Japan&Ukraine
«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)
"I hope I can see the statue as it was in peace."
(Kurama, Japan)
On this video: Kurama. "A poet in Kharkiv", a poem about 2022 russian invasion of Ukraine (is voiced by the author).
The monument to Taras Shevchenko in Kharkiv (Ukraine).
Kurama
(Japan)
A POET IN KHARKIV
A poet in Kharkiv is standing under bombs.
But a poet in Kharkiv is watching over the world.
Keep silent! Keep silent!
Sirens warn in Kharkiv.
But a poet in Kharkiv is a sign of a word.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine has been the target of intense Russian bombardment for weeks. This has led authorities and residents in the city to take action to protect the statue of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko with a huge mountain of sandbags. Shevchenko is known as "the national poet of Ukraine" and one of the fathers of the country's literature, as a result his statue is a significant symbol for the city.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/
On this video: Kurama (Japan). "A poet in Borodyanka" — a poem about 2022 russian invasion of Ukraine (is voiced by the author).
A monument to the poet Taras Shevchenko in Borodyanka (Kyiv region) before 24.02.2022.
Kurama
A POET IN BORODYANKA
Aware of a poet?
Aware of a poet?
A poet of Cossack broods over the land.
Not noting a bullet.
Not noting a bullet.
You see a poet of Cossack in Borodyanka.
Source: https://www.koryu-meets-chess.info/
Bullets in the head. A monument to the poet Taras Shevchenko shot by occupiers in Borodyanka, Kyiv region. Genocide is not just thousands of victims. Education is banned in occupied territories, books are burned. People can easily be killed for just one word.
"We can create whatever we want to save your Shevchenko and your words."
(Kurama)
Kurama, poet from Japan, wrote for our readers:
"Hello, dear our readers!
I strongly pray for peace for you and your family
and your friends and your country.
We try to understand the history of your country.
We believe in the amazing courage of your country.
Best wishes to all!"
“The ‘elves’ army’s 33rd.
Mechanized Brigade and its.
German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks
Stand in their way.
“Effective work.
Just blows the heads.
Off the enemies.”
The 33rd Mechanized Brigade crowed.
The battle in Dalnje.
Was a return.
To form for.
‘Elves’ tanks...”
(Kurama)
"In the treatment room.
Of a cramped makeshift field unit.
— the first point of treatment.
For injured soldiers.
“This is the most dangerous.
Of all front lines.”
Says the head of a medical unit for.
The ‘elves’ army's 25th Brigade.
“The ‘orcs’ Federation.
Is pushing very hard.
We have not been able.
To stabilise the front.”"(Kurama)
"An ‘elves’ drone team.
From the Nemesis group.
Scored one of the more.
Impressive kills.
Of ‘orcs’ 31-month.
Wider war on Ukraine.
Last week.
When it spotted.
A fast-moving ‘orcs’.
Turtle tank and.
Carefully leading.
The speeding vehicle..."
(Kurama)
"Witnesses said.
The city was targeted.
At about 05:40.
In the heart of Lviv.
Lviv’s Mayor said.
‘Orcs’ attack had damaged.
More than 50 buildings.
In the historic heart of Lviv.
Including homes.
Schools and clinics.
He posted a picture.
On social media..."(Kurama)
"Today ‘Mordor’ once again.
Demonstrated its cruelty:
A missile attack on.
The Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital.
Buildings and facilities.
Were damaged.
There are wounded.
And dead..."(Kurama)
““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.”...”(Kurama)
“I don't have a desire.
For revenge, but I do.
Have a very strong desire to.
Participate in opposition activities.”
What did he want most of all?
...
He simply replies:
“To hug Mum of course.”(Kurama)
““We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
The sun sets on Kharkiv.
And much of the city.
Remains dark.
As residents conserve power...”(Kurama)
That someone was.
Watching me.
My heart was pounding.”
Agent One.
Takes photos.
As he crouches down.
In some bushes...”(Kurama)
“She has now.
Left her village.
Near the border.
With ‘Mordor’.
When ‘orcs’ planes began.
Bombing her border village.
In northern Ukraine.
She refused to leave...”(Kurama)
“A volunteer who evacuates civilians.
Showed you a message.
From a resident.
A few days ago.
“The basement where people were.
Staying on Soborna Street.
Has been hit,” it says.
“A lot of people have died.”...”(Kurama)
“After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
Where frostbite is taking its toll.
On ‘elves’ troops.
The man's fist looked unrecognisable.
Like a split and bruised peach...”(Kurama)
"No face, no name.
But minds.
Welcome to secret classes.
In Melitopol.
Like millions of other ‘elves’.
In the early weeks of.
‘Orcs’ full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
She was forced from her home...°(Kurama)
““The entire river crossing.
Is under constant fire.
I've seen boats.
With my comrades on board.”
“Just disappear into the water.
After being hit.
Lost forever.
To the Dnipro river.”...”(Kurama)
““My daughter kept.
Screaming and crying.
That we forgot daddy.
I needed to be strong.”
On 24 February 2022.
‘Mordor’ invaded Ukraine.
That morning.
Her life “changed forever”...”(Kurama)
“He has the sort of chuckle.
That's hard to resist.
Deep and treacly and mischievous.
“I'm still alive.”
He said, tilting his head.
To one side in his wheelchair.
Like a spectator marvelling at.
Someone else's magic trick...”(Kurama)
"You heard the screams.
