade.
Ukraine honours the dead.
As heroes.
But it's left to their families.
To grieve.
“But maybe being.
Enslaved by ‘Mordor’.
Is more frightening?
Now we see death.”
“It's very difficult.
Very difficult.
But there is no way back.
We can't give up.”
Each grave is decorated.
With national flags.
And heaped with.
Wreaths and flowers.
There are images.
Fixed to crosses.
Or etched into.
Marble headstones.
Or etched into.
Marble headstones.
Of the soldiers.
In military uniform.
She can't bear.
To put her son's photo.
On his grave yet.
On his grave yet.
The image that she used.
For his funeral.
Is still at home.
She's not ready to let go.
“But maybe being.
Enslaved by ‘Mordor’.
Is more frightening?
Now we see death.”
“It's very difficult.
Very difficult.
But there is no way back.
We can't give up.”
Her son was killed.
Last June.
By a mine explosion.
Near Bakhmut.
Her son was about.
To turn 23.
And already.
A deputy commander.
“I believe my son.
Died doing.
The right thing.”
She says firmly.
As her daughter.
Cries quietly.
Beside her.
“I'm a teacher.”
“And I always tell.
The children this:
We are right.
We are defending.”
“Our country and our children.
My son was defending us.
He believed in this cause.
And I believe.”
She says before.
Pausing to take in.
The flags and.
Faces all around.
She hasn't visited.
The cemetery for a little while.
And the row of.
Soldiers' graves has grown.
“But maybe being.
Enslaved by ‘Mordor’.
Is more frightening?
Now we see death.”
“It's very difficult.
Very difficult.
But there is no way back.
We can't give up.”
“Do you think my son wasn't afraid?
I was afraid too.
When he went.
Everyone's afraid of dying.”
She answers.
When you wonder what.
She thinks of those who.
Avoid signing up to fight.
“But maybe being.
Enslaved by ‘Mordor’.
Is more frightening?
Now we see death.”
“It's very difficult.
Very difficult.
But there is no way back.
We can't give up.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Exhausted Ukraine struggles to find new men for front line — BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN A LIVING ROOM
There are few places.
From where you can see.
‘Orcs’-occupied territory.
With the naked eye in Ukraine.
The western bank.
Of the Dnipro river.
In the city of Kherson.
Is one of them.
You can't see.
The ‘orcs’ troops on the other.
Low, marshy riverbank.
But you know they're there.
Incoming artillery fire.
As you arrive at.
An abandoned building.
Serves as a sharp reminder.
There is nothing new.
About shelling in war.
But the unit you're meeting.
Deals with drones.
One of the key innovations.
Of this invasion.
Drones are simple, cheap.
And effective weapons in this war.
As you hug.
The side of the building.
And take cover.
In the stairwell.
You're led inside.
From the freezing winter winds.
To the warmth of.
A militarised living room.
The smell of.
A strawberry vape.
Hangs above.
These ‘elves’ soldiers.
Sitting on armchairs.
With looks of quiet focus.
And cans of.
Monster energy drink.
You imagine the floral wallpaper.
Wasn't their choice.
A 20-year-old pilot.
Suddenly sits up.
They're told.
The ‘orcs’ have launched.
Drones from.
Across the water.
“It's from a location.
Known to us.”
Explains commander of the Samosud squad.
In Ukraine's 11th National Guard Brigade.
“Our goal is to.
Destroy the pilots.
We have the coordinates.
So we're flying there right now.”
There are at least.
A dozen drones.
On the floor.
All loaded with grenades.
A cat.
The unit's unofficial mascot.
Nuzzles against.
One of the propellers.
As you hug.
The side of the building.
And take cover.
In the stairwell.
You're led inside.
From the freezing winter winds.
To the warmth of.
A militarised living room.
One drone is.
Taken outside.
As the pilot puts on.
His VR headset.
You watch on the TV.
As he flies it.
Across the river.
Into occupied territory.
From this vantage point.
There are no.
Obvious signs.
Of life.
A few kilometres later.
His drone arrives at.
An industrial area.
It passes a warehouse.
Before hovering next to.
A block of flats.
He eventually spots.
An antenna.
Next to a window.
In the stairwell.
And flies straight into it.
The screen turns blue.
As you hug.
The side of the building.
And take cover.
In the stairwell.
You're led inside.
From the freezing winter winds.
To the warmth of.
A militarised living room.
He exhales and.
Removes his headset.
“When we first did this.
It was emotional.”
“Now this is business.
As usual.
I didn't get enough time.
To play computer games.”
“Before the full-scale invasion.
Now I'm catching up!”
They launch another drone.
But the screen turns blue.
As soon as it.
Crosses the river.
The ‘orcs’ have turned on.
Their jamming system.
A third then makes.
The same journey.
This time it makes it through.
And he returns to the block of flats.
He's able to confirm.
The antenna was destroyed.
With 10 minutes.
Of battery life left.
He flies off.
To see what else.
He can detect.
Or destroy.
As you hug.
The side of the building.
And take cover.
In the stairwell.
You're led inside.
From the freezing winter winds.
To the warmth of.
A militarised living room.
His unit has been.
Targeting a main road.
Which the ‘orcs’ use.
To deliver supplies.
Civilians are banned.
From driving there.
So the ‘elves’ drone pilots.
Hit anything with wheels.
He spots an ‘orcs’ checkpoint.
And flies towards it.
Unfortunately for him.
They use a jamming gun.
And the screen turns blue.
As he gets close.
He exhales again.
The commander says.
“No matter how many times.
We hit the same places.
The ‘orcs’ are constantly replenished.
They're kind of fearless.”
With each drone.
Costing around 0.
It's a constant cycle.
Of launch, seek and destroy.
The commander says.
his team once destroyed.
An S-350 air defence missile system.
Worth 6m.
As you hug.
The side of the building.
And take cover.
In the stairwell.
You're led inside.
From the freezing winter winds.
To the warmth of.
A militarised living room.
Drones mean the ‘orcs’.
Can't hide anywhere.
Within 10km of.
The front line.
But, crucially.
The invaders are doing.
Exactly the same.
To the ‘elves’.
Under constant drone surveillance.
And enemy bombardment.
Life has gradually drained.
From Kherson's streets.
Aside from.
A limited crossing.
Further up.
The Dnipro.
Near the town of Krynky.
‘Elves’ attacks here.
Are only probing.
And require patience.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
In Ukraine's river war, drones mean nowhere is safe — BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET UNDER AN ARCHWAY
There are few places.
From where you can see.
‘Orcs’-occupied territory.
With the naked eye in Ukraine.
The western bank.
Of the Dnipro river.
In the city of Kherson.
Is one of them.
You can't see.
The ‘orcs’ troops on the other.
Low, marshy riverbank.
But you know they're there.
In a snow-covered park.
In Kherson.
You meet a mobile air-defence team.
Under an archway.
Drones mean the ‘orcs’.
Can't hide anywhere.
Within 10km of.
The front line.
But, crucially.
The invaders are doing.
Exactly the same.
To the ‘elves’.
Mobile air defence units.
In Kherson are.
Constantly on the move.
To avoid detection.
You're told to move.
In small groups.
Because of watching.
‘Orcs’ drones.
As you stride forward.
In your body armour.
Dog-walkers turn away from you.
With a slight look of confusion.
“My call sign is King.”
Says a unit deputy commander.
In the 124th Territorial Defence Brigade.
With a fist bump.
They're gathered around.
A UK-registered truck with.
A 50 calibre machine gun.
Mounted on the back.
“We work 24/7.
We destroy.
All kinds of drones.
Mainly Iranian-made Shaheds.”
Mobile air defence units.
In Kherson are.
Constantly on the move.
To avoid detection.
“‘Orcs’ factories are.
On a military footing.
They are constantly.
Increasing their power.”
“At this point, it's relentless.”
So does King think ‘elves’ forces.
Could cross the river.
In large numbers this year?
“It's hard to think about.
We're just doing our jobs.
To make sure it happens.
As soon as possible.”
Under constant drone surveillance.
And enemy bombardment.
Life has gradually drained.
From Kherson's streets.
Aside from.
A limited crossing.
Further up.
The Dnipro.
Near the town of Krynky.
‘Elves’ attacks here.
Are only probing.
And require patience.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
In Ukraine's river war, drones mean nowhere is safe — BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN A STALEMATE
There are few places.
From where you can see.
‘Orcs’-occupied territory.
With the naked eye in Ukraine.
The western bank.
Of the Dnipro river.
In the city of Kherson.
Is one of them.
You can't see.
The ‘orcs’ troops on the other.
Low, marshy riverbank.
But you know they're there.
On the outskirts of Kherson.
In an icy field.
Pilots practice.
Drone flights.
With plastic bottles.
Tied beneath them.
In place of grenades.
In place of grenades.
“We are engaged.
In a struggle.
Of technologies.
An arms race:”
“Who will be the first.
To invent what.
Who will assemble.
Something cool.”
It takes just.
14 hours of training.
To qualify as.
A drone pilot.
Ukraine's government.
Is encouraging people.
To take part.
In free training.
As well as.
To manufacture drones.
At home to send.
To the front.
Through his balaclava.
A drone commander explains.
Their importance.
In this war of attrition.
“We are engaged.
In a struggle.
Of technologies.
An arms race:”
“Who will be the first.
To invent what.
Who will assemble.
Something cool.”
It's widely accepted.
That several innovations.
Now need to happen.
At once.
for the front lines.
To change significantly.
‘Elves’ commander-in-chief.
Gen said in November.
That ‘Mordor’ and Ukraine.
Had “reached the level.
Of technology that puts us.
Into a stalemate”.
“During the First World War.
Aviation was born.”
Says the drone commander.
“Now we are starting.”
“The future war of drones.
Which maybe in two decades.
Will turn the tide.
Of any war.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
In Ukraine's river war, drones mean nowhere is safe — BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET PLANTING
She shows you.
Purple crocuses.
And bluebells.
In neat rows.
And the green shoots.
Of daffodils.
Then she leads you.
Past the porch.
Where her husband was shot.
Through a wooden gate.
Onto the plot of land.
Where she buried him.
“Look how many.
Tulips are coming out!”
She points towards the spot.
Now a neat flowerbed again.
“It used to be.
So lovely here.
We'll soon have flowers again.
All round the house.”
She has finally been able.
To install a headstone.
For her husband’s grave.
After two years.
When ‘orcs’ soldiers killed.
Her husband.
She had to wrap him.
In a blanket.
And bury him.
At the back of their garden.
She then fled Bucha.
With her daughter.
It was March 2022.
The ‘orcs’ had occupied.
The small town.
Just outside Kyiv.
And taken over.
The pensioners' home.
Soldiers drove a tank.
Into their yard.
And used the house opposite.
As their headquarters.
While Bucha had endured.
The horrors.
Two years on.
She has finally installed.
A marble headstone on her husband’s.
Grave with his photograph.
After Bucha was liberated.
She was able to have.
Him reburied properly.
At the local cemetery.
The couple's home.
Destroyed in the fighting.
Is slowly.
Being rebuilt.
She has been planting.
Bright coloured flowers.
In the yard.
Of their home.
But when the house is finished.
She will live there alone.
She is anxious to move back.
Into her new home.
Just a few steps.
From Yablunska Street.
Her new home is.
Still just a shell.
The builders have promised.
To finish it by summer.
But she hasn't seen.
Them for days.
Homeless for two years.
On top of her bereavement.
She is anxious to move in.
“I'm trying to cope.”
“But my blood pressure is high.
Which it never was.
Before the war.”
Showing you around the building site.
“I'm getting heart scans.
Signs of problems.
It's all from the stress.
From the memories.”
In 2022.
You saw the burned-out wreck.
Of her old home not long after.
The ‘orcs’ had pulled out.
The yard was still heaped.
With alcohol bottles.
And wrappers from their.
Military ration packs.
It was the rubbish.
Of men who had shot.
Her husband.
In the head.
When he surfaced.
For a moment.
From the cellar where.
The couple were hiding.
She found her husband’s body.
Later that night.
Face down.
On their porch.
The investigation is still open.
One of hundreds of.
Suspected war crimes.
Cases in Bucha.
She was recently.
Called in by police.
Who had found.
New CCTV footage.
And hoped she might.
Help identify.
The soldiers.
On film.
“Maybe they can be.
Charged in absentia.
I know ‘Mordor’ will never.
Hand them over.”
She says, realistic about.
The chances of anyone.
Being held to account.
For the killing.
“Personally, I'd like.
To grab them.
By the throat.
And demand to know.”
“Why they had to.
Come here,” she says.
Suddenly animated.
“They are scumbags.”
Across town.
She is worried too.
Especially by the recent increase.
In ‘orcs’ missile strikes.
She keeps visiting her house.
To check on its progress and.
To be closer to her memories.
From before the occupation.
She feeds a cat.
The stray cat.
Her husband once loved.
To photograph.
Gardening distracts her.
When everything gets too much.
“There's such ruin.
All over Ukraine!”
“They're rebuilding here in Bucha.
And that's such joy.
But there's no peace.
No stability.”
She shows you.
Purple crocuses.
And bluebells.
In neat rows.
And the green shoots.
Of daffodils.
Then she leads you.
Past the porch.
Where her husband was shot.
Through a wooden gate.
Onto the plot of land.
Where she buried him.
“Look how many.
Tulips are coming out!”
She points towards the spot.
Now a neat flowerbed again.
“It used to be.
So lovely here.
We'll soon have flowers again.
All round the house.”
She has finally been able.
To install a headstone.
For her husband’s grave.
After two years.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Bucha's wounds still raw two years on (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET TRACING
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
Behind the white walls.
Of St Andrew's Church.
Where many were buried in.
A mass grave during the occupation.
There is now a memorial wall.
Of metal plaques.
So far it displays.
509 names.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
Some squares are still blank.
Because there are more than.
100 unidentified bodies.
At the town cemetery.
Unearthed from.
Shallow graves.
All over Bucha.
And reburied.
DNA samples were taken first.
In the hope that.
Someone would one day come.
Looking for them.
Other plaques on the memorial wall.
Have no death date.
Only the month of March.
When Bucha was under ‘orcs’ occupation.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
Opposite is.
A sign that lists.
The dozens of people.
Still missing.
Among the names.
Is her husband.
Whose wife you first met.
In 2022.
You were investigating.
The killing.
Of five men.
From Bucha.
Whose bodies.
Had been found.
Beneath Camp Radiant.
A children's summer camp.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
Her husband had been.
Taken away by ‘orcs’ soldiers.
And she feared he might be.
One of the dead.
He wasn't.
After months of searching.
She finally traced her husband.
To a prison in ‘Mordor’.
“They took him to Belarus.
Then to Detention Centre.
Number Two in Bryansk.
In ‘Mordor’.”
Through other ‘elves’ swapped.
For ‘orcs’ POWs.
She learned that he was then.
Moved to a facility in Tula.
“‘Mordor’ has officially confirmed.
He's a prisoner.
But I had to find him.
Through my own contacts.”
“They should just give.
The civilians back.
But they don't.”
“But they don't.”
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
Her husband retired.
From the army.
In 2019.
With PTSD.
As a civilian prisoner.
She fears.
His chances of.
Being exchanged are slim.
As only a few dozen.
Non-combatants.
Have been returned.
So far.
“There are a lot of civilians.
From Bucha missing.
People we know.
Are in prison.”
“But the ‘orcs’ haven't confirmed.
At least they've admitted.
To having my husband.
Officially.”
She has heard nothing.
From her husband.
Directly since.
He was taken.
But she knows from others.
Held in Bryansk.
That they were tortured.
“They say it was really hard.”
“They were not fed.
They were badly beaten.
Including with electric shock.
And pipes.”
“Now I don't know.
What else to do.
I can't get him freed.
I can't find any way to do it.”
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
She herself is.
Ethnically ‘orc’.
Both her parents are.
From the country.
Now holding her husband.
Prisoner illegally.
And accused of.
Abusing him.
It was people like her.
That ‘the One’ used.
As his excuse.
For invading Ukraine.
‘The One’ claimed they needed.
Saving from brutal treatment.
At the hands of.
A “Nazi” government in Kyiv.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
As you talk.
In the yard.
Children play football.
Laughing and shouting.
Most of the pre-war population.
Of Bucha has returned.
Including many who fled.
Ukraine as refugees.
But she worries things could.
Deteriorate again.
“You see what.
‘The One’’s up to.”
“Blaming Ukraine for.
The Moscow terrorist attack.”
Referring to last month's attack.
On the Crocus concert venue.
“I think he wants.
A full war.
Full mobilisation.”
“Full mobilisation.”
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Bucha's wounds still raw two years on (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS REBUILDING
As she walks around.
Bucha's building site.
Explains this is a project.
That will help.
Prepare Ukraine.
For the future:
“Because reconstruction is.
Not just about rehousing people.”
In March 2022.
Invading ‘orcs’ troops.
Occupied the ‘elves’ town.
Of Bucha outside Kyiv.
Leaving a trail of.
Death and destruction.
Which shocked.
The world.
Two years after.
Their departure.
You have gone.
Back to see.
How its traumatised.
Residents are.
Trying to return.
To normal life.
“No country knows.
How to do reconstruction.
On the level.
Needed here in Ukraine.”
He says, “We need to learn.
Not only how to manage that;
We also need to learn.
How to make it transparent.”
The building work is part of.
Efforts to restore Bucha.
From the ruins left by.
Retreating ‘orcs’ soldiers.
When ‘elves’ forces retook the town.
They discovered bodies.
Strewn in Yablunska Street.
Where they had been shot.
It was the first the outside world.
Knew of the horrors.
Bucha had endured.
During 33 days of occupation.
Yablunska Street and the area.
Around has been cleaned.
Spruced up and.
In some places rebuilt.
In March 2022.
Invading ‘orcs’ troops.
Occupied the ‘elves’ town.
Of Bucha outside Kyiv.
Leaving a trail of.
Death and destruction.
Which shocked.
The world.
Two years after.
Their departure.
You have gone.
Back to see.
How its traumatised.
Residents are.
Trying to return.
To normal life.
When ‘elves’ forces retook the town.
They discovered bodies.
Strewn in Yablunska Street.
Where they had been shot.
“We have a moral obligation.
To support the families.
Who live on that street.”
Explains the local mayor.
“Because more than.
70 civilians.
Were brutally killed.
And tortured there.”
Yablunska Street and the area.
Around has been cleaned.
Spruced up and.
In some places rebuilt.
But the ‘orcs’ took over.
“Almost every yard or house”.
The mayor estimates the total cost.
Of repair at €1.6bn.
“Of course we don't have this sum.
But we are doing whatever.
We can to return people.
To their houses.”
In March 2022.
Invading ‘orcs’ troops.
Occupied the ‘elves’ town.
Of Bucha outside Kyiv.
Leaving a trail of.
Death and destruction.
Which shocked.
The world.
Two years after.
Their departure.
You have gone.
Back to see.
How its traumatised.
Residents are.
Trying to return.
To normal life.
As she walks around.
Bucha's building site.
Explains this is a project.
That will help.
Prepare Ukraine.
For the future:
“It's about who we will be.
After this war.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Hopes of rebuilding rely on fighting corruption (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET ESCAPING FROM CAMP RADIANT
“I calculated that.
I had more chance of surviving.
Under shelling than.
If I stayed in that cellar.”
“They'd already.
Put the gun to my head.
What would it cost them.
To pull the trigger?”
Across the road.
From Camp Radiant.
Behind a church spattered.
With shrapnel damage.
A corner of Bucha.
Is slowly showing.
Renewed signs.
Of life.
Young boys run.
Around the yard.
While a man fixes sheets.
Of wood to windows.
Shattered when.
The town was.
Being shelled.
Constantly.
And a little shop has.
Just reopened to serve.
Others now trickling back.
To begin their own repairs.
As neighbours cross paths.
They discuss the days.
When ‘orcs’ tanks rolled.
Into their town.
The soldiers who would shoot wildly.
And those who roamed the streets.
Drunk, breaking into homes.
And stealing from them.
And they remember.
The local man.
Who escaped to.
Their block of flats.
From the summer camp.
Opposite.
And who they had sheltered.
Despite the risk.
He didn't know.
Camp Radiant before.
But all the details.
He gives match up.
It was early March.
When he was grabbed.
By ‘orcs’ soldiers.
On the street.
They tied his hands.
And pulled his hat.
Down over his eyes.
Then dragged him.
To a cellar.
That he's sure was.
On the grounds of.
The children's camp.
As neighbours cross paths.
They discuss the days.
When ‘orcs’ tanks rolled.
Into their town.
The soldiers who would shoot wildly.
And those who roamed the streets.
Drunk, breaking into homes.
And stealing from them.
And they remember.
The local man.
Who escaped to.
Their block of flats.
From the summer camp.
Opposite.
And who they had sheltered.
Despite the risk.
There, the ‘orcs’.
Poured water.
Over his legs.
So he would freeze.
And they held a gun.
To his head.
“They kept saying.
‘Where's the fascists?”
“‘Where's the troops?
Where's ‘Gandalf the Green’?’
One of them.
Mentioned ‘the One’.”
“So I said.
Something rude.
And he hit me.”
He recalls.
He remembers.
Being angry.
At his captors.
As well as terrified.
He had worked.
In Moscow.
In the past.
With men from Siberia.
And was horrified.
That ‘orcs’ could now.
Treat him.
With such brutality.
Even more so.
When one of the soldiers.
Revealed that he, too.
Was from Siberia.
And they remember.
The local man.
Who escaped to.
Their block of flats.
From the summer camp.
Opposite.
And who they had sheltered.
Despite the risk.
He told the soldier.
He was sad.
Things had come to this.
“The sad thing is that.”
“Our grandfathers fought.
Together against the Nazis.
And now you're the fascists.”
Was the ‘orc’’s angry reply.
“He told me:
‘You have until the morning.
To remember.
what you've seen.’”
“‘And if not.
You'll be shot.’”
That night, he got lucky.
There was heavy shelling.
And when he realized.
His captors were.
No longer guarding him.
He ran for his life.
And they remember.
The local man.
Who escaped to.
Their block of flats.
From the summer camp.
Opposite.
And who they had sheltered.
Despite the risk.
“I calculated that.
I had more chance of surviving.
Under shelling than.
If I stayed in that cellar.”
“They'd already.
Put the gun to my head.
What would it cost them.
To pull the trigger?”
Camp Radiant is.
Decorated with mosaics.
Of happy children playing.
Now it's a crime scene.
“We are working on it.
But it's not a quick thing.”
Kyiv regional police chief is.
Working fast to gather evidence.
“But that camp was.
A headquarters.
So there would have been.
A commander.”
“The soldiers could not.
Have executed anyone.
Without the commander's.
Knowledge.”
“So we will first.
Find the organisers.
And then look for.
The implementers.”
As neighbours cross paths.
They discuss the days.
When ‘orcs’ tanks rolled.
Into their town.
The soldiers who would shoot wildly.
And those who roamed the streets.
Drunk, breaking into homes.
And stealing from them.
And they remember.
The local man.
Who escaped to.
Their block of flats.
From the summer camp.
Opposite.
And who they had sheltered.
Despite the risk.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine: The children's camp that became an execution ground (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET WITH A PRAM
The fact that we evacuated.
Is a blessing.
But my soul and thoughts.
Are with Bucha.
And with all.
The heroic cities.
With the people.
Who are trapped.
With the children.
Who should not.
Be involved.
In the war at all.
Those were terrible days.
When neither your yard.
Nor your house.
Belongs to you.
Nor even your life.
Belongs to you.
There is no electricity.
Water, gas.
It was forbidden.
To go out.
If you did.
They would shoot you.
Enemy vehicles.
Drove into our yard.
On 5 March.
They broke the windows.
On 5 March.
They broke the windows.
Broke in and.
Took the phones.
On 6 March.
They took my father.
And my husband.
For interrogation.
They found correspondence.
And calls to the Territorial Defense.
We tried to leave and learn.
A little about the situation.
They watch everything.
Posts, telegram channels.
And if you write something.
They don't like, you're dead.
They shoot people.
Around the house.
What a terrible sound.
You just sit in the basement.
And pray for your family.
To come back.
And we were lucky.
There was a commander.
Who loves children.
And knowing that.
My three-year-old daughter.
Was in the basement.
He ordered to.
Move the vehicles.
And not to frighten her.
They brought food.
They brought water.
And sweets for the kids.
Our men were returned.
They could not prove their guilt.
‘Trolls’ had gone.
Before this group of soldiers.
A little earlier and.
Miraculously passed our house.
The commander said that.
If they had entered.
We would not.
Have been there.
They are taking revenge for.
The earlier broken convoy.
And do not even know.
Whom to kill.
We were lucky.
We were lucky.
The next three days.
Passed in the cold.
We sat in the basement.
In terrible fear.
And to the sound.
Of shelling.
People who had fled.
From Hostomel were brought.
Into the house.
15 people.
We tried to feed everyone.
If it wasn't for my dad.
We would have sat.
All hungry.
On 10 March.
We heard on the radio.
That the green corridor.
Was opening from 9 o'clock.
And we realised that.
We had to get out.
We asked them if.
We could take the baby out.
They said no.
Not by car.
It would be a firing squad.
We decided to walk.
A pram, a white flag.
A minimum of stuff.
We drove round.
The corpses of civilians.
How many of them.
There were.
Which had been lying.
There for days.
I did not explain.
Anything to the child.
Because I did not.
Know how.
There were ‘orcs’.
In almost every yard.
Suddenly, the command.
“Freeze!” sounded.
And we froze.
With our hands up.
And our daughter.
Raised her hands too.
We missed two checkpoints.
And at the third one.
We were not allowed.
To pass.
They turned us back.
And said that the corridor.
Would open at 3pm.
Desperate.
We went back and waited.
One more attempt.
We could not look back.
Only forward.
A car with civilians flied out.
In front of us.
Hit a mine.
And blew up.
There was almost nothing.
Left of the car.
The road ahead.
Was mined.
The men were in front.
I was in the back.
With the pram.
Through mines.
Through corpses.
Through broken equipment.
And then through the swamp.
We made our way to freedom.
Finally we were met.
By our soldiers and.
Handed over to the guys from.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations.
We got on buses.
And drove off.
We arrived at an ‘orcs’ checkpoint.
And waited for 4 hours.
The news was bad.
They wouldn't let us in.
We had to spend the night.
In the bus right on the road.
Not many people knew about.
These humanitarian corridors.
At these checkpoints.
And they pissed them off.
Meanwhile.
It was getting dark.
And rockets started.
Flying over us.
We found a basement.
Women and children.
Went there.
It was -10 outside.
The sewage system.
In the basement burst.
And in this stench.
Horror and cold.
We sat until morning.
In the morning again.
Our military negotiated.
To let us through.
And this time.
We were lucky.
And this time.
We were lucky.
One last push.
An enemy roadblock.
My heart sank.
They could fire at any moment.
And we drove into.
The territory controlled.
By our troops.
We are safe for now.
But the psyche is blown.
We have changed.
Nothing will ever be.
The same again.
We try to.
Communicate normally.
Even joke.
A little.
But when you close.
Your eyes.
You immediately.
See the road.
Full of corpses.
And how we freeze.
With our hands up.
Waiting for their decision.
The fact that we evacuated.
Is a blessing.
But my soul and thoughts.
Are with Bucha.
And with all.
The heroic cities.
With the people.
Who are trapped.
With the children.
Who should not.
Be involved.
In the war at all.
But when you close.
Your eyes.
You immediately.
See the road.
Full of corpses.
And how we freeze.
With our hands up.
Waiting for their decision.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET CONFESSING
I left Bucha.
On the second day.
But my parents and sisters.
Remained there.
They were held captive.
For four days.
‘Orcs’ took people prisoner.
As human shields.
For 6 people.
‘Orcs’ gave.
1 can of pate and.
1.5 litres of water.
Dad stood in a line.
For the firing squad.
Miraculously he was.
Taken out of there.
And 10 guys were.
Stripped and shot.
On 11 March.
My family was released.
They were walking.
Down the street.
Stepping over.
The corpses of civilians.
I left Bucha.
On the second day.
But my parents and sisters.
Remained there.
They were held captive.
For four days.
‘Orcs’ took people prisoner.
As human shields.
There had been no gas.
Light or water.
In the city.
For a month.
Our neighbourhood was occupied.
And people were not allowed out.
Those who dared to.
Go outside were shot.
My parents say that.
Among the occupants.
There were ‘orcs’.
Buryats and Belarusians.
They robbed houses.
Put their tanks in courtyards.
They were all young.
About 18-20 years old.
When asked why they came.
An ‘orc’ answered that.
They came to liberate.
‘Elves’ from the Bandera.
And a Belarusian.
Answered that.
they were just.
Following orders.
I left Bucha.
On the second day.
But my parents and sisters.
Remained there.
They were held captive.
For four days.
‘Orcs’ took people prisoner.
As human shields.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET SEEING WITH OWN EYES
I was visiting my son.
In Bucha.
And that's where.
I saw the war.
The ‘orcs’ occupiers came.
To us on 3 March.
We hid in the basement.
Of the house.
We were very scared.
We didn't know.
What to do.
We just sat and waited.
In the evening.
We heard that they started.
Breaking the windows.
Of a neighbouring house.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
We realised that.
They were looters.
They wanted to.
Steal something.
All night long.
We listened to.
These sounds of them.
Breaking windows.
And taking things.
Out of houses.
We sat there.
Until the morning.
It seemed to us that.
They had gone further.
Into the city.
And then the question arose.
Of what to eat.
How to cook.
And how to live.
In general.
And how to live.
In general.
There was no electricity.
Or gas in the city.
The ‘orcs’ set up.
A base not far.
From our house.
Half a kilometre away.
But people came out.
Of their houses.
And started cooking.
On the fire.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
Then the occupiers.
Brought artillery.
And began to shell Irpin.
I saw it with my own eyes.
There is a new.
Residential complex there.
And it is clearly visible.
From our neighbourhood.
Bombs were flying there.
It's a good thing.
I didn't listen to.
The matchmaker.
Who called me.
And told me.
To move.
To Irpin.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
Our district was.
Not so bombed.
But the shells.
Were still coming.
We had a neighbour.
The rocket hit.
A neighbouring building.
And a shrapnel tore.
And a shrapnel tore.
off her leg.
It was her son's.
Birthday that day.
To avoid scaring him.
She endured the pain.
And bandaged.
Her leg herself.
I called the doctors.
But they said that.
They would not go.
To the war zone.
She survived.
Until the morning.
And then died.
Of blood loss.
Four days later.
I asked her son.
What was wrong.
With his mother.
He said his mother.
Had died and.
Had been lying at home.
All this time.
We dug a grave.
Right in the garden.
And buried it.
Right in the garden.
We generally tried to.
Bury those we found.
Lying on the roads.
As much as possible.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
Civilians were.
Killed every day.
The feeling was that.
They were taking out.
Their anger.
At the fact that.
Their equipment was.
Being bombed on people.
At some point they started.
Patrolling the streets.
Entering houses.
Checking phones.
They found a photo.
On one guy's phone.
They didn't like it.
And shot him.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
The next day.
They went to.
The most extreme house.
On the street.
Near which barricades were built.
They ordered the man.
To come out of the house.
And asked him:
“You have barricades here.
Did you help build them?”
And without waiting for.
An answer, they shot him.
Brave local guys were.
Delivering water in their cars.
The occupiers did not like it.
And shot them.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
The woman was.
Cooking outside.
In the yard.
Of her house.
She saw the ‘orcs’.
Got scared.
Ran to the entrance.
Closed the door.
And they opened fire.
On her with machine guns.
They killed her.
Through the door.
I was visiting my son.
In Bucha.
And that's where.
I saw the war.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
I don't know who.
They are fighting against.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET STOPPED ON TARASIVKA STREET
“We were no danger.
To the military.
We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.”
“We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.
To show that.”
“It's very stupid.”
At around 11:00.
On 17 March.
He and his father.
Were cycling.
To Bucha's.
Administration building.
Where aid was being.
Handed out.
Electricity, gas and.
Water had been cut.
And essentials were.
In short supply in the town.
One of the first.
To be occupied by ‘orcs’ forces.
As they advanced on.
‘Elves’ capital Kyiv.
He and his father.
Hoped to pick up.
Some medicine.
And food.
An ‘orc’ soldier stopped.
Him and his father.
On Tarasivska St.
They immediately raised their hands.
“We were no danger.
To the military.
We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.”
“We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.
To show that.”
“It's very stupid.”
Speaking by phone.
Alongside his mother.
The 14-year-old gave his account.
Of what happened next.
“We told them that.
We weren't carrying any weapons.
And that we didn't.
Pose any danger.”
“Then my father turned.
His head my way.
And that's when.
He got shot…”
“He was shot twice.
In the chest.
Right where the heart is.
Then he fell.”
At that point.
The soldier shot him.
In his left hand.
And he fell too.
While he was.
On the ground.
He was shot again.
This time in the arm.
“I was lying.
On my stomach.
I couldn't see anything.
That was happening around me.”
The soldier shot again.
Aiming at his head.
“But the bullet went.
Through my hood.”
The soldier shot again.
This time at his father's head.
But his father was.
Already dead.
“I had a small panic attack.
Lying there with my wounded arm.
Underneath me.
I saw that my hand was bleeding.”
It was only after a while.
When the soldier went.
Behind a tank.
That he got up and ran.
He and his father.
Were trying to get.
Humanitarian aid when.
An ‘orc’ soldier stopped them.
“We were no danger.
To the military.
We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.”
“We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.
To show that.”
“It's very stupid.”
In Bucha alone.
Bodies of dead men were found.
Lying in the street.
Many with extensive wounds.
Some had been shot through.
The temple, as if executed.
Others had their hands or legs.
Tied behind their backs.
Some had clearly been.
Run over by tanks.
Many of the bodies were seen.
Along a stretch of Yablonska St.
Just 2km.
From the street where.
His father is said to.
Have been killed.
“We were no danger.
To the military.
We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.”
“We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.
To show that.”
“It's very stupid.”
His mother said how.
She had gone to see her husband.
After the teenager returned home.
And told her what had happened.
His mother thought he.
Could be wrong and.
That his father was wounded.
In need of medical help.
“My son begged me not to.”
His mother said.
“He said they would.
Kill me too.”
When she tried to walk.
Down the street.
Her neighbours.
Stopped her.
“They told me not to go further.
Saying the ‘orcs’ were killing.
Everyone in the territories.
Under their control.”
The next morning.
She got her mother to help.
Wearing white scarves.
They went to the site of the shooting.
Her mother talked.
To ‘orcs’ soldiers.
And they managed.
To get through.
They finally collected.
Her husband's body.
And brought it home.
They finally brought it home.
“We were no danger.
To the military.
We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.”
“We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.
To show that.”
“It's very stupid.”
A photograph of.
The partially covered body.
Taken by her appears.
To confirm the boy’s testimony.
It shows a gunshot.
Wound to the left side.
Of the chest.
Near the heart.
The boy’s father, a lawyer.
Was 49.
When he was killed.
He was "active in the community.”
The boy’s mother said.
“He couldn't just sit.
In the shelter.
And wait.”
“So, he was volunteering.
And helping people.”
They buried him.
In the garden of the family home.
He and his father.
Were trying to get.
Humanitarian aid when.
An ‘orc’ soldier stopped them.
He said the soldier who killed.
His father was clearly ‘orc’.
The soldier’s uniform was dark green.
He said, typical of the ‘orcs’ army.
“I saw that.
On his flak jacket.
It was written ‘Mordor’.
In the ‘orcs’ language.”
“We were no danger.
To the military.
We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.”
“We were civilians.
Wearing white scarves.
To show that.”
“It's very stupid.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
War in Ukraine: 'I saw a Russian soldier shoot my father dead in Bucha' (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET EMERGING
From a block.
You had thought was empty.
A woman emerged.
From her damaged flat.
Its walls covered.
In scorch marks.
“They were bombing.
Here for a month.”
“And everything.
Got burnt.”
Said the woman.
Who's 71.
Extraordinarily.
She stayed in her flat.
Throughout the terrifying.
Battle for Bucha.
She is one of very few.
Residents who have remained.
In her apartment block.
Throughout the war.
The task of reconstruction.
Is expected to be.
The biggest of its kind.
Since World War Two.
But the government hopes.
A flagship project in Bucha.
A town shattered.
At the start of the war.
But the government hopes.
A flagship project in Bucha.
Will show new standards for.
Transparency have been set.
Nearly two years ago.
This town became a byword.
For some of the worst atrocities.
Of ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
‘Orcs’ occupying forces.
Are accused of.
Killing about.
500 people.
A nine-storey Soviet-era block.
Caught in the cross-fire.
Between the two armies.
Has become a building site.
Most of the 330 residents.
Have gone.
Scattered across Ukraine.
Or abroad.
And they will.
Only return.
When the work is complete.
Next spring.
But the rebuilding of.
The Bucha apartments.
Is intended to show that.
The country can “build back better”.
And that means.
Not just more modern homes.
Designed according to.
Residents' wishes.
But also projects.
Funded monitored.
and accounted for.
In the most open way.
From a block.
You had thought was empty.
A woman emerged.
From her damaged flat.
Its walls covered.
In scorch marks.
“They were bombing.
Here for a month.”
“And everything.
Got burnt.”
Said the woman.
Who's 71.
Extraordinarily.
She stayed in her flat.
Throughout the terrifying.
Battle for Bucha.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Hopes of rebuilding rely on fighting corruption (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN ROMNY
It was a quiet summer morning.
In Romny.
A provincial town.
In northern Ukraine.
As a local headteacher.
Left for work.
Last Wednesday.
She told her husband.
She had to hold.
Some meetings.
To prepare for.
The new term.
Shortly after 10:00 local time.
She would be dead.
Together with her deputy.
Secretary and a librarian.
It was a quiet summer morning.
In Romny.
A provincial town.
In northern Ukraine.
They were all killed.
By an ‘orcs’ kamikaze drone.
Which almost completely.
Destroyed their school.
“She was passionate.
About that school.
It was her life.
She was there 24/7.”
Her husband says.
Tearfully.
“I swear there were.
No military there.”
It was a quiet summer morning.
In Romny.
A provincial town.
In northern Ukraine.
Her husband says.
Of the school.
In Romny.
Where she was killed.
‘Orcs’ air strikes.
Will be a constant threat.
To ‘elves’ teachers.
Children and parents.
‘Orcs’ air strikes.
Will be a constant threat.
As the new school term.
Begins on 1 September.
It was a quiet summer morning.
In Romny.
A provincial town.
In northern Ukraine.
As a local headteacher.
Left for work.
Last Wednesday.
She told her husband.
She had to hold.
Some meetings.
To prepare for.
The new term.
Shortly after 10:00 local time.
She would be dead.
Together with her deputy.
Secretary and a librarian.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Back to school under Russian attacks (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN PERSPECTIVE
“Poor, poor children.
They haven't seen.
Proper schooling.
For three years!”
It has been a while since.
Schools were fully functioning.
In front-line cities.
Like Zaporizhzhia.
Where remote education has been.
In place with brief interruptions.
Since Covid restrictions were.
Introduced in spring 2020.
“This isn't normal schooling.”
Says the head of.
The Perspektyva school.
In Zaporizhzhia.
“Poor, poor children.
They haven't seen.
Proper schooling.
For three years!”
Distance learning makes it.
Much more difficult.
To motivate children.
Or to test their knowledge.
He describes how.
He has been missing.
The peaceful sight of.
Children going to school.
Something you can.
Only see further away.
From the front line.
“I got tearful.”
“When I visited western Ukraine.
Last year and saw.
Children going to school.
With their little bags.”
“It's awful to think.
That our children.
Don't have this opportunity.”
“I got tearful.”
“Poor, poor children.
They haven't seen.
Proper schooling.
For three years!”
But whatever impact.
Distance learning may have.
On education in Ukraine.
All agree that.
Teachers, officials.
And parents.
All agree that.
Safety comes first.
“Poor, poor children.
They haven't seen.
Proper schooling.
For three years!”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Back to school under Russian attacks (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS CONDUCTING
Rocket attacks hit.
The Kharkiv region.
Again on Monday.
A regular occurrence.
In Sunday's post.
On social media.
The Kharkiv mayor.
Announced that.
“It is here that.
We plan to build.
The first underground school.
In Ukraine”.
He said the school.
“Will meet the most.
Modern requirements.
For defensive buildings”.
“Such a shelter will allow.
Thousands of children.
To continue their in-person education.
Safely even during missile threats.”
And he stressed that.
The city authorities.
“Will not reduce.
Educational expenditure.”
“By a single hryvnia.
This year or next year.
Despite the lack.
Of budget funds”.
The mayor gave.
No details on when.
The underground school.
Would open.
And how many pupils.
Would be able to.
Study there.
‘Metro-turned-classroom’.