From far away.
They came floating.
Across the rows of the dead.
Across the rows of the dead.
Over other graves.
Still waiting.
To be filled...“(Kurama)
"He lost his mum.
He lost his dad.
He lost his two grandparents.
Last October.
They were all killed.
In a missile attack.
On his village of Hroza.
In north-eastern Ukraine..."(Kurama)
““None of us will allow.
Our Ukraine to end.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
In an address in the capital Kyiv.
He was joined by Western leaders.
In a show of solidarity.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
In his speech on Saturday that...”(Kurama)
"It translates.
As “crooked horn”.
But ‘Gandalf the Green’ calls.
Kryvyi Rih his “big soul and heart”.
‘Gandalf the Green’ credits.
This gritty, industrial city.
With moulding.
His character..."(Kurama)
"As he slowly began.
To regain consciousness.
In his hospital bed.
In Kyiv.
He realized.
He couldn't see, speak.
Or feel his legs.
But he could hear his wife’s voice..."(Kurama)
"Within the first hour.
Of you arriving.
There were two sirens.
And incoming artillery fire.
This city Kupiansk was occupied.
For six months.
And then liberated.
Last year..."(Kurama)
“‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
He has been searching for.
His brother for nearly two years.
His brother is one of thousands.
Of ‘elves’ civilians...”(Kurama)
"While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
Five were wounded and couldn't walk.
Including a paramedic.
A sniper.
And an anti-tank fighter..."Kurama (Japan)
“Soldiers, of course.
Have the advantage.
Of armour.
Civilians do not.
And around Kupiansk.
The city ‘elves’ recaptured last September.
‘Orcs’ guns are again.
Shelling people's homes...”(Kurama)
““Everything will be fine.”
“Everything will be fine.”
You realise they are more than.
Simply words to this family.
“Everything will be fine.”
“Everything will be fine.”
They are an enduring act of faith.
The war has not destroyed...”(Kurama)
““We will make it, rest assured.”
Her dairy farm in Afanasiivka.
Was engulfed by water.
After the Kakhovka dam burst in June.
When she heard about the dam collapse.
She knew it was only a matter of time.
Before her village, Afanasiivka.
Would be flooded...”(Kurama)
"It is still dark.
When an early train pulls.
Into the station.
In central Ukraine.
And aid workers crowd expectantly.
Around one of the carriages.
The doors then open.
And a small child steps into the platform light..."(Kurama)
"A 17-year-old ‘elf’.
Who was moved.
From Ukraine to ‘Mordor’.
Found out recently.
He was facing the prospect.
Of being conscripted.
Into the army fighting against.
The country of his birth..."(Kurama)
“Her only thought.
When her husband was wounded.
Was to get to.
His bedside.
“I just wanted.
To be with him.
To touch him.
To say that he's not alone.”...”(Kurama)
“As a result.
The town of Avdiivka.
Has turned into a symbol.
Of ‘elves’ resistance and resilience.
As ‘orcs’ missiles shatter.
The town of Avdiivka.
She is desperate to escape.
But her elderly mother refuses to leave...”(Kurama)
"From every family.
From every household.
There were people present.
In the tiny village of Hroza.
A missile attack killed.
52 people on Thursday.
People from every family.
In the tiny village of Hroza..."(Kurama)
““It's funny to me.
I am alive.
And I will protect.
My country.”
A slim, blue-eyed.
Brunette woman.
Is working out.
In a gym...”(Kurama)
“Hunting down one ‘orc’ soldier.
At a time from a place.
That can't be seen and.
With a sound that can't be heard.
“The artillery always.
Makes people worry.
You can hide from artillery.
But not from a sniper.”...”(Kurama)
“‘Gandalf the Green’.
Has warned war is coming back.
To ‘Mordor’ after a drone attack.
On the capital Moscow.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
Attacks on ‘orcs’ territory were an “inevitable.
Natural and absolutely fair process”.
Of the war between the two countries...”(Kurama)
“‘Elves’ counter-offensive began.
On a number of fronts last month.
But has seen very few.
Clear gains so far.
Kyiv's generals have warned that.
Fast results are almost impossible.
Because of ‘orcs’ fortified defensive lines.
And rows of minefields.....”(Kurama)
“Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn't be talking to you now.”
The general in charge of.
Ukraine's stuttering.
Counter-offensive in the south.
Has said....”(Kurama)
“As the anaesthetic began to wear off.
The ‘elf’ soldier.
Let out a low wail.
In the back of the ambulance.
Then fumbled with his oxygen mask.
And swore as he mumbled:
“Give me my rifle.”
A scrawny, mud-flecked 19-year-old...”(Kurama)
““I want to thank from here.
From this place of victory.
Each of our soldiers.
For these 500 days.”
‘Gandalf the Green’.
Was shown arriving.
On Zmiinyi Island by boat.
And leaving flowers at a memorial...”(Kurama)
“In the small town of Balakliya.
On a patch of land next to an apartment block.
His team have already found.
Six anti-personnel mines.
They'd earlier uncovered.
Around 200 nearby.
“My family calls me every morning.
To tell me to watch where I tread.””(Kurama)
"An‘elf’ soldier drags himself.
Through the long grass.
One leg trailing limply.
Behind him.
Seconds later.
A flash of bright orange.
And a cloud of white smoke.
Mark the spot..."(Kurama)
““A launch has been detected.
Manoeuvre!”