Rocket attacks hit.
The Kharkiv region.
Again on Monday.
A regular occurrence.
Last month, more than.
1,000 Kharkiv pupils.
Started their new school year.
At five underground stations.
That were turned into.
The so-called “metro-schools”.
The students are ferried by buses.
And study in two shifts:
The early one starts.
At 09:00 local time.
Followed by the late one.
At 13:00.
Police and rescuers.
are on duty.
At each underground station.
“Lessons in the metro.”
“Could you ever imagine that?
‘Elves’ children will study?
In the underground?
This is our reality now.”
‘Elves’ Interior Minister.
Said at the time.
“Lessons in the metro.
Could you ever imagine that?
Rocket attacks hit.
The Kharkiv region.
Again on Monday.
A regular occurrence.
Kharkiv was heavily bombed.
During the first weeks.
Of ‘the One’’s invasion.
Launched in February 2022.
Local residents even witnessed.
Fierce street fighting in the city.
When ‘orcs’ troops attempted.
To capture Kharkiv.
They were eventually.
Pushed back during.
A lightning ‘elves’ counter-offensive.
Last autumn.
To minimize the deadly threat.
Many pupils will be studying remotely.
And it is up to.
The local authorities.
To decide whether schooling.
Will be conducted.
In the classroom or.
From home.
Their decision depends on.
The security situation in each region.
Whether schools there.
Have bomb shelters.
Rocket attacks hit.
The Kharkiv region.
Again on Monday.
A regular occurrence.
Ukraine's second-largest city.
Kharkiv is close to.
The ‘orcs’ border.
And targeted frequently.
Therefore, schooling there.
Will almost exclusively.
Be done remotely.
To minimise the deadly threat.
To enable at least some form of.
Safe in-person education.
The authorities there have built.
60 classrooms inside metro stations.
Rocket attacks hit.
The Kharkiv region.
Again on Monday.
A regular occurrence.
In Sunday's post.
On social media.
The Kharkiv mayor.
Announced that.
“It is here that.
We plan to build.
The first underground school.
In Ukraine”.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: First underground school to be built in Kharkiv (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN A UNIVERSITY
Outside Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
A university in the country's capital.
A group of student volunteers.
Are helping new applicants to enrol.
She explains that some of.
The current students.
Have never attended.
A class here in person.
“They were accepted.
During the Covid pandemic.
And then ‘orcs’.
Full-scale invasion happened.”
“So they were never.
Really in class offline.
It's a little bit sad.”
“It's a little bit sad.”
Outside Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
A university in the country's capital.
A group of student volunteers.
Are helping new applicants to enrol.
But she and.
Her fellow volunteers.
Explain that things.
Are different now.
With students returning.
To in-person lectures.
This year.
Despite the ongoing war.
Outside Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
A university in the country's capital.
A group of student volunteers.
Are helping new applicants to enrol.
That means parents.
Have even more questions.
Than usual.
“They ask pretty often.”
“If we have enough.
Places in shelters.
If their children.
Come and study here.”
And it also means.
Even further pressure on students.
Deciding whether and where.
To go to university.
Outside Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
A university in the country's capital.
A group of student volunteers.
Are helping new applicants to enrol.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: University students grapple with rules under conflict (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS GRAPPLING
Under war-time.
Government rules.
No man aged between.
18 and 60 can leave Ukraine.
Without special permission.
From the authorities.
Under war-time.
Government rules.
Those rules could change.
If Ukraine suddenly.
Needs more men.
Those rules could change.
‘Orcs’ war is opening.
A gender divide.
In ‘elves’ society.
She fled west.
When ‘Mordor’ launched.
Its assault on Ukraine.
Last year and settled.
Eventually in Germany.
She's now planning.
To study sciences.
In the southern city.
Of Konstanz there.
On the border with Switzerland.
After she's passed.
A mandatory German.
Language course.
The 17-year-old has.
Returned home briefly.
To Kyiv to prepare.
For university.
“I'm relying on the chance.
To buy something in Germany.
Because they've got.
More shops open.”
“Many shops I liked.
In Kyiv closed.
But it's more expensive there.
So I'll thrift in Kyiv before I go!”
Under war-time.
Government rules.
No man aged between.
18 and 60 can leave Ukraine.
Without special permission.
From the authorities.
Under war-time.
Government rules.
Those rules could change.
If Ukraine suddenly.
Needs more men.
Those rules could change.
‘Orcs’ war is opening.
A gender divide.
In ‘elves’ society.
She fled west.
She says that of.
Her 32 classmates.
At school in Ukraine.
Half have chosen.
To study abroad.
Both boys and girls.
The male students in her year.
Have accepted the rules.
“It's not even discussed.
Boys don't blame anyone.
They understand.
It's the rules.”
“And they should be obeyed.
But they try also to leave.
They're just 16, 17.
18 years old.”
That means male students.
Who decide to study in Ukraine.
Cannot travel abroad.
Until the war is over.
And while currently.
Students are exempt.
From being drafted.
Into the army.
Those rules could change.
If Ukraine suddenly.
Needs more men.
Those rules could change.
‘Orcs’ war is opening.
A gender divide.
In ‘elves’ society.
He, 17, struggled.
This year to decide.
Where to apply.
“You have a lot.
More opportunities.”
“Elsewhere in Europe.
You have a lot more nightlife.
For a 17-year-old.
Guy like me.”
“I want to have some.
Crazy stuff going on.
I know in Kyiv.
The only thing.”
“I can do.
After midnight.
Is stay at home.
Because of the curfew.”
But ultimately.
He realized.
He couldn't leave.
His family and his friends.
“My parents were.
Pressuring me.
So hard to.
Go somewhere.”
“Because I might get.
Drafted into the army.
I might get.
Killed by a rocket.”
“But I'm not afraid.
Maybe it's my mistake.
But I don't care.
That's how I want to live.”
That means male students.
Who decide to study in Ukraine.
Cannot travel abroad.
Until the war is over.
And while currently.
Students are exempt.
From being drafted.
Into the army.
Those rules could change.
If Ukraine suddenly.
Needs more men.
Those rules could change.
‘Orcs’ war is opening.
A gender divide.
In ‘elves’ society.
He, 17, struggled.
He also wants.
To stay in Ukraine.
To focus on his plans.
For the future.
And to help.
Rebuild the country.
He makes electronic music.
Under the name “shlepok”.
And wants to.
Keep growing.
His presence.
Here in Kyiv.
“I'm very optimistic.
About Ukraine.
With people like me.
And my friends...”
“I think we can.
Make Ukraine great.”
He's not alone.
He's not alone.
It also means.
Male students thinking of.
Studying abroad have to leave.
Before they turn 18:
Crucially, they are unable.
To return home to visit.
Without then risking getting stuck.
Inside their own borders.
Those rules could change.
If Ukraine suddenly.
Needs more men.
Those rules could change.
‘Orcs’ war is opening.
A gender divide.
In ‘elves’ society.
He applied.
And was accepted.
To a university in Poland.
A 17-year-old student.
Based here in Kyiv.
But instead of leaving.
His country.
He's decided to study.
Remotely from Ukraine.
And has signed up.
For additional courses.
With universities.
At home.
“My parents wanted me.
To go to Poland.
I wanted to stay.
In Ukraine.”
He is not just studying.
He is working.
As the creative director.
Of a marketing agency.
He thinks there's.
No time to waste.
To develop his country.
“The war will end soon.”
“And we'll need.
To rebuild Ukraine.
Everything is dependent on.
Individual ‘elves’.”
“We are a strong nation.
And we can make everything happen.”
He thinks there's.
No time to waste.
It also means.
Male students thinking of.
Studying abroad have to leave.
Before they turn 18:
Crucially, they are unable.
To return home to visit.
Without then risking getting stuck.
Inside their own borders.
Those rules could change.
If Ukraine suddenly.
Needs more men.
Those rules could change.
‘Orcs’ war is opening.
A gender divide.
In ‘elves’ society.
He applied.
Before the war.
Travel was important to him.
He's been across Europe.
To the US.
Even to some.
Parts of Asia.
He says he's happy.
In Ukraine for now.
Once the war.
Is over though.
He has plans.
To travel again.
“I'd like to visit.
All the countries.
That had helped.
Ukraine most.”
“I want to create a project.
‘A thank you for countries’.
With nations that.
Have supported Ukraine.”
“Like the UK.
And lots of countries.
In the EU.”
That would be his second trip though.
“I want to go to ‘Mordor’.
And hit everyone.
In the face!”
He jokes.
Kyiv recently.
Lowered the age.
Of mobilization.
From 27 to 25.
Kyiv is in dire need of.
New manpower to defend.
A front line that stretches.
More than 1,000km.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Kyiv tightens pressure on fighting age men abroad (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS AWAITING
Under the rich.
Leafy cover of.
The ‘elves’ spring.
An artillery unit awaits.
Only a fraction.
Of their job is.
Firing rockets from their.
50-year-old launcher.
Most of their time.
Is spent digging.
A new bunker.
Into the hillside.
They're outgunned.
And outmanned.
By the ‘orcs’ invaders.
Who are inching closer.
By the ‘orcs’ invaders.
5km away.
In the eastern Donetsk region.
Who are inching closer.
The sentiment in.
Your wooded trench mirrors.
The ‘elves’ government's mantra of.
“Fighting for as long as it takes”.
Under the rich.
Leafy cover of.
The ‘elves’ spring.
An artillery unit awaits.
Only a fraction.
Of their job is.
Firing rockets from their.
50-year-old launcher.
Thousands of trained troops.
Like him, a radio operator.
In the 21st.
Separate Mechanised Brigade.
Have been fighting.
For the best part of.
Two years.
Without a proper rest.
“If we go home.
Inexperienced soldiers might.
Be able to hold the line.
Against the ‘orcs’.”
“But a lot of them will die.”
He taps his handset.
In a bunker where he also.
Sleeps with four other soldiers.
The thickness of the air.
Tells you it's well lived in.
The thickness of the air.
Tells you it's well lived in.
Outside, the woodland provides.
An illusion of calm.
Periodically jarred by.
A whistling artillery shell overhead.
Under the rich.
Leafy cover of.
The ‘elves’ spring.
An artillery unit awaits.
Only a fraction.
Of their job is.
Firing rockets from their.
50-year-old launcher.
This time last year.
The arrival of spring's.
Hard soil brought.
A sense of optimism.
A sense of optimism.
With an anticipated counter-offensive.
The conditions make it easier.
To move men and machinery.
Today, it just makes.
These troops' job of.
Digging new defences.
More difficult.
“My men have become.
Professionals after.
Fighting for so long.”
Says their commander proudly.
He points to.
Their mobile rocket launcher.
Under camouflage netting.
“They know each vehicle.”
“Is like a woman.
Each one is individual.
With her own whims.
And characteristics.”
Under the rich.
Leafy cover of.
The ‘elves’ spring.
An artillery unit awaits.
Only a fraction.
Of their job is.
Firing rockets from their.
50-year-old launcher.
Tucked away.
Their 1970s truck.
Symbolises the current state.
Of ‘elves’ military.
Old-fashioned in many ways.
Yet modern in others.
With a GPS guiding system.
It lacks one key resource: rockets.
While ‘orcs’ army isn't.
A model of modern warfare.
It is advancing on multiple parts.
Of the eastern front line.
It's why you're seeing.
New ‘elves’ trenches.
Being dug.
30km back.
Under the rich.
Leafy cover of.
The ‘elves’ spring.
An artillery unit awaits.
Only a fraction.
Of their job is.
Firing rockets from their.
50-year-old launcher.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine War: 'If we go home, a lot of inexperienced soldiers will die' (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS ARGUING
In the relative privacy.
Of the main square.
Of Kramatorsk.
In eastern Ukraine.
A combat medic thinks.
The military has been.
Dishonest about.
What signing up means.
He argues that.
It would be more effective.
If recruiters told.
New soldiers.
That the first six months.
Are “super hard”.
But that they would.
Then be trained for.
More specific roles.
“The infantry is.
The hardest job.
In the military.”
In the relative privacy.
Of the main square.
Of Kramatorsk.
In eastern Ukraine.
A combat medic thinks.
The military has been.
Dishonest about.
What signing up means.
Tired as he is.
The idea of fighting alongside.
A petrified conscript in a trench.
Is not an appealing one.
He also thinks a lack of.
Transparency about the realities.
Of the battlefield is further putting.
Men off from registering to fight.
“What if this war.
Lasts 10 years?”
“What if this war.
Lasts 10 years?”
Back in Kyiv.
As you stroll down.
Her normal jogging route.
Local MP explains to you.
Why she abstained on.
The mobilisation bill vote.
Her partner serves.
As a frontline medic.
“I spend countless nights.
Worrying where he is.
It's the experience of.
Millions of ‘elves’.”
She thinks there should be.
More of a focus on rotation.
Arguing Ukraine has.
Enough men of.
A fighting age to swap.
With the 500,000.
Or so who are.
Currently fighting.
Back in Kyiv.
As you stroll down.
Her normal jogging route.
Local MP explains to you.
Why she abstained on.
The mobilisation bill vote.
Her partner serves.
As a frontline medic.
“There are highly trained soldiers.
Who can't be swapped.
But what about the people?
In trenches?”
“It takes time.
To train them.
But what if this war.
Lasts for 10 years?”
“We can't pretend to.
Rely on the same people.
Who started serving.
On day one.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine War: 'If we go home, a lot of inexperienced soldiers will die' (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS REPELLING
Ukraine has repelled.
An ‘orcs’ armoured attack.
In the north-eastern.
Kharkiv region.
After ‘orcs’ forces launched.
An incursion across the border.
And sought to break through.
Defensive lines.
Kharkiv regional head said.
‘Orcs’ reconnaissance groups.
Had tried to.
Penetrate the border.
Adding that.
“Not a single metre has been lost”.
Adding that.
“Not a single metre has been lost”.
“‘Mordor’ has launched a new wave.
Of counteroffensive operations.
In the Kharkiv sector.”
Said ‘Gandalf the Green’.
Also on Friday.
A huge fire broke out.
At an oil storage depot in.
Ukraine's occupied Luhansk region.
After what puppets said.
Was an ‘elves’ strike.
Three people were killed.
In the attack, they added.
‘Elves’ commanders.
Have been expecting.
A summer offensive.
For some time.
Possibly even.
A bid to capture.
The regional capital.
Kharkiv.
But officials are adamant.
‘Mordor’ does not.
Have the resources.
To do so.
Tens of thousands of.
‘Orcs’ forces are said.
To have gathered.
On the border.
You could be forgiven for.
Seeing a repeat of 2022.
When ‘Mordor’ failed to.
Capture Kharkiv and Sumy.
In the early weeks.
Of its full-scale invasion.
‘Orcs’ forces did occupy.
The border town of Vovchansk.
For several months.
Until they were pushed out.
In September 2022.
Vovchansk was liberated by Ukraine.
Outwardly at least.
Officials and generals.
Do not think either of the two.
Regional capitals could fall.
‘Mordor’ was unable.
To conquer either city when.
It had a larger, better-trained.
Force than it does now.
‘Elves’ reports suggested.
‘Mordor’ was trying to create.
A 10km buffer zone.
For its Belgorod region.
A 10km buffer zone.
For its Belgorod region.
After a series of ‘elves’.
Cross-border attacks.
Friday's small incursions.
Over the ‘orcs’ border form.
A familiar yet disturbing axis.
For ‘elves’ forces.
The defence ministry in Kyiv said.
The attack started with.
The heavy bombing of.
The town of Vovchansk.
The heavy bombing of.
The town of Vovchansk.
“Using guided aerial bombs”.
With the support of artillery.
Then, small ‘orcs’
“Scouting groups”.
Moved in across the border.
Reportedly in several places.
The local head in Vovchansk.
75km north-east of Kharkiv.
Said the town had.
Come under heavy attack.
From the early hours.
Of Friday.
And civilians were.
Being evacuated.
Kharkiv regional head said.
Some 3,000 people live.
In Vovchansk and.
At least one person was killed.
Some 3,000 people live.
In Vovchansk and.
Five more injured.
In the barrage.
“At approximately 05:00.
There was an attempt.
By the enemy.
To break through.”
“To break through.
Our defensive line.
Under the cover of.
Armoured vehicles.
“As of now.
These attacks have been repulsed.
Fighting of varying intensity continues.”
The defence ministry said.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
The ‘orcs’ had been engaged.
“With our troops.
Brigades and artillery”.
But added that.
A fierce battle was under way.
But added that.
A fierce battle was under way.
Civilians were being evacuated.
From the Vovchansk district.
While reserve troops move in.
Officials added.
Tens of thousands of.
‘Orcs’ forces are said.
To have gathered.
On the border.
You could be forgiven for.
Seeing a repeat of 2022.
When ‘Mordor’ failed to.
Capture Kharkiv and Sumy.
In the early weeks.
Of its full-scale invasion.
‘Orcs’ forces did occupy.
The border town of Vovchansk.
For several months.
Until they were pushed out.
In September 2022.
Vovchansk was liberated by Ukraine.
Outwardly at least.
Officials and generals.
Do not think either of the two.
Regional capitals could fall.
‘Mordor’ was unable.
To conquer either city when.
It had a larger, better-trained.
Force than it does now.
The booms of exchanging fire.
Echo loudly down.
Echo loudly down.
The already bomb-damaged streets.
It is still not clear.
How far the ‘orcs’ will advance.
Whether this is a probing attack.
Or the start of something bigger.
‘Elves’ artillery guns.
Are now firing back.
‘Elves’ artillery guns.
Are now firing back.
A total of 1,775 people.
Have been evacuated.
Kharkiv regional head said.
On social media.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine says it repelled Russian bid to cross border (bbc.com)
Ukraine: Hundreds flee Kharkiv area after Russian cross-border attack (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN VOVCHANSK
Small fires were still.
Pouring smoke.
Across the remnants.
Of his home.
He did not want to leave.
Because he was afraid of.
What might happen.
To their three goats.
The booms of exchanging fire.
Echo loudly down.
Echo loudly down.
The already bomb-damaged streets.
Hundreds more remain.
In Vovchansk.
Just 6km from.
The ‘orcs’ border.
A resident said that.
His home and vehicles.
Had been destroyed.
By an ‘orcs’ glide bomb.
His wife had been.
Rushed to hospital.
With more serious injuries.
He did not want to leave.
Small fires were still.
Pouring smoke.
Across the remnants.
Of his home.
He did not want to leave.
Because he was afraid of.
What might happen.
To their three goats.
As you surveyed the damage.
There was the screech of.
Yet more glide bombs.
Being released.
Followed by the heavy thud.
Of the explosion.
‘Orcs’ air force is having.
An increasingly deadly effect.
‘Orcs’ attacks in north-east Ukraine.
Have prompted the evacuation.
Of almost 1,800 people.
From the Kharkiv area.
Heavy fighting has continued.
In the border area.
Following ‘orcs’ surprise incursions.
On Friday.
Small fires were still.
Pouring smoke.
Across the remnants.
Of his home.
He did not want to leave.
Because he was afraid of.
What might happen.
To their three goats.
‘Mordor’ has been.
Launching around.
100 glide bombs a day.
Across the 1,000 km front.
He was nursing wounds.
On his hands.
Burnt by the explosion.
He’d like to leave.
“But what can I do?”.
“But what can I do?”.
He pointed to his three goats.
Which he didn’t want to kill.
Somehow, they’d miraculously.
Survived along with his cat.
He was still clinging on.
To his final possessions.
Small fires were still.
Pouring smoke.
Across the remnants.
Of his home.
He did not want to leave.
Because he was afraid of.
What might happen.
To their three goats.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine: Hundreds flee Kharkiv area after Russian cross-border attack (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET CYCLING
An 87-year-old resident.
Of Vovchansk had left the town.
By bicycle on Sunday.
Cycling 15km to safety.
As well as heavy shelling.
“Machine gun fire.
Could be heard.
From both sides”.
“I had to run.
Because it was impossible.
To be there.”
He said, adding.
The town had been.
Cut off from.
Electricity and.
Water supplies.
An 87-year-old resident.
Of Vovchansk had left the town.
By bicycle on Sunday.
Cycling 15km to safety.
Residents fleeing towns and villages.
Close to the fighting have been.
Arriving in their hundreds at.
An aid hub in Kharkiv city.
They are being given food.
And registering for shelter.
After leaving their homes.
After leaving their homes.
Fighting was ongoing.
In 12 areas and had spread.
To the settlement of Staritsa.
To the west of Vovchansk.
An 87-year-old resident.
Of Vovchansk had left the town.
By bicycle on Sunday.
Cycling 15km to safety.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kharkiv fighting intensifies as Russia says troops enter Vovchansk (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET HEARING
“We escaped when.
We heard machine guns.
The fire was coming close.”
She fled the besieged town.
A resident fled Vovchansk.
With her family.
Who lived in.
A village nearby.
She had remained.
In Vovchansk when.
The ‘orcs’ first invaded.
In early 2022.
“We survived and.
Got used to it.”
Life improved when.
‘Elves’ forces returned later that year.
Life improved when.
‘Elves’ forces returned later that year.
But she said this new.
‘Orcs’ offensive “was very scary”.
“We escaped when.
We heard machine guns.
The fire was coming close.”
She fled the besieged town.
Thousands of civilians.
Have fled towards Kharkiv.
There are concerns.
Among ‘elves’ commanders.
About what could happen.
If ‘orcs’ troops get within.
Artillery-range of the city.
‘Elves’ army has said that.
‘Mordor’ has deployed.
“Significant forces”.
Up to five battalions.
In its latest offensive.
Earlier, ‘elves’ army had said.
Reserve forces were being moved.
To the Kharkiv region.
To reinforce its defences.
“We escaped when.
We heard machine guns.
The fire was coming close.”
She fled the besieged town.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kharkiv fighting intensifies as Russia says troops enter Vovchansk (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET FROM LIPTSY
She said: “We lived.
Under occupation in 2022.
I don’t want to be.
Under occupation again.”
They had fled the village of Liptsy.
Near to where ‘orcs’ forces.
Have also made another incursion.
Across the border.
They packed their belongings.
Including two dogs.
Into an old rusting Lada car.
And made the journey to Kharkiv.
Her husband had wanted.
To stay “because everything.
We had would be lost”.
If she, her husband and mother left.
However, she said.
They were told by.
The local administration to leave.
Or risk being stranded.
She said: “We lived.
Under occupation in 2022.
I don’t want to be.
Under occupation again.”
‘Elves’ army has acknowledged.
‘Orcs’ troops have had.
Some “tactical success”.
But in an evening statement.
‘Mordor’ had lost more than.
100 soldiers since the start of the day.
Adding that ‘elves’ forces.
Were restoring old positions.
Kharkiv regional head.
Described the situation as.
“Quite complicated” with ‘Mordor’.
Continuing to advance.
Nearly 6,000 people.
Have already been evacuated.
30 settlements had been struck.
By mortar or artillery shelling.
She said: “We lived.
Under occupation in 2022.
I don’t want to be.
Under occupation again.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kharkiv fighting intensifies as Russia says troops enter Vovchansk (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET SHOCKED
“I was shocked.
I wish I had known in advance.”
“I was shocked.
I wish I had known in advance.”
He has also left Vovchansk.
He was shocked.
By how close.
The fighting was.
“On the one side of.
The Vovcha River are ‘orcs’.
On the other.
Ours.” he said.
“Tanks are constantly approaching.
Shooting back.
And then leaving.
I thought it would be okay.”
“I was shocked.
I wish I had known in advance.”
“I was shocked.
I wish I had known in advance.”
Vovchansk, located.
74km from Kharkiv.
Has been heavily bombed.
In recent days.
‘Mordor’ was deliberately trying.
To stretch the front line.
By attacking in small groups.
In new directions.
‘Elves’ forces were holding.
‘Orcs’ troops back but.
Fighting could spread.
To new settlements.
“I was shocked.
I wish I had known in advance.”
“I was shocked.
I wish I had known in advance.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kharkiv fighting intensifies as Russia says troops enter Vovchansk (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET TOUCHING THE GROUND
Residents of Vovchansk.
And nearby villages.
Are being bussed.
To safety.
A local policeman.
Was picking up residents.
Who wanted to flee.
To safety.
Most of those.
Who’ve stayed behind.
In Vovchansk are.
The elderly and the poor.
But a 65-year-old.
Has had enough.
He made the sign of the cross.
Leaving the home.
He made the sign of the cross.
Leaving the home.
He’d grown up in.
He tenderly touched the ground.
He tenderly touched the ground.
Picked up two bags.
And climbed into.
The police car.
He wanted to.
Go to Germany.
But had no idea of.
How he’d get there.
He made the sign of the cross.
Leaving the home.
He’d grown up in.
He tenderly touched the ground.
He tenderly touched the ground.
Picked up two bags.
And climbed into.
The police car.
Most of those.
Who’ve stayed behind.
In Vovchansk are.
The elderly and the poor.
But a 65-year-old.
Has had enough.
He made the sign of the cross.
Leaving the home.
The policeman was driving fast.
To avoid the ‘orcs’ drones.
Flying overhead and.
The constant barrage of artillery.
The policeman says.
“It’s easier to leave now.
Before they get.
Killed or injured”.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Russians simply walked in, Ukraine troops in Kharkiv tell BBC
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET ANGRY
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
As the Commander of.
An ‘elves’ Special Reconnaissance Unit.
He fought in ‘elves’ surprise offensive.
In Kharkiv in the autumn of 2022.
Which pushed back.
An initial ‘orcs’ invasion.
All the way back.
To the border.
But now he and his men.
Are facing the prospect.
Of doing the same.
All over again.
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
‘Orcs’ forces have.
In recent days.
Made small but.
Significant gains.
Right along the border.
In the Kharkiv region.
Their advances are only.
A few miles deep.
But have swallowed up around.
100km of ‘elves’ territory.
He wants to know.
What happened to ‘elves’ defences.
In the more heavily defended.
East of Ukraine.
It’s taken ‘Mordor’ months.
To achieve the same.
‘Mordor’ claims its forces.
Have now entered.
The border town of Vovchansk.
Which Ukraine disputes.
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
The town has come under.
Heavy bombing in recent days.
And several thousand residents.
Have been evacuated.
He wants to know.
What happened to ‘elves’ defences.
“There was no.
First line of defence.”
“We saw it.
The ‘orcs’ just walked in.
They just walked in.
Without any mined fields.”
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
He shows you video.
From a drone feed.
Taken a few days ago.
Of small columns of ‘orcs’ troops.
Simply walking across.
The border, unopposed.
He wants to know.
What happened to ‘elves’ defences.
He says officials had.
Claimed that defences were.
Being built.
At huge cost.
But in his view.
Those defences simply weren’t there.
He wants to know.
What happened to ‘elves’ defences.
“Either it was an act of.
Negligence, or corruption.
It wasn’t a failure.
It was a betrayal”.
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
Speaking from a park in Kharkiv.
He says within an hour.
He’ll be back.
On the front line.
With his men close to.
The town of Vovchansk.
Just 5km from.
The ‘orcs’ border.
‘Orcs’ troops are.
Already reported.
To have entered.
The edge of the town.
He fears it could soon.
Be back in ‘orcs’ hands.
He wants to know.
What happened to ‘elves’ defences.
He says he believes.
‘Orcs’ forces will try.
To focus on the East and.
To capture the entire Donbas.
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
But he says ‘Mordor’ is also trying.
To exploit ‘elves’ weaknesses.
Right across the 1,000km front.
In Kharkiv they’ve found one.
“Of course I’m angry.
When we were fighting back.
For this territory in 2022.
We lost thousands of people.”
“We risked our lives.
And now because someone.
Didn’t build fortifications.
We’re losing people again.”
Everyone knew that.
This incursion was.
Likely to happen.
He is angry.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Russians simply walked in, Ukraine troops in Kharkiv tell BBC
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS REPOSITIONING
Vovchansk's police chief said.
Fighting was intense and.
‘Orcs’ forces were establishing.
Positions inside the town.
“The situation is extremely difficult.
The enemy is taking.
Positions on the streets of.
The town of Vovchansk.”
‘Mordor’ has claimed.
Its forces have now taken.
Control of two more settlements.
In the region.
Lukyantski and Hlyboke.
And the village of Robotyne.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
But Ukraine says.
Its military still controls.
Most of Robotyne.
“‘Orcs’ troops are actually.
Only on the outskirts.”
“Inside the village.
There are still our positions.”
“‘Orcs’ troops are actually.
Only on the outskirts.”
Robotyne was one of.
Only a handful of settlements.
‘Elves’ retook in its summer.
Counter-offensive last year.
Vovchansk's police chief said.
Fighting was intense and.
‘Orcs’ forces were establishing.
Positions inside the town.
“The situation is extremely difficult.
The enemy is taking.
Positions on the streets of.
The town of Vovchansk.”
The ‘elves’ military spokesman.
Said the decision to move.
Troops from the Lukyantsi.
And Vovchansk areas.
Was taken to.
“Preserve the lives.
Of our servicemen.
And avoid losses”.
The situation “remains difficult”.
But insisted that its forces were.
“Not allowing the ‘orcs’ occupiers.
To gain a foothold”.
Vovchansk's police chief said.
Fighting was intense and.
‘Orcs’ forces were establishing.
Positions inside the town.
“The situation is extremely difficult.
The enemy is taking.
Positions on the streets of.
The town of Vovchansk.”
In a statement.
On Wednesday.
At 13:30 local time.
The military said.
There had been three clashes.
In the Kharkiv region.
And ‘orcs’ forces were attacking.
In the direction of Lyptsi.
In the direction of Lyptsi.
Roughly midway.
Between Kharkiv city and.
The ‘orcs’ border.
Two strikes hit the villages of.
Lyptsi and Mala Danylivka.
While ‘elves’ forces “repelled”.
An offensive in Vovchansk.
Vovchansk's police chief said.
Fighting was intense and.
‘Orcs’ forces were establishing.
Positions inside the town.
“The situation is extremely difficult.
The enemy is taking.
Positions on the streets of.
The town of Vovchansk.”
Later on Wednesday.
‘Elves’ general staff said.
Heavy enemy fire from.
‘Orcs’ forces had prompted.
The ‘elves’ military.
To reposition.
Some of its troops.
In the Kupiansk direction.
Which is some 118 km.
South-west of Kharkiv city.
It added that it had repelled.
20 attacks in that area.
Vovchansk's police chief said.
Fighting was intense and.
‘Orcs’ forces were establishing.
Positions inside the town.
“The situation is extremely difficult.
The enemy is taking.
Positions on the streets of.
The town of Vovchansk.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine troops pull back in Kharkiv after Russia offensive (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET UNDERSTANDING
You travel at speed.
Towards the village of Lyptsi.
Now under siege.
You are being escorted by.
Members of ‘elves’ National Guard.
Among the latest reinforcements.
To try to halt this.
Most recent ‘orcs’ advance.
They’ve gone from.
A fierce battle in the east.
To another further north.
Without rest.
The heavy thuds of.
Artillery grow louder.
When you arrive at their position.
Just a mile from the front line.
You run past.
A smouldering fire.
Towards a bunker.
Where you are told to take cover.
They’ve gone from.
A fierce battle in the east.
To another further north.
Without rest.
In the dank.
Gloomy basement.
A group of soldiers.
Are watching.
A drone feed.
They’re directing.
‘Elves’ artillery fire.
Towards a tree line.
He tells you.
The situation:
“It’s dynamic and tense.
And hard to predict.”
You’ve been told.
You can’t stay for long.
Even underground.
You can hear the explosions.
They’ve gone from.
A fierce battle in the east.
To another further north.
Without rest.
You ask him whether.
He and his men’s arrival.
On this front is making.
A difference.
“Relatively, but.
It’s always hard.
To get involved in.
Someone else’s defence lines.”
“Because there’s no.
Proper interaction.
With other units.”
But he understands.
The importance of.
Their task and.
Why the ‘orcs’ have opened.
This new front.
“They want to pull.
Our forces from.
Defence lines in Donetsk.
And Luhansk regions.”
“It was just.
A question of time.
The ‘orcs’ always use.
Mean tactics.”
They’ve gone from.
A fierce battle in the east.
To another further north.
Without rest.
It’s getting dark outside.
And they’re now using.
A thermal image camera on a drone.
To watch ‘orcs’ movements.
“Our pilot has just.
Found out the movement.
Of the enemy group.
Near to our positions.”
You’re told to leave quickly.
You’ve been told.
You can’t stay for long.
You’re told to leave quickly.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Ukraine's defence lines stretched as Russian troops advance (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET WORRIED
Conscious, wrapped.
In a foil blanket.
As he receives treatment.
From a nurse.
But he is more worried about.
The men he’s left behind.
“I can’t live.
Without my guys.”
“They’re my friends.
My second family.”
He wants to get back to them.
As soon as he is patched up.
The ‘orcs’ too.
Have been taking.
Heavy casualties.
But there are more of them.
He says they were.
Fighting off wave.
After wave of attacks.
“There are a lot of them.”
‘Mordor’’s believed.
To have massed a force.
Of more than 30,000.
Just over the border.
Ukraine has not just been.
Outnumbered on this front.
It’s also been outgunned.
“The ‘orcs’ have everything.”
“Whatever they want.
And we have nothing.
To fight with.
But we do what we can.”
At a field hospital.
Well behind the front line.
‘Elves’ medics are treating.
Yet another casualty.
He has lost.
Some of his fingers.
In a mortar explosion.
He’s lying on a bed.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Ukraine's defence lines stretched as Russian troops advance (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET AT A POSITION
At an artillery position.
Hidden in a tree-line.
Outside Vovchansk.
Men have been firing.
Men of ‘elves’ 57th Brigade.
Have been firing.
50 to 100 rounds a day.
To defend the town.
When you arrive.
They’re waiting for.
A fresh delivery of ammunition for.
Their ‘orcs’-made self-propelled gun.
Another 20 rounds are soon.
Delivered by a small van.
It’ll keep them going.
For a few more hours.
“We could have used logs.
And concrete to build defences.
Now we’ll have to use shells.
And people to take back this land.”
This unit too had been.
Fighting further east.
Before the call came.
To defend Kharkiv.
Another brigade nearby.
Has arrived from Robotyne.
In the south, where.
‘Orcs’ forces are also advancing.
The small gains made.
In ‘elves’ 2023 offensive.
Are slowly but surely.
Disappearing.
“We could have used logs.
And concrete to build defences.
Now we’ll have to use shells.
And people to take back this land.”
The ‘elves’ artillery commander.
At the position.
Tells you:
“We are losing Vovchansk.”
“We are losing Vovchansk.
And we are also.
Losing the villages.
Around Vovchansk.”
And there is a feeling.
That this could have been.
Avoided if defences.
Had been better prepared.
“We could have used logs.
And concrete to build defences.
Now we’ll have to use shells.
And people to take back this land.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Ukraine's defence lines stretched as Russian troops advance (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS BACK IN BUSINESS
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade is.
One of the ‘elves’ army’s.
Best brigades.
Equipped with American-made.
Armored vehicles.
And trained to.
NATO standards.
It fights like.
The best NATO brigades fight:
Swiftly, violently.
And often at night.
But this prowess is.
A blessing and a curse.
For the brigade’s.
2,000 troopers.
The ‘elf’ command wants.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade to be.
Wherever the heaviest fighting is.
So the brigade helped.
To lead ‘elves’.
Southern counteroffensive.
Back in June.
And when ‘orcs’ regiments.
Attacked the ‘elves’ garrison.
In the eastern city of.
Avdiivka in October.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Redeployed from the south.
To the east.
And reinforced the city.
Delaying though.
Not preventing.
The garrison’s eventual retreat.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade has been.
Fighting for nearly a year.
Without a break.
Its soldiers are tired;
Its battalions are running low.
On their best M-2 Bradley.
Fighting vehicles.
And M-1 Abrams tanks.
The brigade needs a break.
And it almost got.
One this week.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
But that planned break.
Was an invitation for.
The ‘orcs’ field armies.
Around the ruins of Avdiivka.
An opportunity to inflict.
On the ‘elves’.
The kind of major defeat.
The ‘elves’ inflicted.
On the ‘orcs’.
Farther north around.
The city of Kharkiv.
In late 2022.
As the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade was.
Pulling back from.
The front line.
East of the village.
Of Ocheretyne.
This weekend.
The ‘orcs’ attacked.
And the ‘orcs’.
Very nearly broke through.
‘Elves’ lines into.
The 20-mile-wide ribbon.
Of undefended terrain.
Separating the free city.
Of Pokrovsk.
From the front line.
The ‘elves’ army’s.
115th.
Mechanized Brigade was.
Supposed to take.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade’s place.
Along the front line.
But something went wrong.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
According to.
The famed 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Company commander.
Who lost a leg during.
The summer counteroffensive.
“Certain units.
Just fucked off.”
‘Orcs’ scouts and drone operators.
Surveilling positions once held.
By the battle-hardened 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Expected to find.
Fresh troops from the 115th.
Mechanized Brigade.
In the same trenches.
Instead, they found.
... no one.
It was a chance.
For the ‘orcs’.
For the ‘orcs’ army’s 30th.
Motor Rifle Brigade.
To roll along.
A railroad track.
Threading west from Avdiivka.
And capture a narrow salient that.
On a map.
Looks like a five-mile-long knife.
Stabbing into.
The ‘elves’ line.
Its sharp point lodged.
Halfway into Ocheretyne.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
An ‘orcs’ breakthrough.
Could have collapsed.
The entire ‘elves’ line.
West of Avdiivka.
And forced tens of thousands.
Of ‘elves’ troops.
And potentially hundreds of thousands.
Of civilians to flee Donetsk Oblast.
An ‘elves’ breakthrough.
Around Kharkiv in the fall.
Of 2022 resulted in.
A major rout for the ‘orcs’ army.
The only reason.
The ‘orcs’ didn’t advance.
Deeper into the ‘elves’ rear.
This weekend is that.
The withdrawing 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Turned around.
And rejoined the fight.
“The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Is back in business.”
The commander wrote.
Over the next couple of days.
The ‘orcs’ slightly widened their salient.
But didn’t advance.
Any farther to the west.
Disaster averted.
For Ukraine.
For now.
But the battle is still raging.
If the ‘orcs’ can move.
Reserves into the salient.
They may yet be able to.
Extend their advance.
It’s worth noting that.
The ‘orcs’ army’s 90th.
Guards Tank Division is nearby.
And, at present, uncommitted to battle.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
If the division can move west.
And stiffen the salient.
It could—at the very least—
Complicate any ‘elves’ counterattack.
In the worst-case scenario.
For Ukraine.
The tank division might.
Be able to force.
The weary 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
To retreat.
To the west.
The good news.
For the ‘elves’ army.
Is that it’s about to get.
A lot of ammunition.
The bad news is that.
Whatever went wrong with.
The 115th.
Mechanized Brigade appears.
To be somewhat systemic.
It’s the second ‘elves’ unit.
To collapse on the eastern front.
In just the last few weeks.
The first unit to fail.
Was the 67th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Which was defending.
The most vulnerable district.
Of ‘elves’ most vulnerable city.
Chasiv Yar.
20 miles north of Avdiivka.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
It’s not for no reason that.
The package included an unspecified.
Number of M-2 Bradley.
Infantry fighting vehicles.
The sole ‘elves’ army unit.
That uses the M-2.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade was fighting.
A desperate defensive action.
Against a much larger ‘orcs’ force.
Attacking west of the ruins of.
Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
Topped off with fresh ammunition.
And replacement M-2s.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Has blunted the ‘orcs’ offensive.
One dramatic engagement.
Observed from overhead.
By an ‘elf’ drone shows how.
On Wednesday night.
An M-2 gunner spotted.
An ‘orcs’ T-80 tank.
A mile away across a field.
East of the village.
Of Novopokrovske.
The M-2 crew fired.
A single missile.
A single TOW.
Wire-guided anti-tank missile.
Which punched through.
The 43-ton, three-person tank.
“Bradley—the tank destroyer.”
The ‘elf’ defense ministry crowed.
It was one of the longest-range.
Direct tank kills of this war.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
The 33-ton, 10-person M-2.
Might be the best fighting vehicle.
Of ‘Mordor’’s 27-month.
Wider war on Ukraine.
Equipping three.
30-vehicle battalions.
In the elite 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
The M-2’s primary mission.
Is to haul infantry.
Into battle and then.
Join the fight itself.
Peppering ‘orcs’ troops.
And vehicles with.
Accurate 25-millimeter.
Auto-cannon fire.
The M-2 weighs tens of tons.
Less than a typical tank.
Mostly because its armor is.
Much thinner than a tank’s armor.
In a close fight.
With an ‘orcs’ tank.
An M-2 might not.
Last long.
In a far fight.
The M-2’s precision sights and.
TOW missiles might give it.
An edge—especially at night.