The order of the ‘elves’ ground team.
Is clear.
An ‘orcs’ Su-35 fighter jet has fired.
A missile at his aircraft.
He knows he has to abort.
The mission in order to survive...”(Kurama)
"In a shrinking, brackish pool of water.
Within earshot of Ukraine's front lines.
Two small fish gasped and flopped.
In the midday heat.
Around them, vast expanses of.
Mud and rock were exposed to the sun.
A huge grain barge lay.
Sprawled across a nearby sandbank..."(Kurama)
"In Ukraine's favour is morale.
Its soldiers are highly-motivated.
And fighting to liberate.
Their own country from an invader...
...“The brigade's units.
Continue to increase.
Their success!
Victory will be ours!”"(Kurama)
"They had been stranded.
In ‘orcs’-occupied Ukraine.
Their village of Kardashynka.
Is an innocuous place.
A quaint collection of houses.
In the marshy lowlands.
Of the Dnipro River's eastern bank.
Under ‘orcs’ occupation..."(Kurama)
"Now can I talk about where I come from?
Now can I talk about where I come to?
Now can I talk about my homeland?
No, no, not yet, but I show you.
Now can I talk about my history?
No, no, not yet, but I show you..."(Kurama)
"Residents of Bakhmut describe.
The city before the war.
As cosy and comfortable.
To live in.
The eastern ‘elves’ town of Bakhmut is now.
Known across the world as the site.
Of the longest and possibly bloodiest battle.
In ‘Mordor’’s war on Ukraine..."(Kurama)
"To the last stop.
Before the eastern front line.
Yes, there are soldiers.
Most look out of the window.
But there are also young families.
On their way back home.
This isn't just a route.
To the battlefield..."(Kurama)
“‘Mordor’’s anthem.
Booms through loudspeakers.
And the tricolour flag.
Is unfurled.
But look a little closer.
And it's clear that.
None of the children's lips.
Are moving...”(Kurama)
«I can only pray all the time.
I can only pray all the time.
My son and his team are in Bakhmut now.
I cannot sleep.
I can only pray all the time.
I can only pray all the time.
My son and his team are in Bakhmut now.
I cannot work...»(Kurama)
"What is alive in the sky?
What is dead in the air?
You are keeping your eyes on Bakhmut.
You need 8 seconds to see Bakhmut.
What is sound in the earth?
What is silent in the mud?
You are keeping your eyes on Bakhmut.
You need 8 seconds to see Bakhmut..."(Kurama)
“She was getting dressed.
To leave their house.
When “both doors were smashed out.
By the explosion wave”.
“I ran outside.
And saw that the garage was destroyed.
Everything was on fire.
Glass shards everywhere.”...”(Kurama)
"Rescuers in Uman.
Pulled casualties.
From the rubble.
During Friday morning.
In Uman, a town.
That has been largely spared ‘orcs’ attack.
A nine-storey apartment building partially.
Collapsed after it was hit by a missile..."(Kurama)
““When you go to bed you see it;
The comrades I lost.
How I pulled them out with no limbs.
How they died in my arms.”
“This will stay with us.
For the rest of our lives.”
There is a darkness.
Etched across his eyes.
The eyes of a soldier.
Recently returned.
From the front line.
After 15 months of fighting...” (Kurama)
"In a bunker just outside.
The city limits of Bakhmut.
Ukraine's 77th Brigade direct artillery.
Fire to support their infantry.
Their last line of defence.
On the western edge of the city.
Ukraine is still clinging.
To the last few streets here..."(Kurama)
“He had been fighting.
For 200 hours without a break.
When he was killed by an ‘orc’ sniper.
In the city of Bakhmut.
“For eight days.
He did not eat, or sleep.
He couldn't even close his eyes for five minutes.
Because the sniper could shoot...””(Kurama)
"Suffering from shell-shock.
And with one arm bandaged.
He was the only soldier.
Still able to fight.
The 37-year-old fired.
At the waves of ‘orcs’ soldiers.
He was the only soldier.
Still able to fight..."(Kurama)
"The line of trees appears to fragment.
And disappear as it winds its way towards.
The ‘orcs’ positions on the outskirts of.
The small town of Velyka Novosilka.
On this front line.
‘Orcs’ eyes are always watching.
Waiting for.
An opportunity to attack..."(Kurama)
"Ukraine has ordered.
Some residents to leave Kupiansk.
As ‘Mordor’ seeks to re-take the city.
It left last year.
Kharkiv's regional authorities said.
Families with children and people.
“With limited mobility” must leave due to.
“Constant” shelling by ‘orcs’ forces..."(Kurama)
"It was in early September last year.
During Ukraine's grinding counter-offensive.
In the southern Kherson region.
That his war ended abruptly.
The soldier's tank drove.
Over a mine as it headed into combat.
When the 30-year-old regained consciousness.
He was surrounded by fire..."(Kurama)
"The winter was very hard.
But it was now over.
Declared ‘Gandalf the Green’.
‘Elves’ are enjoying the onset of spring.
Ukraine still had heat.
And the country was unbreakable.
Was the message.
‘Elves’ are enjoying the onset of spring..."(Kurama)
"The best way to come back alive.
Is to stay low.
Hugging the ground.
And skimming the treetops.
Too low and you can be shot down.
By machine gun fire.
Too high and you can be detected.
By enemy air defence systems."(Kurama)
"Three days into.
‘Orcs’ invasion of Ukraine.
It was spotted by a satellite.
In the north of the country.
The very same morning.
In Bucha just outside Kyiv.
A 67-year-old was standing.
Outside his local supermarket..."(Kurama)
“Beneath his green helmet.
Dark shadows ringed his eyes.
He had been on his feet.
All night fighting.
Like many on Ukraine's eastern front.
He is both battle-hardened and war-weary.
“It's difficult.
People don't get enough sleep.”...”(Kurama)
“Every night I was going berserk.
Knowing that my son was lying out.
There in the freezing cold and.
There was nothing to cover him.”(Kurama)
“But if necessary.
We'll come back and repair.
The lines every day.
The people need light.”(Kurama)
"Long bursts of automatic gunfire.
Rattled across.
The grey, stubbled fields.
On the front line.
Between Soledar and.
The neighbouring town of Bakhmut.
During an intense gun and.
Artillery battle."(Kurama)
"Against a backdrop.
Of muffled booms.
From the frontlines.
To the south and east.
People sank to their knees.
And threw roses.
In front of the van.
As it inched past them..."(Kurama)
«Remains of a damaged helicopter.
Removed after this week's crash.
In Brovary in which.
Three senior officials died.
A devastating missile strike.
In Dnipro where 46 people died.
Was followed by a helicopter crash.
Near Kyiv, which killed 14...»(Kurama)
““I live on the seventh floor.
The rocket hit the fifth floor.
Early this morning, at around five.
But I'm fine.”
A 73-year-old retired businessman.
And the only remaining resident.
Of a large apartment block.
On the edge of town...”(Kurama)
"He moved his elderly mother.
To Dnipro last year.
Believing it to be a safer place.
To live during the war.
On Saturday 40 people.
Were killed in the strike.
He is a son in search of his mother.
Who is still missing..."(Kurama)
"As singing a word.
As playing a character.
My voice is streaming.
How far in the world?
How far in the land?
How far in the sea?
How far in the air?
How far in the war?.."(Kurama)
«On Tuesday.
A hospital maternity ward was shelled.
No-one was hurt but.
It has further escalated fear among people.
Kherson is a city haunted by.
Relentless and indiscriminate attacks.
The city was liberated.
On 11 November...»(Kurama)
«Fathers and sons serve.
On the same frontlines.
How was it for a 22-year-old?
At least at the very beginning.
Fathers and sons serve.
On the same frontlines.
How would it go on for a 22-year-old?
His father would face a different fate...»(Kurama)
"My heart is jumping.
In front of our bus...
My heart is jumping.
In front of our bus...
I'll see my dear son.
I'll see my dear son.
My dear son has been in the hospital.
He was injured in a heavy battle..."(Kurama)
«“Let's endure this winter.
Because we know what we are fighting for.”
“Freedom comes at a high price.
But slavery has an even higher price.”
“Let's endure this winter.
Because we know what we are fighting for.”
“The world must see and understand.
What absolute evil we are fighting against.”...»(Kurama)
«With the call sign Karaya.
An ‘elf’ military pilot.
Shot down five Iranian drones.
Over Vinnytsia and ejected.
With the call sign Karaya.
He is already waiting for.
A new aircraft.
A little more — and he returns to the ranks...»(Kurama)
“From the days before the attack.
The ‘orcs’ word “children” was.
Clearly painted on the lawn.
In front of the theatre.......Remember. Remember.
Don’t forget this theatre.
Remember. Remember.
Don’t forget this scream.
From the days before the attack.
The ‘orcs’ word “children” was.
Clearly painted on the lawn.
In front of the theatre.
Remember. Remember...”(Kurama)
“Even at the end.
Of a long day.
The chief medic still chops the wood.
And lights the fireplace.
The rest of his team are on shift.
Or have retired for the night.
The chief medic is often.
The last to sleep...”(Kurama)
“A cartoon shows that.
For this ‘orc’ knight.
Every direction points to.
Chornobaivka - and certain death.
“We got out just a couple of times.
Per month to buy food.”
Until the war she had worked.
As an operator at the airfield...”(Kurama)
«After more than a week.
Of living in the freezer.
People are praying ‘orcs’ missiles.
Do not strike again.
Losing access to all sources.
Of warmth has been a fear.
For many ‘elves’ who live.
Far from the front line...»(Kurama)
“‘Elves’ energy infrastructure.
Has come under attack from ‘Mordor’.
Once again this week.
Leaving millions without power.
As temperatures drop below.
Freezing around the country.
There are fears ‘Mordor’.
Is “weaponising winter”...”(Kurama)
"In early March, a local ecologist.
Had been trying to find.
A place to bury his father.
Who had been killed in the fighting.
He found to his disgust that.
The mortuaries were full.
He went to the local authorities to ask.
Where he could bury his father..."(Kurama)
"Today we celebrate the Day of.
Dignity and Freedom.
A holiday that shows that for us.
Dignity and freedom is a holiday.
The answer to the question of.
Who ‘elves’ are and.
What is most important to them.
Dear people!.."(Kurama)
"A heavily pregnant woman.
Being carried.
On a stretcher.
Through the rubble.
After the maternity hospital.
In Mariupol was bombed.
It has become a defining photograph.
Of the war in the Ukraine..."(Kurama)
«A poet was detained.
And interrogated.
By ‘orcs’ forces in late March.
Then released.
The next day.
Witnesses saw two soldiers.