When the Bradley’s superior.
Infrared optics help its crew.
See the tank before.
The tank crew sees the Bradley.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
Sure enough, between missions.
Supporting the infantry.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade deployed M-2s.
On tank-hunting missions.
In a single furious skirmish.
In southern Ukraine.
Last summer.
One Bradley crew.
Reportedly knocked out.
Two ‘orcs’ T-72 tanks.
In a single furious skirmish.
The 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Has been in combat.
Non-stop for a year.
As it fought that ‘orcs’ offensive.
West of Avdiivka last month.
The brigade was running out.
Of M-2s.
That’s changing.
As fresh vehicles arrive.
“We continue to work!”
The brigade stated.
Expect to see.
More M-2s.
In far fights.
With ‘orcs’ tanks.
As the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade.
Works to stabilize.
The front line.
The ‘elves’ ground forces.
Have just 100 or so.
Combat brigades.
And many of them are exhausted.
From months or years.
Of nonstop fighting.
the 47th.
Mechanized Brigade, for instance.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
A Ukrainian Brigade 'Fucked Off,' And The Russians Almost Broke Thru (forbes.com)
A Ukrainian M-2 Sneaked Up On A Russian Tank — And Hit From A Mile Away (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS STEMMING THE TIDE
In the village of Lyptsi.
‘Elves’ forces appear.
To have blunted.
‘Orcs’ surprise offensive.
A few weeks ago.
They were rapidly.
Advancing towards.
The city of Kharkiv.
But with the help.
Of reinforcements.
Ukraine is slowly.
Stemming the tide.
The threat from the north.
Though has not.
Gone away.
Lyptsi is still a target.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
There’s the heavy thud.
Of shells landing nearby.
As you drive at speed through its.
Ruined and deserted streets.
As you drive at speed.
With an elite ‘elves’ unit.
Two of the team point.
Shotguns out of the window.
They scan the sky.
For kamikaze drones.
They’ve become one of the most.
Potent weapons of this war.
This ‘elves’ unit are about.
To use them too.
They call themselves.
The Peaky Blinders.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
At the outbreak of the war.
They turned up to guard.
Their streets with shotguns.
Wearing civilian clothing.
Their leader says it was like.
A scene from the hit show.
But they’re no longer.
A rag-tag team of volunteers.
They’re now.
Battle-hardened and.
Have been trained.
By Western special forces.
They’re now the high-tech.
Peaky Blinders.
Using cheap.
Mass-produced small drones.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
Over the past few weeks.
Their leader has literally.
Been fighting.
For his home.
He used to farm.
The fields nearby.
Their dug-out.
Hidden in a tree line.
Before the war.
He grew strawberries here.
But now he’s.
Planting bombs.
Since the offensive began.
The Peaky Blinders.
Have killed or injured.
More than 100 ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
They operate like.
A small air force.
With dozens of drones.
And an arsenal of bombs.
Ones to take out tanks.
Others to target.
Groups of infantry.
Or individual soldiers.
They either drop the bombs.
Or use kamikaze drones.
Which they fly directly.
Into a target.
Drone operators fit.
Different bombs for.
Different purposes.
On the battlefront.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
On the day.
You visit.
They’re struggling.
To find new targets.
It's evidence.
They’re having.
Some success.
The ‘orcs’ are hiding.
To fill the time, they use.
One of their larger drones.
To disarm troops.
They’ve already killed.
Fitted with a grappling hook.
They eventually manage.
To snatch an assault rifle.
Beside a dead ‘orc’ soldier.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
They’re not just killing.
But taking weapons too.
Drones have transformed.
This war to a point.
But their leader’s.
Older brother knows.
They’re not enough.
To defeat the ‘orcs’.
“We can hold them back.
With drones and hurt them.
But not, unfortunately.
To win with them”.
He says longer-range weapons.
Targeting the build-up of.
‘Orcs’ forces over the border.
“Could have prevented this offensive.”
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
The ‘orcs’ too, like them.
Have worked out ways.
To jam their signals.
Using electronic warfare.
When the Peaky Blinders.
Eventually do find.
A new target.
Their signal gets blocked.
Before they can go in.
For the kill.
They can lose four or five.
Drones in a day.
Despite the setbacks.
Their leader says the Kharkiv offensive.
Has given his tired men.
A second wind.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
Before, they feared.
The world was losing interest.
But he knows that’s still.
A danger, with no end in sight.
He expects the conflict.
To last a very long time.
“Maybe for several years.
Or even decades”.
Neither side, he says.
Has the strength.
To deliver.
A knockout blow.
To push the ‘orcs’’ back.
To their border.
He says Ukraine will need.
“Colossal” Western support.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
But for now.
This latest.
‘Orcs’ offensive is.
Being thwarted.
Recently captured ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Had revealed their goal was.
To take the town of Vovchansk.
In two days.
And to reach Kharkiv city.
Within five days.
‘The One’ has denied that.
Taking the city was part of his plan.
The threat from the north.
Though has not.
Gone away.
Lyptsi is still a target.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: On the Kharkiv front as Russia advances again (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN CHASIV YAR
In early April.
‘Elves’ forces were.
In crisis.
At their weakest.
In early April.
‘Elves’ forces were.
In crisis.
At their weakest.
Understaffed and.
Starved of ammunition.
They used to get.
From the United States.
And ‘Mordor’ knew it.
The ‘orcs’ attacked.
And ‘Mordor’ knew it.
The ‘orcs’ attacked.
At several points along.
The 600-mile front line.
Of ‘Mordor’’s 27-month.
Wider war on Ukraine.
A month later.
American aid.
To Ukraine.
Is flowing again.
A month later.
American aid.
To Ukraine.
Is flowing again.
The mobilization law.
Is in effect.
Fresh ‘elves’ troops are.
Undergoing training.
And new brigades.
Are forming.
Ukraine’s fortunes.
Are improving.
Nowhere is this.
More evident than.
In Chasiv Yar.
The industrial town.
West of Bakhmut.
In eastern Ukraine.
That’s the main objective of.
The ‘orcs’ offensive in the area.
In the early days.
Of the ‘orcs’ attack.
‘Orcs’ armored units were.
Steadily advancing.
In the early days.
Of the ‘orcs’ attack.
‘Orcs’ armored units were.
Steadily advancing.
North and south.
Of Chasiv Yar.
While ‘orcs’ infantry probed.
The town’s most vulnerable district.
Its canal district.
Which lies on.
The exposed far side.
Of the canal that threads.
North to south.
Along the eastern edge.
Of Chasiv Yar.
At the time.
‘Elves’ defenses.
In Chasiv Yar were thin.
And getting thinner.
And getting thinner.
In mid-April.
The defense ministry in Kyiv.
Dissolved the ‘elves’ army brigade.
Defending the canal district.
In mid-April.
The defense ministry in Kyiv.
Dissolved the ‘elves’ army brigade.
Defending the canal district.
Elements of the ‘elves’ army’s.
56th and 41st.
Mechanized Brigades and.
5th Assault Brigade scrambled.
To fill the gap in.
The defensive line left by.
The dissolution of.
The 67th Mechanized Brigade.
Kyiv rushed.
More drones.
To Chasiv Yar.
But in the meantime.
‘Orcs’ Sukhoi Su-25.
Attack jets roamed.
Directly over.
The front line.
Firing rockets.
At ‘elves’ troops.
Who had run out of.
Air-defense missiles.
‘Orcs’ paratroopers.
Advanced north and south.
Of Chasiv Yar.
Threatening to surround.
The town’s garrison.
The race was on.
Between ‘orcs’ forces trying.
To capture Chasiv Yar.
And ‘elves’ and.
Allied logisticians rushing.
American-supplied ammunition.
To the embattled town.
The good news for friends.
Of a free Ukraine is that.
The ‘elves’ seem to.
Have won the race.
The garrison in Chasiv Yar.
Is now flush with ammo.
Apparently—and wreaking havoc.
On ‘orcs’ assault groups.
On Friday, a battalion of.
Around 20 ‘orcs’ armored vehicles.
Emerged from Bakhmut and.
Rolled toward Chasiv Yar.
On Friday, a battalion of.
Around 20 ‘orcs’ armored vehicles.
Emerged from Bakhmut and.
Rolled toward Chasiv Yar.
As recently as.
A few weeks ago.
An ‘orcs’ assault group.
Might’ve traveled.
Much of the three-mile distance.
From Bakhmut to Chasiv Yar.
Relatively unmolested.
By ‘elves’ attacks.
With precious few anti-tank.
Missiles and artillery shells.
The ‘elves’ relied on.
First-person-view drones.
To bombard the ‘orcs’.
But those two-pound drones.
Range just two miles or so.
And pack just a pound of explosives.
Too little to pierce the layers.
Of do-it-yourself armor.
The ‘orcs’ have been adding.
To their vehicles.
By mid-May.
The ‘elves’ were.
Much better-armed.
Much better-armed.
By mid-May.
The ‘elves’ were.
Much better-armed.
Much better-armed.
So when that assault group.
Tried to cross miles.
Of open fields.
On Friday.
It got hit the whole way.
With 100-pound shells.
50-pound missiles and.
Two-pound drones.
The few ‘orcs’.
Who reached.
The canal district.
Didn’t last long.
Despite rapid successes.
In the initial weeks.
Of the assault.
Against Chasiv Yar.
Including reaching.
The canal and.
In some instances.
Crossing it with small groups.
The ‘orcs’ have ultimately failed.
To establish a foothold.
On the other side.
And advance further.
The garrison in Chasiv Yar.
Isn’t the only one.
Benefiting from.
The influx of ammunition.
“For the first time.
During the war.
None of the brigades complained.
That there were no artillery shells.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ claimed.
On Thursday.
He might be overstating.
The abundance of ammo.
But when the ‘orcs’ attacked.
Chasiv Yar on Friday.
The ‘elves’ had plenty of.
Firepower to hurl at them.
But when the ‘orcs’ attacked.
Chasiv Yar on Friday.
The ‘elves’ had plenty of.
Firepower to hurl at them.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
U.S. Ammo Has Reached Ukrainian Brigades — And Now They're Blasting Away (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS ON FAVORABLE TERRAIN
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
In early 2023.
The United States donated nearly.
200 ex-U.S. Army Stryker.
Fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
The general staff in Kyiv.
Assigned almost all of.
The eight-wheeled.
20-ton vehicles.
Each with a machine gun.
Or grenade launcher.
And room for 11 people.
To the ‘elves’ air assault forces’.
New 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
An elite brigade.
In an elite branch.
Of the armed forces.
More than a year later.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Is finally deploying.
Its nimble fighting vehicles.
Where its designers intended.
When they drew up.
Blueprints for the Stryker.
In the 1990s: a city.
Specifically, in Vovchansk.
The current locus of ‘orcs’.
Two-week-old northern offensive.
In ‘elves’ Kharkiv Oblast.
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Posted a video montage.
Online on Tuesday that.
Confirmed the deployment.
In the montage.
‘Elves’ paratroopers.
Roll into battle.
In central Vovchansk.
One trooper even.
Firing an anti-tank rocket.
From a Stryker’s.
Open top hatch.
“The task was to take.
Defensive positions.
And hold off the enemy.”
One paratrooper said.
It’s the fight.
It’s the fight.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was designed for.
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
The implications were obvious.
The ‘elves’ army should send.
Its new Stryker brigade.
Into urban fights.
It should avoid sending.
The brigade into a direct fight.
With an ‘orcs’ mechanized.
Or tank brigade.
Especially on open terrain.
Where heavier tanks and.
Tracked fighting vehicles can bring to.
Bear their superior long-range firepower.
But when the 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Saw combat for the first time.
Last summer.
It was on exactly the wrong terrain.
Against exactly the wrong opponent.
Dug-in ‘orcs’ mechanized forces.
On the open fields.
Of southern Ukraine.
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
As the southern front stabilized.
And the ‘orcs’ concentrated.
Their forces on the urban.
East and north.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Finally had.
The chance to fight.
On favorable terrain.
The stakes were enormous.
When the first 82nd.
Air Assault Brigade teams.
Deployed in Vochansk.
Aiming to grind.
Through Vovchansk.
In order to clear.
The way to Kharkiv.
The ‘orcs’ army’s new.
Northern grouping of forces.
Had adopted the infantry-first.
Assault tactics.
That had worked.
For other ‘orcs’ troop.
Groupings elsewhere.
In Ukraine.
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
Platoons of ‘orcs’.
Were spread across.
The urban no-man’s-land.
In central Vovchansk.
Blurring the front line.
And compelling.
The ‘elves’ Stryker crews.
To fight along 360 degrees.
“We held circular defense.”
One paratrooper said.
“They were coming.
From all directions.”
A clutch of Strykers is.
Suited to a circular fight.
The nine-foot-tall vehicles.
Are good observation.
And firing platforms for their.
Top-mounted sensors and weapons.
Making it hard for.
The ‘orcs’ to sneak up on them.
More importantly.
Each Stryker carries.
An entire squad.
Of nine infantry.
Meaning a platoon.
Of four Strykers can.
Deploy a full platoon of.
Nearly 40 infantry.
Something a platoon of.
Heavier but less capacious.
M-2 tracked fighting vehicles.
Can’t do.
It’s not for no reason.
A Stryker brigade is.
Best employed as.
A dismounted fighting force.
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
That the 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was ready for.
The urban battle.
In Vovchansk is evident.
After advancing several miles.
To the south.
In the first few days.
Of their northern offensive.
The ‘orcs’ ran into.
Stiffening ‘elves’ defenses.
And almost stopped.
Advancing at all.
Stiffening ‘elves’ defenses.
In central Vovchansk.
Including the recently arrived.
Paratroopers and their wheeled vehicles.
In the days following.
The initial ‘orcs’ assault.
Across the border.
North of Kharkiv.
There were rumors.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
Was rushing to reinforce.
The garrison in Vovchansk.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN DESPAIR
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
He, a manager of one of.
The other stores.
In the shopping centre.
Looked on in despair.
“The ‘orcs’ want to burn.
Everything down.
But we won’t give up.”
“But we won’t give up.”
“A lot of people were in there.
As it’s warm now.
And the gardening season.
Has begun.”
“In the shop.
There was soil, and plants.”
“Look what beautiful flowers.
They had here.”
He took out his mobile.
And scrolled through photos.
Of the superstore.
Before the attack.
“And not a single.
Military man.
Everyone was.
A civilian.”
Dozens were injured.
And at least 15 people.
Were confirmed killed.
With more bodies left to find.
As the garden centre burned.
Couples walked their dogs.
In some parts of Kharkiv.
Daily life continues.
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
In the magnificent squares.
In the centre of Kharkiv.
Cafés were open.
Ignoring air raid sirens.
In the magnificent squares.
In the centre of Kharkiv.
Cafés were open.
Ignoring alerts on mobile apps.
On the steps of.
The opera house.
Teenage boys practiced.
Jumps on their skateboards.
On the steps of.
The opera house.
Girls were recording.
TikTok dances on their phones.
Inside the opera house.
In a deep concrete basement.
An orchestra was rehearsing.
For the music festival.
That the war has not stopped.
Their stoic composure.
Cannot conceal the fact that.
Ukraine is in its worst crisis.
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
Ukraine is in its worst crisis.
Since the first few months.
After ‘orcs’’ full-scale invasion.
More than two years ago.
The garden centre attack was.
One of many strikes here.
In the north east.
As well as on the eastern front.
The garden centre attack was.
One of many strikes here.
In the north east.
As well as in the south near Kherson.
‘Elves’ capacity to defend.
Itself depends on others.
On decisions taken by.
Its Western allies that are shaping.
Events here in Kharkiv.
And other cities.
And right along more than.
1,000km of front line.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
3,000 such bombs were dropped.
On the country.
In March alone.
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Kharkiv targeted as Russia grows in strength (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN YURCHENKOVE
The kindergarten was on fire.
When she drove down.
A dirt road into.
The hamlet of Yurchenkove.
North-east of Kharkiv city.
And close enough to.
The ‘orcs’ border.
To feel very dangerous.
She is a psychologist.
She has spent a year.
Going into.
Front-line villages.
Threatened by ‘orcs’.
To evacuate civilians.
No children were.
In the kindergarten.
Whatever started it.
No-one in the deserted.
Desolate village tried to.
Put the fire out.
As it licked and crackled.
Through the kindergarten’s.
Wooden walls.
And tin roof.
Yurchenkove.
Like all the border villages.
Had only a few.
Elderly or infirm civilians.
The kindergarten.
Must have been.
Abandoned.
Months ago.
Grass was advancing.
Across the slides.
And toys in.
The overgrown front garden.
Whatever started it.
No-one in the deserted.
Desolate village tried to.
Put the fire out.
As it licked and crackled.
Through the kindergarten’s.
Wooden walls.
And tin roof.
A man on a motorbike.
Loaded with a bedroll.
And few possessions.
Who looked as if.
He was leaving too.
Said he didn’t know.
How the fire was caused.
But it wasn’t a shell.
Whatever started it.
No-one in the deserted.
Desolate village tried to.
Put the fire out.
As it licked and crackled.
Through the kindergarten’s.
Wooden walls.
And tin roof.
Luckily no children.
Were inside.
This kindergarten.
When it was destroyed.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Kharkiv targeted as Russia grows in strength (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS ON A LIST
She travels to.
Front-line villages.
To try and evacuate residents.
At risk of ‘orcs’ fire.
‘Mordor’ has been on the offensive.
In the Kharkiv oblast.
Or province, since its forces.
Crossed the border on 10 May.
You followed her and her minibus.
Into the border area.
Staying well clear.
Of Vovchansk.
The frontier town.
At the centre of.
The current fighting that is.
Being reduced to rubble.
Even from a few miles away.
It looked like a hell-hole.
With angry grey clouds.
And columns of smoke.
Rising high from a series.
Of big fires and black smoke.
Spiralling and twisting into.
The sky from fresh explosions.
She travels to.
Front-line villages.
To try and evacuate residents.
At risk of ‘orcs’ fire.
‘Mordor’ has been on the offensive.
In the Kharkiv oblast.
Or province, since its forces.
Crossed the border on 10 May.
The first woman.
On her list was.
Ready to leave.
The border area.
The woman’s dog.
Chained near its kennel.
In the front yard.
Barked at the strangers.
As she helped the woman.
Carry out her possessions.
Packed into.
A few shopping bags.
The dog calmed down.
As the woman unchained it.
And took it.
Into the minibus.
“I encourage them to.
Bring their pets,” she said.
“When you lose everything.
Having a pet is a comfort.”
“My soul hurts.
I’ve lived in this house.
For more than.
40 years.”
The first woman said.
Squashed into the bus.
With her dog.
And her luggage.
Was she leaving?
Because of the shelling?
“Of course!
It was so close.”
“Of course!
It was so close.
Less than 100 metres.
All my windows blew out.”
She travels to.
Front-line villages.
To try and evacuate residents.
At risk of ‘orcs’ fire.
‘Mordor’ has been on the offensive.
In the Kharkiv oblast.
Or province, since its forces.
Crossed the border on 10 May.
She banged on.
A solid metal gate.
An old woman.
Opened it a crack.
When the old woman.
And her husband.
Somewhere inside.
Out of sight.
When the next people.
On her list.
Refused to go.
She tried to change their minds.
“Yesterday there was.
Shelling near you.
It’s very dangerous.
You are putting yourself in danger.”
“We have volunteers.
Who will help you move in.
They will help you.
Apply for benefits.”
“Medications and everything else.
It will all be free.
And you’ll have.
Psychological assistance.”
“Thank you! Thank you for everything.
But I won't go.”
“Look, we’re evacuating people.
Because it’s a critical moment.”
“If you want.
You can return.
“But now, it is very dangerous here.
With shelling every hour or two.”
“It’s better to leave.
There will be more shelling.
And more hits.
It’s dangerous here.”
“I know.” “It's free!
You’ll get free housing.”
“I won’t go.”
The old woman closed the gate.
She travels to.
Front-line villages.
To try and evacuate residents.
At risk of ‘orcs’ fire.
‘Mordor’ has been on the offensive.
In the Kharkiv oblast.
Or province, since its forces.
Crossed the border on 10 May.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Kharkiv targeted as Russia grows in strength (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN A PRINT FACTORY
She believes her life was.
Saved by pallets of.
Printed paper that took.
The worst of the explosion.
She was emotional.
Sobbing then trying to smile.
Traumatised by everything.
That has happened to her.
A body bag was.
Being carried out of.
The remains of.
A burning print factory.
Less than an hour.
After ‘orcs’ hit it with.