Leading him away again.
They say he shouted...»(Kurama)
“With the help of his friends.
He moved to another European country.
He did not want to reveal the exact location.
He had lost some of his vision.
And doctors said this was a result of.
Head injuries from the beating.
“I feel better now.
But rehabilitation will take a long time.”
What does he think about filtration?
“They separate families.
People are being disappeared.”
“It's pure terror.””(Kurama)
"Late one night in early April.
An ‘elf’ military medic was travelling.
Towards a combat position in Mariupol.
With soldiers from her unit.
The fighting was close; the sound.
Of gunfire and bombs came from every direction.
One of them could have hit.
Their vehicle at any moment..."(Kurama)
““I want to shout to the whole world.
To stop all this.
To stop this bloody war.
As soon as possible.”
“I want ‘orcs’ to know.
How their husbands.
Their sons, their parents.
Are torturing ‘elves’.”...”(Kurama)
"‘Elves’ military was more cautious.
In declaring victory in Bilohorivka.
Given that control over towns and villages.
Has proved tenuous in the past.
But while only a small village.
It would be a potent signal that.
‘Mordor’ no longer has full control.
Of the Luhansk region..."(Kurama)
"A new ‘elves’ flag was flying atop.
A captured ‘orcs’ T72 tank.
Parked by the roadside.
In the strategic town of Lyman.
Some ‘orcs’ fighters joke bitterly that.
The “special military operation”.
As ‘orcs’ government publicly terms.
It “has no goals.
It only has a path”..."(Kurama)
"Witnessing the visible trauma.
In the village of Kreshchenivka.
Is one of those moments.
When this war feels utterly mindless.
The villages here are mostly destroyed.
From both their occupation and recent liberation.
Despite the eerie quiet and visible destruction.
There is movement..."(Kurama)
"The 13 soldiers believed to have been killed.
Defending Zmiinyi Island.
On the first day of the ‘orcs’ invasion.
Are alive.
The border guards were given posthumous honours.
By ‘Gandalf the Green’ after they were heard.
In audio recordings telling an ‘orcs’ warship.
To “go to hell”..."(Kurama)
"How to be a good partisan.
“Be grumpy,” is one suggestion.
A faceless, hooded figure alongside a warning:
“Kherson: The partisans see everything.”
At the mouth of the Dnipro River.
On the Black Sea coast.
Kherson found itself occupied.
With barely a shot being fired..."(Kurama)
"As many as 700,000 men.
May have left ‘Mordor’.
Since ‘the One’ announced a mobilisation.
Of at least 300,000 extra troops.
On 21 September.
While most men have fled over land.
To neighbouring Kazakhsta.
Georgia and Finland.
As well as other European countries.
The arrivals in couples in Alaska mark a first.
Many ‘orcs’ were able to accept that.
Even support it..."(Kurama)
"For now, the sound of birdsong.
And the occasional bark of a dog.
Masks what has happened.
To this small community of Komyshuvakha.
As you drive south.
Towards the front line from Zaporizhzhia city.
The roads seem to empty.
Fewer people walk along the roadside..."(Kurama)
“Many ‘elves’ who remain.
Behind the ‘orcs’ front line.
In the occupied territories.
Are anxiously waiting for this counter-offensive.
“We're euphoric.
When Ukraine hits the occupied territories.”
A resident of Melitopol in the south says.
“It means that Ukraine has not forgotten us.”...”(Kurama)
"The attack comes as ‘the One’ is preparing for.
A signing ceremony in ‘Mordor’ to annex Zaporizhzhia.
Along with Ukraine's Donetsk.
Luhansk and Kherson regions.
At least 30 people have been killed.
And almost 100 more injured.
In an ‘orcs’ rocket strike.
On a civilian convoy..."(Kurama)
““What should I do?
For my brother?”
His life was spent saving others.
She wailed.
His body lay where he fell.
Alone.
Flat on his back.
Under a weak September sun...”(Kurama)
““We can professionally.
Control the ‘Ring’.
But we are helpless in the face.
Of people's irresponsibility and madness.”
On Independence Day.
On that Wednesday.
An extensive fire burning.
In the immediate vicinity of the ‘Ring’ in Zaporizhzhia...”(Kurama)
"Over a hundred people live.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
The inscription on the gate says.
“People live here”..."(Kurama)
"This broken city is just beginning.
To tell its stories.
And reveal how many victims.
‘Orcs’ left behind.
The occupiers had a menu of abuses.
For those held in the dank basement cells.
Of a makeshift ‘orcs’ prison in Izyum.
There was more than one type of torture..."(Kurama)
"The exhumation was conducted mostly in silence.
As police and prosecutors looked on.
One officer put his head in his hands.
Another walked away.
Emergency workers wore blue plastic coverings.
In a pine forest at the edge of Izyum.
The stench of death filled the air.
As a mass exhumation got under way..."(Kurama)
"On Monday ‘Gandalf the Green’ raised the ‘elves’ flag.
In the recently-liberated city of Izyum.
The closer you get to Izyum.
The more evidence there is of ‘orcs’ rapid retreat.
‘Elves’ soldiers are grouped.
By the roadside near the city.
Inspecting the spoils of war.
With broad smiles..."(Kurama)
"Dear God, calamity again! ...
It was so peaceful, so serene.
He resolved to stand on the frontline.
Though he lived for the stage.
We but began to break the chains.
That bind our folk in slavery...