A series of missiles on.
The afternoon of the 23 May.
Seven people were killed.
In the attack.
The missiles that hit the factory.
Were not intercepted.
Nor was an ‘orcs’ drone.
That was operating.
Above the factory before.
After and during the attack.
She believes her life was.
Saved by pallets of.
Printed paper that took.
The worst of the explosion.
She was emotional.
Sobbing then trying to smile.
Traumatised by everything.
That has happened to her.
In the yard.
As firefighters went into.
The building to damp down.
The blaze and search for more bodies.
The head of the Kharkiv oblast police.
Could barely contain his anger.
“All missiles hit their target.
They weren't shot down.”
“Why? Because.
The arrival time of missiles.
From the Belgorod region.
Is approximately 40 seconds.”
“Those missiles can only.
Be shot down by.
The Patriot air defence system.
Which we don’t have here.”
He called ‘Mordor’.
“The sub-empire of.
Vandals and orcs...
The resident evil.”
She believes her life was.
Saved by pallets of.
Printed paper that took.
The worst of the explosion.
She was emotional.
Sobbing then trying to smile.
Traumatised by everything.
That has happened to her.
Days later.
She was still.
Being treated in hospital.
For her wounds.
Much of her.
Visible skin was showing.
Visible wounds from.
Shrapnel and blast.
And her hair was singed.
Where it had caught fire.
She was one of the workers.
At the printing plant.
“I wasn’t afraid of.
Anything at all.
But now I’m even afraid.
To be in Kharkiv.”
“I still hoped that ‘Mordor’.
Was not a terrorist state.
And that they attacked.
Only military targets.”
“But they hit the civilians.”
“But they hit the civilians.”
“I thank the United States.
For helping us.”
“I’m grateful to Germany.
And all the countries.
Of the world for.
What they’ve done.”
“But we are helpless.
And we have nothing.
We’re suffering so much…
We can’t defend ourselves.”
She believes her life was.
Saved by pallets of.
Printed paper that took.
The worst of the explosion.
She was emotional.
Sobbing then trying to smile.
Traumatised by everything.
That has happened to her.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Kharkiv targeted as Russia grows in strength (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS FROM A GARDEN CENTRE
In the war’s third year.
No end is in sight.
Momentum in long wars.
Shifts back and forth.
Wounded men from.
The garden centre.
Lying in hospital beds.
“Honestly.
I don’t know what will happen.”
His legs were crushed.
By the ceiling as it collapsed.
“I’d like it to end soon.
But I don’t know how.”
In the war’s third year.
No end is in sight.
In the bed opposite.
Another man said.
Ukraine could not do.
A deal with ‘Mordor’.
He had fallen badly.
As he escaped the fire.
From a second-floor window.
“I think we must beat them.”
“They came here.
With bad intentions.”
Momentum in long wars.
Shifts back and forth.
In the war’s third year.
No end is in sight.
Momentum in long wars.
Shifts back and forth.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Kharkiv targeted as Russia grows in strength (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET LEARNING
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
Timid steps at first.
But more confident.
With each one.
She takes.
Last summer.
An ‘orcs’ missile attack.
Shattered one of her legs and.
Left the other badly burned.
She has had to learn.
To walk again.
After being injured.
By an ‘orcs’ missile.
She saw the missile.
That hurt her.
Seconds before.
It hit.
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
It was a hot.
Summer holiday.
And the centre of.
Chernihiv was busy.
She and her friend.
Were trying to sell.
Their homemade jewellery.
To the passing crowd.
“I saw something.
Flying from up to down.
I thought it was some kind of.
plane that would go up again.”
“But it was a missile.”
She says, the words.
Tumbling out.
At high speed.
Like she doesn’t.
Want to dwell on.
Their meaning.
“But it was a missile.”
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
After the explosion.
She ran back and forth.
In panic.
On her mangled leg.
Before she realised.
She’d been injured.
“People say.
I was in a state of shock.”
“It was only when my friend said.
‘Look at your leg!’
That I felt the pain.
It was awful.”
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
At the start of all-out war.
In 2022.
The bombardment of Chernihiv.
In northern Ukraine was constant.
But within weeks.
The ‘orcs’ forces had been.
Pushed back.
Life slowly returned to the city.
Then, on 19.
August 2023.
The local theatre hosted.
An exhibition of drone manufacturers.
And ‘orcs’ attacked.
Shards of metal sliced.
Through the streets.
All around.
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
Nine months later.
She lifts her trouser leg.
To reveal multiple deep scars.
And a skin graft.
There’s a big bump where.
Metal implants were inserted.
The wounds are.
Healing well.
And she moves nimbly.
On her crutches.
But she still struggles with.
The sound of air raid sirens.
“If they say.
There’s a missile.
Heading for Chernihiv.
Then I go crazy.”
She admits, “It’s really bad.”
She insists she’s coping.
And hasn’t changed.
But her sister isn’t so sure.
“You’re more explosive.”
Her sister tells her.
She nods sheepishly.
“I wasn’t so aggressive before.”
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
A few months before.
She was injured.
Her brother was killed.
Fighting on the front line.
The two were close.
And she still struggles.
To accept that.
Her brother has gone.
“I imagine he’ll.
Call at any moment.
I used to see his face.
In passers-by on the street.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
She confides quietly.
Wrapped in an ‘elves’ flag.
She plans to take to.
Her brother’s grave.
A replacement.
For one frayed.
By the wind.
Without warning.
Her sister taps her phone.
And her brother’s deep voice.
Fills the room.
“I really love you.”
The soldier assures his sisters.
In a last audio message.
Sent from the front.
It’s the first time.
She’s heard his voice.
Since he died.
Her chin trembles with emotion.
At 12 years old.
She is learning.
To walk again.
At 12 years old.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: The children adapting to survive Russia's invasion (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET SHARING
He’s taped a prayer.
Above his bed.
Which he recites.
Each night.
For his father’s safety.
Who is on the front line.
Though he was never.
Religious before.
He is getting drawing.
Advice remotely.
From his dad.
Who is on the front line.
Who is on the front line.
Close to Kharkiv.
His greatest fear is.
To experience a loss.
His father is a soldier.
Serving close to.
Their hometown of Kharkiv.
Where the fighting has intensified.
‘Orcs’ troops recently.
Crossed the border.
In a surprise offensive.
Taking new ground.
As missile attacks.
On the city.
Have increased.
Among those killed.
In just the past week.
Was a 12-year-old girl.
Out shopping.
With her parents.
“Dad tells me.
It’s all ok.
But I know the situation.
There is not the best.”
“Of course I.
Worry about him.”
His greatest fear is.
To experience a loss.
He’s taped a prayer.
Above his bed.
Which he recites.
Each night.
For his father’s safety.
Who is on the front line.
Though he was never.
Religious before.
The 12-year-old now.
Lives in western Ukraine.
With his Mum.
A world away from Kharkiv.
‘Orcs’ missiles do.
Reach Ivano-Frankivsk.
But you get a lot.
More warning.
The streets are.
Crowded and relaxed.
There’s even.
Traffic jams.
But even here.
In a world away from Kharkiv.
He can’t escape.
The conflict.
He’s taped a prayer.
Above his bed.
Which he recites.
Each night.
For his father’s safety.
Who is on the front line.
Though he was never.
Religious before.
He and his mum.
Have not been back.
To Kharkiv.
Since the war began.
He and his mum.
Were refugees for a while.
They returned to Ukraine.
Because she’s a child psychologist.
She’s a child psychologist.
And saw the urgent need.
For her skills.
They returned to Ukraine.
She does her best.
To keep her own son.
Distracted with.
Endless activities:
There’s a skate park.
And guitar classes.
He went busking to raise.
Money for the ‘elves’ military.
And there’s a fight club.
To help him.
Stand up to.
The school bullies.
“I tried to find things.
He loved before.
To continue doing here.
And it works,” his mum says.
He’s taped a prayer.
Above his bed.
Which he recites.
Each night.
For his father’s safety.
Who is on the front line.
Though he was never.
Religious before.
Now in western Ukraine.
He keeps himself busy.
With wrestling classes.
And skateboarding.
But the boy.
From the north east.
Still struggles.
To fit in.
“It really bothers me.
When there’s an air raid.
At school and everyone’s happy.
They’ll miss class.”
“Here, a siren just means.
Going to the bunker.
But it actually means there’s.
Fighting somewhere else in Ukraine.”
He counts the hours.
Between online calls.
With his dad.
Who is on the front line.
His father has been sending.
Parcels full of art materials.
So that he can teach him.
To draw, remotely.
“I want to believe.
The war will end soon.”
He shares his.
Greatest desire.
That way, he could.
Go home to Kharkiv.
He says.
“And that would be really cool.”
He’s taped a prayer.
Above his bed.
Which he recites.
Each night.
For his father’s safety.
Who is on the front line.
Though he was never.
Religious before.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: The children adapting to survive Russia's invasion (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET AT A CORRIDOR
An eight-year-old girl.
Is still in Kharkiv.
Living in the middle.
Of a bomb site.
When ‘orcs’ troops first.
Advanced in the region.
Two years ago.
It was right in the firing line.
And she was sheltering.
With her family.
In their basement.
“It was very scary.”
“I just thought.
When will it all end?
There were rockets and.
A plane flew over us.”
The little girl recalls.
Tugging at the sleeves.
Of her sweater.
It was right in the firing line.
“I just thought.
When will it all end?
There were rockets and.
A plane flew over us.”
An eight-year-old girl.
Is still in Kharkiv.
Living in the middle.
Of a bomb site.
In early March 2022.
The giant block of.
Flats next door was.
Destroyed by a missile.
Her mum told her.
To block her ears.
And lie quietly.
It was right in the firing line.
“I thought we’d be buried.
Beneath the ruins.
That our building had been hit.
And would collapse.”
She says, eyes wide.
At the memory.
After that they fled.
It was right in the firing line.
“I just thought.
When will it all end?
There were rockets and.
A plane flew over us.”
“I thought we’d be buried.
Beneath the ruins.
That our building had been hit.
And would collapse.”
An eight-year-old girl.
Is still in Kharkiv.
Living in the middle.
Of a bomb site.
But when ‘elves’ forces.
Liberated the northern region.
Last year.
The family returned to Saltivka.
They’re the only people.
Living in their block of flats.
Surrounded by smoke-blackened.
Buildings and smashed glass.
Despite the shrapnel holes.
In the kitchen wall.
It’s home.
It’s home.
She is adapting to.
This war as best she can.
But now Kharkiv is.
A nervous place again.
The glide-bomb attack.
On a DIY store.
Last weekend was.
Close to her flat.
“When they start to bomb.
I tell mummy.
I’m going to the corridor.
And she sits there next to me.”
She says, with the calm.
Of too much experience.
It’s minimal protection.
In her home.
Moving to the corridor.
Puts an extra wall.
Between your body.
And any explosion.
“I just thought.
When will it all end?
There were rockets and.
A plane flew over us.”
“I thought we’d be buried.
Beneath the ruins.
That our building had been hit.
And would collapse.”
“When they start to bomb.
I tell mummy.
I’m going to the corridor.
And she sits there next to me.”
An eight-year-old girl.
Is still in Kharkiv.
Living in the middle.
Of a bomb site.
She should have started.
At her local school by now.
But it has a hole.
Blown through the side.
She barely remembers.
Kindergarten because.
Before the invasion.
There was Covid.
Her mum tries to.
Counter the solitude.
By taking her.
To activity sessions.
Including pet therapy.
It’s run underground.
On the metro.
For extra safety.
Throwing balls.
For a shiny dog.
She comes to life.
In fits of giggles.
But when evening falls.
Over her home.
The lights don’t.
Come on anymore.
‘Mordor’ has been targeting.
The power supply.
So she lights.
A candle, carefully.
Her small figure.
Casting a giant shadow.
On the wall.
Of their flat.
“It happens.
All the time.”
She shrugs.
About the blackouts.
“I just thought.
When will it all end?
There were rockets and.
A plane flew over us.”
“I thought we’d be buried.
Beneath the ruins.
That our building had been hit.
And would collapse.”
“When they start to bomb.
I tell mummy.
I’m going to the corridor.
And she sits there next to me.”
“It happens.
All the time.”
She shrugs.
About the blackouts.
An eight-year-old girl.
Is still in Kharkiv.
Living in the middle.
Of a bomb site.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: The children adapting to survive Russia's invasion (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS AT THE AZOVSTAL STEEL PLANT
Sometimes she looks.
To the sky.
And speaks to him.
The love of her life.
As far as she knows.
Her husband's body remains.
At the Azovstal steel plant.
In the now-occupied city.
A 33-year-old.
Had been sheltering.
In the enormous.
Azovstal steelworks.
The final stronghold.
In the city.
As it was surrounded by.
‘Orcs’ forces in spring 2022.
She had taken cover.
In one of dozens of.
Soviet-era bomb shelters.
Built to withstand nuclear war.
Deep beneath.
The industrial plant.
“You go down.
A semi-collapsed staircase.”
“Move through passages.
And tunnels.
And go further and.
Further down.”
“Finally, you reach this.
Concrete cube, a room.”
She was working with.
The army's Azov brigade.
In the bunker.
Alongside soldiers.
And civilians.
As a press officer.
There, too, was her fiancé.
A 34-year-old.
‘Elf’ army officer.
Defending the plant.
Relentless ‘orcs’ bombing.
Had turned.
Streets into ruins and.
Courtyards into graveyards.
But several metres.
Underground in.
The south-eastern ‘elves’ city.
A romance was blooming.
The pair had found.
Each other through work.
Mariupol’s Border Guard Agency.
Around three years before the siege.
“He was special.
It felt so warm.
To be around him.
He was always kind.”
“And never refused.
To help anyone.”
When he met her.
It was love at first sight.
He knew how to be happy.
And found joy in small things:
Sunny weather, smiles.
Friends' company.
He was an optimist.
“On the first day we met.
I realised he was.
Very different to others.”
Within three months.
They had moved in together.
Renting a small one-storey house.
In Mariupol with a garden.
The couple started building.
A life together.
“We travelled a lot.
Went to the mountains, met friends.”
“We fished together and.
Spent lots of time outdoors.
We visited theatres.
Concerts and exhibitions.”
“Life was full.”
They decided to get married.
And dreamed of a big church wedding.
With family and friends.
They picked wedding rings.
She quit her job.
And began to nurture.
Her creative side.
Writing and publishing poems.
About the earlier years.
Of fierce fighting.
With ‘Mordor’ in Mariupol.
“For a couple of years.
Before the full-scale invasion.
I was truly happy.”
Everything changed in February 2022.
Sometimes she looks.
To the sky.
And speaks to him.
The love of her life.
As far as she knows.
Her husband's body remains.
At the Azovstal steel plant.
In the now-occupied city.
Spring had brought the sun.
To the couple’s garden.
And the first flowers.
Were appearing.
“I was starting.
To enjoy spring.
We knew about.
‘The One’’s threats.”
“And realised.
There would be a war.
But I didn't want to.
Think about it.”
A few days before.
24 February.
He urged her to leave the city.
She refused.
“I knew that.
No matter what happened.
I had to be in Mariupol.
I had to defend my city.”
Relentless ‘orcs’ bombing.
Had turned.
Streets into ruins and.
Courtyards into graveyards.
But several metres.
Underground in.
The south-eastern ‘elves’ city.
A romance was blooming.
Weeks later.
They were both.
Underground.
In the Azovstal bunkers.
They only got to see.
Each other occasionally.
But when they did those were.
Moments of “pure happiness”.
At this point.
Mariupol was nearing.
A humanitarian catastrophe.
Mariupol was doomed.
Strikes to infrastructure.
Had cut water and.
Power supplies to parts of the city.
And there were food shortages.
Sometimes she looks.
To the sky.
And speaks to him.
The love of her life.
As far as she knows.
Her husband's body remains.
At the Azovstal steel plant.
In the now-occupied city.
On 15 April.
A large bomb was dropped.
On the plant.
She narrowly escaped death.
“I was found.
Among dead bodies.
The only one alive.”
“The only one alive.”
“On the one hand.
A miracle.
But on the other.
A terrible tragedy.”
She had to spend.
Eight days in.
An underground hospital.
In the plant.
With severe concussion.
“The smell of blood.
And rot was.
Everywhere.”
“It was a very scary place.
Where our wounded comrades.
With amputated limbs.
Were lying everywhere.”
“They couldn't get.
Proper help because.
There were very few.
Medical supplies.”
Relentless ‘orcs’ bombing.
Had turned.
Streets into ruins and.
Courtyards into graveyards.
But several metres.
Underground in.
The south-eastern ‘elves’ city.
A romance was blooming.
He was deeply worried.
For her after her injury.
And started planning a wedding.
Right there, in the bunker.
“It felt like he was.
In a hurry.
Like we wouldn't have.
Any more time.”
“He made a couple of.
Wedding rings out of tin foil.
With his own hands.
And asked me to marry him.”
“Of course, I said yes.
He was the love of my life.
And our rings made of tin foil.
They were perfect.”
On 5 May.
The couple were married.
By a commander stationed.
At the plant.
They had a ceremony.
In the bunker.
Wearing their uniforms.
As wedding attire.
He promised his wife.
That they would have.
A proper wedding.
When they returned home.
A proper wedding.
When they returned home.
With real rings.
And a white dress.
Sometimes she looks.
To the sky.
And speaks to him.
The love of her life.
As far as she knows.
Her husband's body remains.
At the Azovstal steel plant.
In the now-occupied city.
Two days later.
On 7 May.
he was killed.
In action.
At the steel plant.
By ‘orcs’ shelling.
She didn’t find out.
About it straight away.
“People often say.
You feel something inside.
When a loved one dies.
But I, on the contrary.”
“But I, on the contrary.
Was in a good mood.
I was married.
And in love.”
One of the hardest things.
Was having to hold.
In a “lump of grief”.
As she was defending her city.
“I was a bride.
I was a wife.
And now I am a widow.
The scariest word.”
“I could not react.
The way I wanted to.
At that moment.
My boys were always around.”
“They sat next to me.
They slept next to me.
They brought me food.
And supported me.”
Alongside “her boys”.
- comrades - at Azovstal.
“I could only cry.
When they weren’t watching.”
Relentless ‘orcs’ bombing.
Had turned.
Streets into ruins and.
Courtyards into graveyards.
But several metres.
Underground in.
The south-eastern ‘elves’ city.
A romance was blooming.
At one point.
It felt like the fear of being.
In the war zone was.
Blunted by her grief.
“I didn’t care any more…
You just understand that.
There are many.
More people.”
“Waiting for you.
In the next world.
If it exists.
Than there are here with you.”
Sometimes she looks.
To the sky.
And speaks to him.
The love of her life.
As far as she knows.
Her husband's body remains.
At the Azovstal steel plant.
In the now-occupied city.
The ‘elves’ soldiers.
At Azovstal.
Finally surrendered.
On 20 May.
She found herself among.
The 900 prisoners of war.
Forcibly taken by.
The ‘orcs’ military out of Mariupol.
“We stared through.
The windows of the bus.
At those buildings.
We loved.”
“We stared through.
The windows of the bus.
At those streets.
We knew so well.”
“They destroyed and killed.
Everything I loved.
My city, my friends.
And my husband.”
Relentless ‘orcs’ bombing.
Had turned.
Streets into ruins and.
Courtyards into graveyards.
But several metres.
Underground in.
The south-eastern ‘elves’ city.
A romance was blooming.
She survived 11 months.
Of ‘orcs’ captivity.
And has told of torture and abuse.
He often appeared in her dreams.
In April last year.
She was released.
As part of a prisoner exchange.
And is now back in Ukraine.
Sometimes she looks.
To the sky.
And speaks to him.
The love of her life.
As far as she knows.
Her husband's body remains.
At the Azovstal steel plant.
In the now-occupied city.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN DARKNESS
Streets are now.
Often coated.
In darkness.
At night.
Families with young children.
Living on the top floors.
Of apartment blocks.
Have been left.
Without working lifts.
Leaving them to.
Walk up dozens of.
Flights of stairs.
Streets are now.
Often coated.
In darkness.
At night.
Nationwide power cuts.
Have been planned.
During an eight-hour window.
From 3pm to 11pm.
In order to protect.
Critical infrastructure.
Such as hospitals.
And military facilities.
Streets are now.
Often coated.
In darkness.
At night.
Overnight.
‘Orcs’ launched missile.
And drone attacks.
Across Ukraine.
Including on the capital Kyiv.
Where the blasting sound.
Of air defences could be heard.
In the early hours of the morning.
Streets are now.
Often coated.
In darkness.
At night.
One of the effects.
Of such prolonged.
Power cuts was that.
People were plugging in.
all their electrical devices.
At the same time.
Once the electricity returned.
Causing fires.
Streets are now.
Often coated.
In darkness.
At night.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine extends blackouts as Russian bombings continue (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS CHOOSING
It was there.
In Vovchansk.
That the ‘elves’ chose.
To stand fight.
Elements of several.
‘Elves’ brigades.
Including the elite 82nd.
Air Assault Brigade.
Rushed north and.
In several weeks of.
Hard fighting.
Blocked the ‘orcs’ advance.
Just north of.
The Vovcha River which.
Threads from east to west.
Through central Vovchansk.
“The ‘orcs’ are surrounded here.
With zero chances.
Of evacuation or.
Reinforcements.”
One ‘elf’ drone operator crowed.
“A bunch of dead.
And wounded orcs.”
They added.
‘Elves’ forces have captured.
Dozens of ‘orcs’ troops.
In the embattled town.
Of Vovchansk.
Just south of.
The ‘Mordor’-Ukraine border.
Dealing a major setback to.
‘Orcs’ faltering northern offensive.
In heavy fighting over the weekend.
‘Elves’ troops surrounded.
As many as 400 ‘orcs’.
In and around a chemical plant.
In central Vovchansk.
Thirty ‘orcs’ surrendered.
After repeated attempts.
To rescue them failed.
“The ‘orcs’ are surrounded here.
With zero chances.
Of evacuation or.
Reinforcements.”
One ‘elf’ drone operator crowed.
“A bunch of dead.
And wounded orcs.”
They added.
On May 10.
A force of tens of thousands.
Of ‘orcs’ troops opened.
A new front.
In ‘orcs’ 28-month.
Wider war on Ukraine.
Attacking south across.
The ‘Mordor’-Ukraine border.
‘Orcs’ battalions.
Quickly captured.
A chain of lightly.
Defended border villages.
And then advanced.
On Vovchansk.
The first big town.
Between the border.
“The ‘orcs’ are surrounded here.
With zero chances.
Of evacuation or.
Reinforcements.”
One ‘elf’ drone operator crowed.
“A bunch of dead.
And wounded orcs.”
They added.
The ‘orcs’ rallied.
The equivalent of.
At least two battalions.
With hundreds of infantry.
Stormed the PJSC.
Volchansky chemical plant.
On the Vovcha River’s.
Right bank.
Factories and.
Other industrial facilities.
Are often the locus of.
The fighting in Ukraine.
As their big sturdy buildings.
Can shelter troops.
And protect them from.
Artillery and drones.
“The ‘orcs’ are surrounded here.
With zero chances.
Of evacuation or.
Reinforcements.”
One ‘elf’ drone operator crowed.
“A bunch of dead.
And wounded orcs.”
They added.
The ‘orcs’ plan was.
Apparently to capture.
The chemical plant.
And then, from there.
Launch a river-crossing operation.
In order to force.
Their way into.
Southern Vovchansk.
The plan failed.
When ‘elves’ troops.
Attacked west of.
The chemical plant.
And advanced several blocks.
To the north, cutting off.
The ‘orcs’ in the plant from.
Their comrades to the west.
“The ‘orcs’ are surrounded here.
With zero chances.
Of evacuation or.
Reinforcements.”
One ‘elf’ drone operator crowed.
“A bunch of dead.
And wounded orcs.”
They added.
‘Orcs’ commanders.
Knew they were in trouble.
This weekend.
They ordered.
Their troops west of.
The chemical plant.
To fight their through.
The ‘elves’ positions.
Two attempts to break through.
To the surrounded ‘orcs’ forces.
Were repelled by.
The ‘elves’ defense forces.
It was there.
In Vovchansk.
That the ‘elves’ chose.
To stand fight.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
400 Russian Troops Got Cut Off in Vovchansk. Now They’re Surrendering (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET LEAVING KRASNOHORIVKA
Like any battlefield.
In the 28th month of.
‘Orcs’ wider war.
On Ukraine.
The place where he lay dying.
Hummed with drones.
“Miracle happened.
A drone approached me.”
His unit from.
The 47th Mechanized Brigade.
Was leaving.
Its positions.
Presumably somewhere around.
The village of Krasnohorivka.
When it came.
Under Russian fire.
“I received five gunshots.
And became unfit for combat.”
It’s unclear what happened.
To his comrades.
All alone and bleeding.
He crawled into a treeline.
And administered.
first aid.
But bandages and.
Tourniquets would.
Only delay.
The inevitable.
“I was struggling.
So I was hoping for.
A miracle.
— to be found.”
Like any battlefield.
In the 28th month of.
‘Orcs’ wider war.
On Ukraine.
The place where he lay dying.
Hummed with drones.
“Miracle happened.
A drone approached me.”
But there was.
No way to be sure.
The drone was ‘elves’.
Rather than ‘orcs’.
If he gave away.
His hiding spot.
To an ‘orcs’.
Surveillance drone.
The crew could have called.
In an explosive.
First-person-view drone.
Or artillery.
He took a chance.
“At his peril and risk.
He began to signal.
That he needed help.”
The 47th Mechanized Brigade explained.
“At first, he pointed to.
... the clock.
Saying that time was running out.”
“After that, he pulled out.
A military I.D..
Proving that he was.
Not an enemy.”
The ‘elf’ drone crew.
Got the message.
And helped organize.
A rescue mission.
Like any battlefield.
In the 28th month of.
‘Orcs’ wider war.
On Ukraine.
The place where he lay dying.
Hummed with drones.
“Miracle happened.
A drone approached me.”
Luckily for him.
The 47th Mechanized Brigade.
Is uniquely equipped.
For swift rescues.
The brigade is the ‘elves’ army’s.
Sole operator of.
American-made M-2 Bradley.
Infantry fighting vehicles.
Just an hour after.
Signaling the drone.
An M-2 rolled up.
To his hiding spot.
Two soldiers leaped out.
To help pull him.
Into the vehicle, inside which.
Medics apparently waited.
“I was taken away.
Provided first aid.”
The M-2 rushed him.
To the safety of ‘elves’ lines.
Where an ambulance crew.
Presumably took charge.
“Now I’m in a hospital.
Healing,” he said.
Like any battlefield.
In the 28th month of.
‘Orcs’ wider war.
On Ukraine.
The place where he lay dying.
Hummed with drones.
“Miracle happened.
A drone approached me.”
Shot five times.
In a recent skirmish.
West of the ruins.
Of Avdiivka.
A wounded ‘elf’ soldier.
Knew he didn’t.
Have long before.
He bled out.
So he signaled.
A passing unmanned aerial vehicle.
Gambling that the drone was.
‘Elves’ and not ‘orcs’.
And that the drone’s crew.
Would alert.
A rescue team.
The gamble paid off.
His drone gamble.
Saved his life.
But the speedy.
M-2 helped, too.
The daring rescue is just.
The latest reminder why.
The 47th Mechanized Brigade.
Is so fond of its M-2s.
Like any battlefield.
In the 28th month of.
‘Orcs’ wider war.
On Ukraine.
The place where he lay dying.
Hummed with drones.
“Miracle happened.
A drone approached me.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Shot 5 Times, A Ukrainian Soldier Lay Dying. So He Signaled A Drone. (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS REDEPLOYED
Since dawn on Friday.
‘Orcs’ have made three attempts.
To approach troops.
Near Chasiv Yar and Klishchiivka.
The 24th Mechanized Brigade.
Which has been redeployed.
To Chasiv Yar.
Said on Thursday evening:
“The situation.
In and around.
The town is.
Extremely difficult.”
"The enemy is.
Constantly organizing.
Massive frontal assaults.
And also trying to.”
“Bypass the settlement.
From the north and south.”
It added that ‘orcs’ forces were.
“Mercilessly shelling” the area.
Chasiv Yar sits.
To the west of Bakhmut.
And has been the focus.
Of intense ‘orcs’ attacks.
Since February.
After nearby.
Avdiivka fell.
To ‘orcs’ forces.
The deployment comes.
As ‘Mordor’ said.
It had shot down.
More than 100 ‘elves’ drones.
In parts of ‘Mordor’ and.
c overnight.
With officials saying one person.
Was killed in the attack.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukrainian army unit says situation on frontline becoming 'extremely difficult' (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS PUSHING OUT OF KLISHCHIIVKA
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
On April 4.
‘Orcs’ regiments attacked.
Chasiv Yar, an ‘elves’ stronghold.
Just west of Bakhmut.
Their goal:
To capture or flatten the town.
And squeeze the main supply lines.
Connecting ‘elves’ brigades.
Up and down.
The eastern front of.
‘Orcs’ wider war.
On Ukraine.
Capturing the nearly.
Lifeless town, once home.
To 12,000 people.
Shouldn’t have been terribly difficult.
For the numerically superior.
And more heavily armed.
‘Orcs’ army.
In Ukraine.
But 10 weeks later.
The ‘orcs’ attack has ground.
To a bloody halt with.
The ‘orcs’ having captured.
Maybe a few dozen.
Outlying structures.
Out of several thousand.
In Chasiv Yar.
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
Worse for the ‘orcs’.
An ‘elves’ counterattack.
South of Chasiv Yar.
In recent days has pushed.
Occupying forces out of.
The village of Klishchiivka.
One of the southern.
Anchors of a pincer.
‘Orcs’ forces.
Are trying to form.
In order to.
Surround Chasiv Yar.
The ‘elves’ defense.
Of Chasiv Yar.
Has defied expectations.
Led by the army’s.
41st and 67th.
Mechanized Brigades.
56th Motorized Brigade and.
5th Assault Brigade.
As well as the 241st.
Territorial Defense Brigade.
The ‘elves’ defense.
Has defied expectations.
As recently as late May.
It was predicted that.
Chasiv Yar “will eventually.
Be lost to ‘orcs’ forces.”
While that could still happen.
The trends aren’t looking good.
For the ‘orcs’ around Chasiv Yar.
Their timing was off.
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
In early April.
‘Elves’ brigades were.
Desperately short.
Of ammunition.
“Our artillery was silent.”
A 5th Assault Brigade trooper said.
At the same time, the 67th.
Mechanized Brigade was melting down.
Then defending Chasiv Yar’s.
Most vulnerable district.
Its canal district on the exposed.
Eastern side of the Donbas Canal.
Two months ago.
The ‘elves’ garrison.
In Chasiv Yar.
Was weak.
Its air defenses.
Were so low.
On missiles that.
‘Orcs’ air force Sukhoi.
Su-25 attack jets.
Could fly within just.
A few miles of the town.
To lob their rockets.
Something that would.
Have been virtually suicidal.
For their pilots.
Just a few months earlier.
‘Orcs’ first-person-view drones.
Were thick in the sky.
The ‘elves’ garrison.
Was weak.
In the first few weeks.
Of fighting in April.
The ‘orcs’ 1st Army Corps.
And adjacent units advanced.
A few miles.
North and south of Chasiv Yar.
Ultimately occupying.
Klishchiivka and Ivanivske.
To capture the latter village.
The ‘orcs’ swarmed.
An ‘elves’ company.
With FPV drones.
And killed or wounded.
80 percent of.
Its 70 soldiers.
But then everything changed.
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
In late April.
On April 24.
Within days, to Ukraine.
Huge consignments were on their way.
Soon, the ‘orcs’.
Compounded their error.
On May 10.
That’s Victory Day in ‘Mordor’.
Instead of reinforcing.
Their forces in the east.
They launched a possibly symbolic.
Offensive in northern Ukraine.
‘Orcs’ northern grouping.
Of forces ran headlong.
Into a clutch of.
‘Elves’ mechanized brigades.
The northern battleground has since.
Become a deathtrap for ‘orcs’ infantry.
The fighting in and around.
Chasiv Yar raged on.
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
But for the first time.
In weeks.
Neither side had.
A major firepower advantage.
And the ‘elves’ had.
The natural advantage.
All defending armies.
Have over attacking armies.
They could dig in.
And wait on.
Chasiv Yar’s.
High ground.
While the ‘orcs’ had to leave.
The relative safety of.
Their own trenches and bunkers.
And cross low-lying open ground.
The forest around.
The canal district offers.
Some cover from.
The ever-present ‘elves’ drones.
But crossing the canal itself.
Means leaving the forest and.
Dashing across one of the two.
Land bridges spanning the canal.
It’s here at.
These land bridges that.
‘Elves’ drones and artillery are.
Massacring the attacking ‘orcs’.
When some ‘orcs’ sought shelter.
In lengths of wide water pipes.
‘Elves’ drones dropped grenades.
Through holes in the pipes.
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
One June 3 attack.
Was typical.
An ‘orcs’ MT-LB.
Armored tractor managed.
To speed across the canal.
North of Chasiv Yar.
And drop off.
A squad of infantry.
But it was all for nothing.
As an ‘elves’ surveillance drone watched.
‘Elves’ FPV drones sliced.
Into the infantry.
The MT-LB abruptly.
Sped away.
To the east.
Deeper into ‘elves’ territory.
Where its chance of survival.
Was virtually nil.
Perhaps the crew.
Got turned around.
An ‘elves’ drone observes.
Wrecked and abandoned.
‘Orcs’ vehicles.
Outside Chasiv Yar.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Sneaking Through Pipes Isn’t Helping Russian Troops Capture Chasiv Yar (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN ODESA
He had only left.
His flat and family to go.
To the shops when he heard.
The news of the explosion.
At the entrance to his block of flats.
He screamed at police.
To let him inside.
The burning building.
“What is happening is.
A grief for my family.
For our city.
For Ukraine.”
“It's a grief.
For the whole civilisation.
I hope our story helps.
To stop this war.”
When he reached his flat.
He found the bodies of.
His wife and her mother.
Killed by an ‘orcs’ missile.
That had ripped into.
The lower floors of the block.
The body of his three-month-old baby.
Was discovered later;
He saw it.
For the first time.
When he returned.
To the flat on Sunday.
“What is happening is.
A grief for my family.
For our city.
For Ukraine.”
“It's a grief.
For the whole civilisation.
I hope our story helps.
To stop this war.”
The deaths — three generations.
Of a single family –
Have sparked outrage.
And revulsion in Ukraine.
Commenting on the strikes.
‘Gandalf the Green’ was visibly upset.
When speaking about.
The baby's killing.
“How did she threaten ‘Mordor’?
It seems that killing children.
Is just a new national idea.
Of ‘Mordor’.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
In his nightly address to ‘elves’.
He described those who had planned.
And carried out the attack as “bastards”.
A country already hardened.
By two months of war.
Five others were also killed.
In the missile strike.
“What is happening is.
A grief for my family.
For our city.
For Ukraine.”
“It's a grief.
For the whole civilisation.
I hope our story helps.
To stop this war.”
He was in the wrecked building.
On Sunday to find.
What he could salvage.
From the apartment.
Photo albums.
His wife's sugar sachet collection.
Handwritten notes.
He found his baby's stroller in pieces.
“If I leave things in the flat.
It will become garbage.
And people will throw it away.
I want to keep it for my memories.”
“What is happening is.
A grief for my family.
For our city.
For Ukraine.”
“It's a grief.
For the whole civilisation.
I hope our story helps.
To stop this war.”
He and his wife had been.
A couple for nine years.
“She could find joy in everything.
Odesa was her favourite city.”
“She worked in PR and.
She could communicate with.
A lot of people, understand them.
I admired what a good writer she was.”
“She was a great mother, friend.
With all the best qualities.
It will be impossible for me.
To find somebody else like her.”
“She was perfect.
Such a person could be given.
To you only once in a life.
And it's a gift from God.”
“What is happening is.
A grief for my family.
For our city.
For Ukraine.”
“It's a grief.
For the whole civilisation.
I hope our story helps.
To stop this war.”
His baby had been born.
At the end of January.
Just a month before.
The start of the war.
A few weeks after that.
His wife had posted on Instagram.
That she was living with.
“A new level of happiness”.
After the birth of.
Her first child.
“Our girl is one month old now.
It has been the best 40 weeks.”
He showed you photos of their baby.
On his phone sent to him by his wife.
“We were so happy.
When she was born.”
“I was in the maternity hospital.
When she gave birth.
It's very hard for me to realise now.
That my daughter and wife are no longer here.”
“All my world was destroyed yesterday.
By an ‘orcs’ missile.”
He wants the world to know.
About what happened to his family.
“What is happening is.
A grief for my family.
For our city.
For Ukraine.”
“It's a grief.
For the whole civilisation.
I hope our story helps.
To stop this war.”
As you leave, he hands you.
Some nappies in a carrier bag.
One of the few things.
He's been able to recover from the flat.
“Please take them.
Give them to charity.
I have no need.
for them now.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Odesa missile attack: 'My world was destroyed by a Russian missile' (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS DISCOVERING
Soldiers have made.
An unexpected discovery.
During fortification work.
In Odesa.
A number of amphorae.
Ancient vessels.
Used to transport liquid.
During fortification work.
The amphorae were made between.
The fourth and fifth century BC.
The soldiers handed.
The amphorae to staff.
At the Odessa Archaeological Museum.
Who have promised.
To add them to.
The museum's collection.
Soldiers of Odesa.
Territorial Defence's.
126th separate brigade.
Have found ancient amphorae.
A number of amphorae.
Ancient vessels.
Used to transport liquid.
During fortification work.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
As it happened: Ukraine aiming to arm a million people - BBC News
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN SERHIYIVKA
The ‘orcs’ missiles hit.
Several targets in Serhiyivka.
Including this residential building.
At about 01:00 on Friday.
At least 21 people.
Including one child.
Have died in overnight.
‘Orcs’ missile strikes on Odesa.
16 people were killed.
In a nine-storey building.
Hit by one missile.
In the village of Serhiyivka.
Another five people.
Including the child.
Were killed in a separate strike.
On a holiday resort in the village.
Ukraine had hoped that.
The ‘orcs’ withdrawal on Thursday.
From the strategically important.
Zmiinyi Island would ease.
The threat to ‘elves’.
Biggest Black Sea port.
Of Odesa and.
Wider region.
‘Orcs’ have fired.
Dozens of missiles.
On ‘elves’ cities.
In the past few days.
“We heard three explosions.
And now there is.
Nothing left of.
The recreation centre.”
Local resident, 60, said.
“The village is very quiet.
We never thought.
This could happen.”
‘Elves’ rescuers were searching.
For more survivors.
In the wreckage of.
The nine-storey building.
They were also seen.
Carrying what looked like.
The body of one of.
The victims in a bag.
The building's external wall.
Was damaged and.
A nearby shop was set ablaze.
After the strike.
Firefighters later.
Put out the fire.
60 rescuers were currently.
Working at the site.
As many as.
150 people are.
Believed to have lived.
In the building.
The child killed at the holiday resort.
Was a 12-year-old boy.
Three missiles were launched from.
‘Orcs’ warplanes over the Black Sea.
Ukraine had hoped that.
The ‘orcs’ withdrawal on Thursday.
From the strategically important.
Zmiinyi Island would ease.
The threat to ‘elves’.
Biggest Black Sea port.
Of Odesa and.
Wider region.
There were no military.
Installations or radar stations.
Near Serhiyivka
The city's mayor said.
The people of Odesa.
Were “living their lives.
In fear” of further ‘orcs’ attacks.
The city's mayor added.
Last night Odesa region.
Was hit again.
It happened soon after.
‘Orcs’ retreat from Zmiinyi Island.
But the region.
Like others.
Has been targeted.
Throughout the war.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Russian missile strikes kill 21 in Odesa region — emergency service (BBC News)
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET AT A SCENE
The damage is as colossal.
As the cathedral itself.
There is no doubt this was.
A direct hit from a missile.
The archdeacon of the cathedral.
Said he was the first person.
To arrive at the scene.
“The destruction is enormous;”
The cracks along its walls represent.
The strain Odesa has found.
Itself under after a week of.
Constant attacks from the skies.
“Half of the cathedral was.
Left without a roof.
And the central piles and.
Foundation were destroyed.”
The building's thick ancient walls.
Are still standing.
But there are pillars.
Leaning at a worrying angle.
"All the windows and.
Stucco moulding were.
Blown out.
There was a fragmentary fire.”
Teams have been ferociously.
Picking up debris.
Since the impact in the small hours.
Of this morning.
“The part where icons and candles.
Are sold in the church.
Caught fire.
It was all on fire, burning.”
The damage is as colossal.
As the cathedral itself.
There is no doubt this was.