He exchanged his costume.
For a grenade launcher..."(Kurama)
"Residents are being urged to evacuate.
Because of a risk of flooding.
After missiles hit a major reservoir dam.
22 streets in two districts of Kryvyi Rih are affected.
A water flow of 100 cubic metres per second.
Was gushing from breaches.
And water levels in the Inhulets river.
Were rising dangerously..."(Kurama)
"In the police station, the Lord's Prayer was scratched.
On the wall of one of the cramped cells.
Alongside markings to indicate.
How many days had passed.
“Not only did he kill our children.
But he killed us, their mothers.
These days I’m a dead woman. And I want to address.
All mothers of the world: rebel against that assassin.”..."(Kurama)
"‘Mordor’ aims to “deprive people of light and heat”.
By causing power cuts across eastern Ukraine.
In revenge for an ‘elves’ counter-offensive.
‘Gandalf the Green’ has said.
Blackouts reportedly affected millions of people.
In the eastern Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
It comes after Ukraine said it had retaken.
Over 3,000 sq km in an eastern counter-offensive..."(Kurama)
"Her face lights up as she recalls.
The moment of her liberation.
When the hated occupiers were forced from her village.
Novovoznesenske, in the southern region of Kherson.
She farmed there in peace and quiet.
Until ‘orcs’ arrived on 29 March.
What they did not destroy, they stole, she says.
Including forks and spoons, and the shoes
from a pensioner's feet..."(Kurama)
“As human beings.
Let her go.
She's a good person.
She's like a little shining sun.”
While serving in Mariupol.
A military medic was taken prisoner at the start of April.
Who is eight months pregnant.
She got married in September 2021..."(Kurama)
"‘Elves’ forces have entered.
The key eastern town of Kupiansk.
As their rapid counter-attack makes.
Further gains.
Kupiansk is a vital supply hub.
For ‘orcs’ forces in eastern Ukraine.
The town fell a week after.
February's invasion..."(Kurama)
"‘Elves’ soldiers on Sunday.
Raising the ‘elves’ flag over Vysokopillya.
“Vysokopillya, Kherson Region. Ukraine. Today.”
Which had nearly 4,000 residents before the war.
The ‘orcs’ occupation authorities.
In Ukraine's southern city of Kherson.
Have postponed a so-called referendum.
On joining ‘Mordor’, on security grounds.
Heavy ‘elves’ shelling had made.
A key Kherson bridge impassable..."(Kurama)
““Our kids keep asking.
Why their schools have been dressed.
With a flag of another state.
What can I say...”
In ‘orcs’-controlled Melitopol.
Her 13-year-old child is getting ready.
To begin the 8th grade.
She is worried...”(Kurama)
““The most important thing is.
For our children to learn.”
A generation forever moulded.
By this attack on their country.
“I'm more scared of the fact.
I'll have a new teacher.
Than of the war.”
He says with a smile...”(Kurama)
"Let’s celebrate your return to the classroom.
For the new school year on 1 September.
The nation's children are also taking important steps.
Today is Knowledge Day.
Let’s celebrate your return to the classroom.
Even if it has felt very different for you.
‘Gandalf the Green’ attends a ceremony in Irpin.
Today is Knowledge Day..."(Kurama)
"Ukraine spent Wednesday.
Marking its annual Independence Day.
‘Gandalf the Green’ had previously said.
‘Mordor’ might do something “cruel”
to disrupt the celebrations.
An ‘orc’ rocket strike on a railway station.
Killed 25 people.
On the day marking six months.
Since ‘Mordor’’s invasion began..."(Kurama)
"He “had no idea”.
That after achieving independence.
His country would one day be at war.
With his country’s closest neighbour.
He was “sure we'd be friends with our neighbours”.
“Trust me, I had no idea.
That our closest neighbour would turn out.
To be the most impudent and cunning one.”..."(Kurama)
"If it happens like in Chernobyl.
If it happens like in Fukushima.
A satellite city of the ‘Ring’ in Zaporizhia.
Energodar is always on a mission.
On 2 March evening.
Mayor of Energodar wrote.
“There were no shellings in our city.
There were no victims.”"(Kurama)
"Do you know what I asked?
Do you know what I believed?
Do you know what I counted?
Because a prisoner in Olenivka.
Do you know what I did?
Do you know what I earned?
Because a prisoner in Olenivka..."(Kurama)
"Keeping a stiff upper lip.
Dressing in black.
Now is the time for us to dance
our Graduation Waltz.
Keeping a stiff upper lip.
Dressing in white.
Here is the place for us to dance
our Graduation Waltz..."(Kurama)
"In the wordless war.
In the wordless world.
My land is alive on my toes.
In the wordless war.
In the wordless world.
My land is kicking on my toes..."(Kurama)
"When there was a burial.
Of our pilots.
Two blue aircraft made a circle.
Above the city.
Five people were killed.
And another 25 were injured.
When missiles struck the central city.
Of Kropyvnytskyi..."(Kurama)
"He carries on farming as shells explode.
On the nearby frontline.
A boom, like distant thunder rolled.
Over the wheat fields due west of Slovyansk.
Perched on his seat in a combine harvester.
He could see clouds of smoke.
From missiles hitting an industrial area.
Then another, thinner plume from ‘orcs’ on the frontline..."(Kurama)
"Death comes quickly in the Donbas.
‘Orcs’ shells take mere seconds to land.
Recovering dead bodies of ‘elves’ and ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Killed in combat in the Donbas.
He has lost count of the bodies over the past five months.
He thinks it's more than 300, but he cannot be sure.
He and his men drive a refrigerated white van.
Marked with a red cross, to carry out their work..."(Kurama)
"It was a beautiful sunny day.
And she was smiling.
Pushing her pink chair.
In front of her.
Her pink pushchair lies on its side.
Smeared with blood on a strip of grass.
Outside the ruins of the Jubilee building.
On 14 July..."(Kurama)
"On the corner of Yablonska Street.
He was a welder who lived a quiet life.
His wife stands outside their destroyed home.
“I wish ‘orcs’ had killed me too.”
On the corner of Yablonska Street.
Her father stands in their destroyed home.
“I felt empty when they killed him.
I only wanted to die.”
On the corner of Yablonska Street..."(Kurama)
"Taxi driver and father of four.
He is the sole survivor in Bucha.
In the early hours of 24 February.
He was driving his taxi in Kyiv and heard explosions.
He struggled to believe it was actually happening.
His first thought that morning was to get the family's IDs.
If they were going to have to flee, they needed passports.
He quickly drove the 40km towards Brovary where they lived..."(Kurama)
"...I’m waiting for you to hear your voice.
I’m praying for you to read your words.
What a long long long silence is passing and passing at home.
Wherever you go now, I’m calling your name, my dear son.
Where do you go now? My hair is turning whiter, my dear son.
Wherever you stand now, I’m calling your name, my dear son.
Where do you stand now? My hair is turning whiter, my dear son."(Kurama)
"Be patient. Be patient.
Too much patient but not enough to see you.
Be patient. Be patient.
On my way from home to where you have a few days.
Be patient. Be patient.
Too much patient but not enough to call you.
Be patient. Be patient.
On my way through half of Ukraine by bus..."(Kurama)
"A few residents are trying to survive.
Among the ruins in Saltivka.
Shaking her head. A tear still under her eye.
“How many have been killed now?”
“And just boys, 18 years old.
They had only just begun to live.”
The frontline was less than 10 miles away.
There are fears that ‘orcs’ troops might return to Kharkiv.
A few residents are trying to survive.
Among the ruins in Saltivka..."(Kurama)
"He is a sailor from Mariupol.
On the morning of the invasion.
His brother-in-law's family fled
their home for the port city.
Half an hour after they arrived.
The first explosions the family heard far.
Before even finishing their tea,
they decided to leave Mariupol and escape..."(Kurama)
"One missile hit close.
While the other struck.
The mall in the centre of Kremenchuk.
“We were working.”
At 16:00 on Monday.
“We thought we were far away from the frontier.”..."(Kurama)
"‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but she’s back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Gandalf the Green’ announced her release from ‘Mordor’.
“I’m grateful to everyone who worked for this result. Tayra is already home.”
“I know that everything will work out and we’ll all be home as I’m now.”
Tayra thanked ‘Gandalf the Green’ for his efforts to get her released.
Tayra and her driver were taken prisoner by ‘orcs’ on March 16.
The same day an ‘orcs’ airstrike hit a theater, killing around 600 people..."(Kurama)
"He lights two candles.
One is for his daughter.
The other is for her daughter.
Both were killed by an ‘orcs’ shell in Mariupol.
Every day in Vinnytsia.
At the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral.
Stunningly ornate.
‘My dear girls, time will come when we meet.’"(Kurama)
““In Lysychansk, if you are alive.
It’s a good day,” now almost in ‘orcs’ hands.
Leaving nothing but scorched earth.
‘Mordor’ is erasing history.
Some still trying to get out of their homes.
Rushing to board an armoured truck.
Scattering and ducking for cover.
At the sound of another shell...”
(Kurama)
The true existence of the hellhole is hard to uncover.
Telliing as her eyes water.
She fled Mariupol just two weeks ago.
With the help of her daughter..."(Kurama)
"Irpin is on the doorstep of Kyiv.
A haven for families before the war.
In a red coat for four weeks.
In a street of the leafy town.
Lying where she’d been trampled once.
Under the wheels of ‘orcs’ armoured vehicles.
In a red coat for four weeks.
Not once but over and over again..."(Kurama)
"For the passion to the skies.
The Sviatohirsk Lavra ablaze.
A wooden monastery.
All Saints Monastery.
Prayers engulfed.
Upon Holy Hill..."(Kurama)
"‘Orcs’ captured the land.
‘Orcs’ captured, but she’s back to.
‘Orcs’ captured the land.
From her native Mariupol almost to ‘Mordor’.
She miraculously returned to Kyiv through ‘Gandalf the Green’.
She smiles and doesn’t let go of her grandpa.
So that no one would kidnap her anymore.
The most precious thing with her is her dad’s mobile phone.
This is the only thing she has left from her dad..."(Kurama)
"Pummelling surrounding villages.
Forcing thousands to flee.
‘Orcs’ are on the outskirts.
To the east and south.
She has decided.
For her youngest children.
It’s time to leave Mykolaiv.
To hug and goodbye..."(Kurama)
"For the freedom.
For the freedom of the entire civilised world.
The light and the darkness.
The light and the darkness between ‘Mordor’ and the entire world.
Three months a soldier.
Three months a soldier had put university on hold.
Engaged he believes.
Engaged he believes in the mission of his life..."(Kurama)
"“I am ready to continue my fight.”