A direct hit from a missile.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Russian strikes on Odesa damage Orthodox cathedral (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS ELIMINATING IN KALININA
Shortly after finally.
Capturing the ruins of Avdiivka.
Following a bloody, five-month battle.
That culminated in February.
‘Orcs’ forces in eastern.
Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Took aim at another.
Eastern prize:
In fact, one of those.
Enveloping positions was.
In Kalinina.
And ‘elves’ counterattacks eliminated it.
The industrial town.
Of Chasiv Yar.
Which had a pre-war population.
Of around 12,000.
Exposed on the very edge.
Of the line of contact.
West of Bakhmut and.
Depending on a north-south canal.
A canal with two.
Easy crossing points.
For its defense.
Chasiv Yar is vulnerable.
And its easternmost canal district.
On the far side of the canal.
From the town center.
Is even more vulnerable.
Chasiv Yar should’ve been.
Easy picking for.
The nearly 500,000-strong.
‘Orcs’ force in Ukraine.
Instead, it.
Like many other front-line towns.
Has become an attrition trap.
For the ‘orcs’.
They’ve made incremental gains.
That can be measured.
With a yardstick, but.
At the cost of thousands of casualties.
They’re getting massacred.
‘Elves’ casualties are much lighter.
Is the prize.
Worth the cost?
In fact, one of those.
Enveloping positions was.
In Kalinina.
And ‘elves’ counterattacks eliminated it.
The ‘orcs’ strategy.
In the months-long battle.
For Chasiv Yar.
Is obvious.
Under intensive close air support.
‘Orcs’ troops from.
The 200th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade.
299th Air Assault Regiment.
Under intensive close air support.
‘Orcs’ troops from.
11th Air Assault Brigade.
And other units attack.
The canal district in order to.
Secure a foothold for a direct assault.
On the center of Chasiv Yar.
While also attacking the village.
Directly to the north, Kalinina.
In order to put pressure on.
The supply lines into Chasiv Yar.
It’s not going well for the ‘orcs’.
And even the recent introduction.
Of ‘orcs’ TOS-1 and TOS-2.
Thermobaric rocket launchers.
To the Chasiv Yar sector.
And even the recent introduction.
To the Chasiv Yar sector.
Hasn’t decisively tilted.
The local balance of power.
As of Tuesday.
The ‘elves’ remain.
In control of Chasiv Yar.
The canal district and Kalinina.
As of Tuesday.
The ‘elves’ 41st Mechanized Brigade.
241st Territorial Defense Brigade.
And Presidential Brigade remain.
The ‘orcs’ managed to.
Briefly push back.
The ‘elves’ in Kalinina.
In recent days.
But the ‘elves’ counterattacked.
Despite heavy shelling from.
The ‘orcs’ 200th Arctic Brigade.
And reversed the ‘orcs’’ gains.
In fact, one of those.
Enveloping positions was.
In Kalinina.
And ‘elves’ counterattacks eliminated it.
Part of the problem.
For the ‘orcs’ is that.
They counted.
On their Victory Day.
Offensive along the border.
North of Kharkiv.
To draw ‘elves’ units away.
From eastern battlefields.
In order to weaken.
The defenses around towns.
Such as Chasiv Yar.
Such as Chasiv Yar.
But resupplied just in time.
With American munitions.
The ‘elves’ managed to reinforce.
Their northern defenses.
And halt the ‘orcs’ offensive.
Without significantly.
Thinning out.
Their eastern defenses.
Meanwhile, a growing.
Shortage of armored vehicles.
And the slow collapse of.
The ‘orcs’ military’s.
Basic training system.
Have forced poorly-trained.
‘Orcs’ troops to assault.
‘Elves’ positions on foot.
They’re getting massacred.
That begs the question:
Is the prize.
Worth the cost?
In fact, one of those.
Enveloping positions was.
In Kalinina.
And ‘elves’ counterattacks eliminated it.
The ‘orcs’’ plan was.
To over-extend and.
Thin out the ‘elves’.
Before marching into Chasiv Yar.
Instead, they over-extended.
And thinned themselves out.
Is the prize.
Worth the cost?
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
The Russians Rolled Thermobaric Rocket Launchers Toward Chasiv Yar (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS IN TERNY
In early April.
An ‘orcs’ assault group.
Attacked positions.
Held by the ‘elves’.
12th Azov Brigade.
Outside Terny.
Just west of Kreminna.
In eastern Ukraine.
The assault ended.
In the usual way.
Blasted by mines and.
Harried by ‘elves’ FPV drones.
The ‘orcs’ survivors.
Abandoned their vehicles.
And fled back toward.
Their own lines.
A few hundred yards.
To the east.
What was special was.
What they left behind:
A nearly intact.
And brand-new.
T-72B3M tank sporting.
One of the bulkiest and.
In theory, most effective.
Anti-drone radio jammers.
Anyone had seen in.
‘Orcs’ wider war on Ukraine.
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
Two months later.
The two-year-old T-72.
Has been inspected.
Stripped of its jammers.
Fixed up, repainted.
With 12th Azov Brigade markings.
And assigned to the same tank.
Battalion that helped steal it.
It’s one of two.
Captured T-72B3Ms.
In service with.
The 12th Azov Brigade.
The ‘elves’ have nicknamed it.
“Tsar Tank” or.
“Tsar E.W.”
For “electronic warfare.”
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
The 12th Azov Brigade’s.
Famous tank commander.
Who lost an eye defending.
Mariupol in the war’s early months.
Filled in the details of.
The brigade’s epic tank heist.
Why is this tank famous?
The whole internet talks about it.
“It’s the first trophy.
Of this kind.
In the whole war.
It had a huge E.W. system.”
“With additional batteries.
On the sides.
Tied up with ropes like.
On a pirate ship.”
Why the ‘orcs’ piled.
So much jamming technology.
Onto a single tank.
Is obvious.
For six months.
Starting in October.
U.S. aid was further.
Blocked to Ukraine.
Starving ‘elves’ brigades of.
The artillery shells.
And anti-tank missiles.
They needed to repel ‘orcs’ assaults.
So the ‘elves’ launched.
A crash program to build.
In hundreds of tiny workshops.
As many as 100,000.
Explosive FPV drones.
As a firepower stopgap.
As tiny ‘elves’ drones.
Filled the sky.
The ‘orcs’ scrambled to deploy.
Anti-drone defenses.
Including jammers that could.
Block drones’ control signals.
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
The Tsar Tank may.
Have represented.
The zenith of ‘orcs’.
Battlefield drone jamming.
Or nadir.
If you judge.
The jammers by.
Their elegance.
Often crude, sloppily built.
And hastily assembled.
The jammers malfunctioned.
As often as they worked.
But they were always.
Subject to intensive scrutiny.
By ‘elves’ intelligence.
Hence the interest in.
The stuck Tsar Tank.
How the 12th Azov Brigade.
Fetched the tank is.
By now, well-known.
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
On the night of April 3.
Scouts sneaked out.
To the tank.
To inspect it.
They found it tangled.
In barbed wire and.
Resting atop an unexploded.
Anti-tank mine.
Its 150-pound.
Batteries dead after.
The three-man crew.
Bailed out without.
First switching off.
The fire-control system.
And then got killed.
By ‘elves’ drones.
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
On the night of April 4.
The brigade.
“Decided to act”.
And steal the tank.
A team of sappers.
And tank crew.
Sneaked back.
To the T-72.
To clear any live explosives.
Including the mine.
Underneath the tank.
And install fresh batteries.
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
All that was left.
On the night of April 5.
Was to drive the tank.
A mile or two to Terny.
Infantry and drone operators.
Watched from a safe distance.
Medics and an ambulance crew.
Were on standby.
The theft itself.
Came down to two men.
Two tankers.
Who scurried to the T-72.
Ignoring a nearby.
‘Orcs’ artillery barrage.
And crewed the tank without.
Switching on its headlights.
And giving away the heist.
The driver couldn’t see anything.
Another stood in the turret.
Wearing night-vision goggles.
And taking directions by radio.
From nearby troops.
With a clearer view.
Of the battlefield.
As the T-72 nosed into Terny.
The ‘orcs’ spotted it.
But they couldn’t tell.
If the tank was.
Driving away from them.
Or toward them.
Taking no chances.
They opened fire with artillery.
“The shelling was chaotic.”
As he throttled the tank.
To its top speed.
The driver didn’t notice.
The shell crater.
Directly ahead of him.
Until it was too late.
The T-72 toppled into the crater.
The impact knocked.
The driver out.
For three or four minutes.
He awoke concussed.
And bleeding — but immediately.
Began maneuvering the tank.
Out of the crater.
“They gradually managed to move out.”
Soon, they were safe behind.
‘Elves’ lines with.
Their precious war prize.
“All was fine — well.”
The 12th Azov Brigade mounted.
A daring three-night mission.
To inspect, repair and.
Recover the 51-ton T-72.
“Except for the driver.
Who hit his head.”
‘Elves’ intelligence snatched away.
The jammers for close inspection.
12th Azov Brigade crews fixed.
Some superficial damage.
Including shattered glass.
On the first-control optics.
And handed the T-72.
Over to the tank commander.
And the brigade’s.
Tank battalion.
Keenly aware that.
Most T-72B3Ms are ‘orcs’.o
And friendly fire is.
An acute risk.
The tankers spray-painted.
“Azov” in big white letters.
On the side of.
Their prize.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukrainians Stole A Special Russian Tank. Now It Fights For Ukraine. (forbes.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS AT A WEDDING
Dark storm clouds.
Threatened to.
Upend a couple’s.
Beach wedding.
But as the couple walked down.
The long white staircase.
To greet their guests.
The empty chairs signalled.
Overlooking the Black Sea.
In the southern city of Odesa.
She quietly murmured that.
She understood why.
Her friends and family.
Did not want to fight.
Her father was killed.
On the front line in October.
There was a bigger problem.
In total.
Half of their guests.
Were missing.
Their family and friends sent.
Their apologies but explained.
That the risk of attending.
Had been too great.
What if they had been caught.
By one of the conscription squads.
Which now roam.
Ukraine’s streets?
With many of its soldiers.
Dead, injured or exhausted.
The ‘elves’ government has stepped up.
Its efforts to mobilise more men.
A new law.
Introduced in May.
Requires every man aged.
Between 25 and 60.
To log their details.
On an electronic database.
So they can be.
Called up.
Conscription officers.
Are on the hunt.
For those avoiding.
The register.
Pushing more men.
Who do not.
Want to serve.
Into hiding.
Overlooking the Black Sea.
In the southern city of Odesa.
She quietly murmured that.
She understood why.
Her friends and family.
Did not want to fight.
Her father was killed.
On the front line in October.
Her father was killed.
On the front line in October.
During the attritional battle.
For Avdiivka.
And the 24-year-old.
Is now terrified of.
Her new husband.
Being conscripted.
“I don’t want this to happen.
To my family twice.”
“I don’t want this to happen.
To my family twice.”
More than two years.
Into the war.
Almost everyone knows.
Someone who has been killed.
Grim news has poured.
Out from the front.
Of Ukraine being vastly.
Outnumbered and outgunned.
Overlooking the Black Sea.
In the southern city of Odesa.
She quietly murmured that.
She understood why.
Her friends and family.
Did not want to fight.
Her father was killed.
On the front line in October.
Over the phone.
The couple’s friend.
Of 15 years.
Relayed such tales.
Among the dead are.
Around a dozen of.
His friends and.
Acquaintances.
“There are more than a million.
Police officers in Ukraine.
Why should I fight.
When they are not?”
He has a young daughter and.
Wife who is seven months pregnant.
He said he was sorry.
To miss the wedding.
But was afraid of.
Being “grabbed” by.
Conscription officers who.
He likened to “bandits”.
Overlooking the Black Sea.
In the southern city of Odesa.
She quietly murmured that.
She understood why.
Her friends and family.
Did not want to fight.
Her father was killed.
On the front line in October.
The mobilisation squads.
Have a fearsome reputation.
Especially in Odesa.
For pulling people.
Off buses and.
From train stations.
And ferrying them straight.
To enlistment centres.
For those avoiding the draft.
Public transport is now off limits.
So too are restaurants.
Supermarkets.
And weekend trips.
To the park to play football.
“I feel like I am.
In a prison,” he said.
Overlooking the Black Sea.
In the southern city of Odesa.
She quietly murmured that.
She understood why.
Her friends and family.
Did not want to fight.
Her father was killed.
On the front line in October.
Dark storm clouds.
Threatened to.
Upend a couple’s.
Beach wedding.
But as the couple walked down.
The long white staircase.
To greet their guests.
The empty chairs signalled.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Conscription squads send Ukrainian men into hiding (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS AT AN ENLISTMENT CENTRE
On a Tuesday morning.
A dozen conscription officers.
Descended on Odesa’s.
Main train station.
Led by a seasoned.
Veteran sailor.
And his younge.
More muscular counterpart.
They paced the forecourt.
Stopping men of serving age.
To check they were registered.
On the database.
But the well-mannered pair.
Had a tough time.
Finding eligible men.
Where are eligible men?
Most were either.
Too young or.
Had received.
Some sort of exemption.
After a couple of hours.
The veteran sailor conceded.
That it was highly possible.
Men were hiding from them.
“Some people run away from us.
This happens quite often.
Others react.
Quite aggressively.”
I don’t think these people.
Have been brought up well.”
Many of ‘elves’ soldiers are.
Dead, injured or exhausted.
At the enlistment centre.
Around the corner.
An optimistic note taped.
To the door.
Notified would-be-recruits.
That those who had.
Come voluntarily could.
Skip the queues.
On a Tuesday morning.
A dozen conscription officers.
Descended on Odesa’s.
Main train station.
But there were no queues.
A lone man sat.
Waiting to be seen.
A lone man sat.
He told you.
He had been “kidnapped”.
That morning and.
Brought against his will.
“The officers encircled me.
So I couldn’t run.”
He stuttered in shock.
“I’m devastated.”
On a Tuesday morning.
A dozen conscription officers.
Descended on Odesa’s.
Main train station.
One of the officers.
At the centre conceded that.
There were barely any.
Willing volunteers these days.
The officer fought in some of.
The fiercest battles along.
The eastern front line.
In the Donbas.
Before being struck.
In the head, chest.
And legs by.
Artillery shrapnel.
He was unable.
To mask his contempt.
For those.
Who are hiding.
“How can I say?
This without swearing?”
He asked out loud.
“I don’t consider them men.”
“What are they waiting for?
If we run out of men.
The enemy will.
Come to their homes.”
“Rape their women.
And kill their children.”
He has seen the awful evidence.
First-hand.
On a Tuesday morning.
A dozen conscription officers.
Descended on Odesa’s.
Main train station.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Conscription squads send Ukrainian men into hiding (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS BY CHOICE
“Then we would see.
People searching for guns.
And queuing at.
Enlistment centres again.”
On the outskirts of Odesa.
He appeared sheepishly.
At the door of.
His apartment block.
Using his seven-year-old.
Daughter as a shield.
The IT engineer will not.
Leave the house without her.
As he knows the officers.
Cannot snatch him.
If they are together.
He is in hiding.
Last year.
While on his way to work.
He was ordered.
Off a bus.
By the military.
At gun point, he said.
And taken to.
An enlistment centre.
He convinced the officers to.
Let him go to fetch some documents.
But vowed to himself.
He would never return.
“I’m not a military man.
I’ve never held a weapon.
I don’t think I can be useful.
On the front line.”
He then reeled off.
The same list of.
Reasons given by every.
Draft dodger you spoke to.
There is somewhat.
Of a disconnect.
They are holding out.
For an ‘elves’ victory.
Just one that.
Does not involve them.
There is somewhat.
Of a disconnect.
“I am proud that many men.
Made the brave decision.
To go to the front line.
They are truly the best of our country.”
“Then we would see.
People searching for guns.
And queuing at.
Enlistment centres again.”
The group of conscripts.
At this Kyiv training camp.
Are mostly in their late.
40s and 50s.
At a conscript training camp.
In a forest outside Kyiv.
Its leader breathed.
Heavy sighs.
As he supervised men.
With shovels digging foxholes.
“It might look like.
Banal work.”
“But this is as important.
As being able to.
Fire artillery.
It could save their lives”.
He is a patriotic volunteer.
With revolutionary spirit.
He oversees the mandatory.
34-day training programme.
All conscripts must complete.
Before being despatched.
To their military units.
He stressed repeatedly that.
These men would not.
Be sent to the front line.
Straight away, and that.
Further training would follow.
“Then we would see.
People searching for guns.
And queuing at.
Enlistment centres again.”
On a break from training.
The leader’s cohort of.
Conscripts sat.
Smoking and joking.
They were a rag-tag group.
Mostly in their late 40s and 50s.
A pig breeder, a warehouse manager.
And a builder.
Who admitted they would.
Rather not be there.
But nor did these men want to.
Spend the rest of the war in hiding.
One of them had already.
Opted to become.
A drone pilot.
“I’m pretty scared.”
“This is all new to me.
But I have to do it.”
But the 33-year-old.
Tram engineer did not judge.
Those choosing to hide.
“I’ve made my choice.
They can make theirs.”
He shrugged.
“Then we would see.
People searching for guns.
And queuing at.
Enlistment centres again.”
The leader was troubled.
By how unmotivated.
His new arrivals were.
The leader was troubled.
Despite the daily.
Reminders of war.
The air raid sirens.
And rolling power cuts.
He believes the threat of war.
Has grown too distant.
For those living in.
The relative safety of cities.
Such as Odesa and Kyiv.
He believes the threat of war.
Has grown too distant.
For those living in.
And he fears it will take.
Another major ‘orcs’ advance.
To spur ‘elves’ draft dodgers.
Into action.
“Then we would see.
People searching for guns.
And queuing at.
Enlistment centres again.”
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Please read the original story:
Ukraine war: Conscription squads send Ukrainian men into hiding (bbc.com)
Kurama
(Japan)
POETS DEFEATING
The unit had no choice but.
To withdraw from the battlefield.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
‘Orcs’ Victory Day offensive.
Across ‘elves’ northern border.
With ‘Mordor’ may.
Have aimed to capture.
A wide, deep swathe of territory.
To bring heavy artillery.
Closer to the city of Kharkiv.
25 miles to the south.
More ambitiously.
‘Orcs’ commanders may.
Have hoped to march on.
Kharkiv itself.
Neither happened.
Within a couple of weeks of.
The offensive kicking off.
On May 9.
The force of 30,000 or so.
‘Orcs’ troops got bogged down.
In the town of Vovchansk.
Just a few miles south of the border.
And now the defenders.
Of Vovchansk.
Have reportedly defeated.
An elite ‘orcs’ airborne brigade.
The defenders, including.
Some or part of several ‘elves’.
Mechanized, marine.
And airborne brigades.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
The entire 83rd Airborne Brigade.
Is urgently withdrawn.
To the rear to restore.
Combat capability.
There are too many casualties.
They can't fight.
There are too many.
500s.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
In ‘orcs’ military parlance.
A “code 500” is.
A soldier who.
Refuses to fight.
If confirmed.
It’s a stinging loss.
For the new ‘orcs’.
Northern grouping of forces.
Which includes around seven.
Regiments and brigades.
And ‘orcs’ losses in Vovchansk.
Could get a lot worse.
As the survivors of an entire battalion.
That’s hundreds of troops.
Have been trapped.
In a chemical plant.
In central Vovchansk.
For two weeks.
The trapped soldiers might.
Not last much longer.
The ‘elves’ air force has been.
Lobbing precision glide bombs.
At the chemical plant.
Gradually reducing it to rubble.
The unit had no choice but.
To withdraw from the battlefield.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
In Ukraine.
The 83rd Airborne Brigade.
Ditched its parachutes.
And fought as a mechanized force.
In its tracked BMD.
And wheeled BTR vehicles.
Redeploying hundreds of miles.
At a time.
To respond to ‘elves’ attacks.
And opportunities for ‘orcs’ attacks.
The brigade fought in the south.
In 2023.
And, this spring.
Took part in the ‘orcs’ siege of.
The eastern town.
Of Chasiv Yar.
As the Victory Day offensive.
Ground to a halt in Vovchansk.
‘Orcs’ commanders ordered.
The 83rd Airborne Brigade.
To head north and get.
the northern grouping.
Of forces.
Moving again.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
83rd Brigade — bye bye.
The first 83rd Airborne Brigade.
Paratroopers appeared.
Along the front line.
In Vovchansk before June 12.
On or around June 16.
The ‘orcs’ northern grouping.
Of forces “used 17 paratroopers.
From the 83rd Brigade.”