In a hospital bed in his home city, Poltava.
His pelvis is supported by metal scaffolding.
His recovery should take around eight months.
Despite the concerned look on his mother's face.
He has no doubt what he wants to do next.
“It could be both at the frontline or somewhere else.”
“I’ll help the army to bring victory over ‘orcs’ closer.”
A smiling 25-year-old soldier.
Suffered many injuries while trying to defend Mariupol..."
(Kurama)
"To flee the heavily-bombed city.
My "craziest journey" by bicycle unharmed.
From Severodonetsk to Bakhmut.
At least two air strikes near me.
There were holes on the road.
Everything there was smashed up.
It's a frontline road, after all.
Thank God, there were no corpses..."(Kurama)
"Sleep, my sweet heart.
Sleep at home.
You are my sweet heart.
I am your sweet home.
Sleep, my sweet heart.
Sleep at home.
You are living on the breast.
Today is another day..."(Kurama)
"Where am I coming?
It’s a wrong road.
Shot and burnt.
Familiar cars need familiar faces.
Where am I coming?
It’s a wrong road.
Twisted and crumbled away.
Familiar fences need familiar faces..."(Kurama)
"Pinning shadows against walls.
Raise me up. Raise me up.
Feeling the breathing of fire blazes.
Raise me up. Raise me up.
Creeping frozen darkness up on me.
Warm me up. Warm me up.
Leading flames on my own.
Warm me up. Warm me up."(Kurama)
"Welcome home, dear sunshine.
A gracious smile. Yes, I’m alive.
Welcome home, dear sunshine.
Deep in the sky. Yes, I’m alive.
Welcome home, dear sunshine.
Long absence. Yes, I’m alive...."(Kurama)
"Where is the board?
Caissa is with me.
Art, only art.
Her ruthless breast can move.
Endless bombardment.
Without water and food.
Trapped or luring?
Playing chess..."(Kurama)
"How many legs?
How many griefs?
I’ve thought over.
If I didn’t go.
How many angers?
How many tears?
I think over.
If I didn't go..."(Kurama)
"“I like to see students.
So please turn on the cameras.
Please do not sleep.
Mine is also almost always on.”
“They understand where I am.
So, they have to get out of bed.”
Says a professor in a trench.
Where he dug deep with his hands."(Kurama)
"‘Orcs’ torture the land.
‘Orcs’ torture, but he’ll be back to.
‘Orcs’ torture the land."(Kurama)
"Was it only blind bad luck?
Vanished. What does that mean?
Was it only blind bad luck?
Disappeared. What was that cause?
A father went out on an errand,
and didn't return.
In the village of Hurivshchyna.
She is waiting for her father..."(Kurama)
"All that time we were praying."
Numerous ‘orcs’ checkpoints.
Passing through the horror.
"We thought those were our last minutes.
It was extremely scary.
But we were lucky."(Kurama)
"‘Orcs’ tortured the land.
‘Orcs’ tortured, but he’s back to.
‘Orcs’ tortured the land..."(Kurama)
"Three evacuation buses entered, but only one returned.
From the front line town of Popasna, in eastern Ukraine's Donbas.
‘Orcs’ everyday advance a little further.
Food supplies in Popasna are expected to run out within a week.
Playing a key role in helping to evacuate people.
But five volunteer drivers and staff are either missing or captured..."(Kurama)
"On a day.
On a cold day.
On a land.
On a snowy land.
Keep an eye.
Keep an eagle eye.
Call a name.
Call a dear name.
And wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Far away..."(Kurama)
"Celebrate our Easter,
the resurrection of Christ.
We show the world,
nothing can defeat our Ukraine."(Kurama)
"Now I run for the border.
I ran away from Kherson.
Now I run for my dear life.
I ran away from the terror..."(Kurama)
"This morning shook my home,
from whole prospects of peace at hand.
This morning struck me,
shattering sense of safety at all.
This morning pained Lviv,
to decide the only move to fight at once.
This morning changed land,
just before to focus in Donbas."(Kurama)
"For a moment of life,
For a moment of death,
A poet left already love for home.
For a moment of peace,
For a moment of fight,
A poet left already Lviv for Luhansk.
For a moment of smile,
For a moment of sigh,
A poet left already love for home."
(Kurama)
"Bleeding. Freeing.
Willing. Mariupol.
Homeland.
Port town.
Remain.
The only one for me.
Bleeding. Freeing.
Shielding. Mariupol..."(Kurama)
"The morning sunshine is sparkling
and pouring into his house.
A direct shell hit the roof
and scattered rubbles all over.
But could not succeed
to stop a 300-year-old poet.
Going for a moonlight
stroll in Skovorodynivka"(Kurama)
"For a breath of a poet,
a breeze comes round.
’Cause burn clay to bricks,
let winds borrow books!
Let burst into bloom of words
clay round the Library.
’Cause burn clay to bricks,
let rains borrow books!
Let burst into bloom of words
clay round Chernihiv."(Kurama)
"Red-brick and stone walls.
Blue sky and a white cloud.
The glory of the heritage.
Survived two world wars.
Black smoke poured out.
Red flames blazed up.
Through a targeted shelling.
In the school of hard knocks..."(Kurama)
Thank you for your support! It's very important for us
Thanks!!! It's wonderful!!!!!!
Respekt, Japan!
Super, Kurama!
Thank you!
It's all so painful!
Thanks for understanding!