Gennadiy Naumov, who has a Ukrainian background and lives in Finland, says that the everyday life of acquaintances in Kiev has continued as before, but the situation is worrying.
Finnish Daniel Hännisen The trip to Ukraine took an exciting turn when news began to be published in the news last week that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could take place in the very next few days.
“I came here to say hello to friends. An ordinary trip became a little more unusual, ”he tells HS on Saturday.
“Of course, when you follow the news, think about your own safety. Some worries. ”
On the other hand, Hänninen thinks that Russia has usually attacked unexpectedly. Now that there is such a media bang, he assumes that the Russians will not attack just as predicted.
During his trip of more than a week, Daniel Hänninen has stayed in Kiev and on Saturday he traveled to the nearby town of Bila Tserkva. In a couple of days, Hänninen is returning home according to his original plans and believes it will work out normally.
I is familiar to Hänninen. He travels there about once a year to meet his local acquaintances. According to Hänninen, wherever he has been, there is an ordinary everyday mood.
“On the surface, we don’t notice anything different in the situation.”
People walking near St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev on Friday, February 11th.
According to Hänninen, local acquaintances are not at all concerned that estimates of the likelihood of war have darkened in the media.
“They already seem numb to the news. People live their ordinary daily lives, which is something else can be done here. ”
Hänninen is a little worried about his friends living in the country. On the other hand, he believes the potential conflict is local and concerns eastern Ukraine.
“Not the whole country will be occupied.”
In Helsinki M.Sc. (Eng.) with a Ukrainian background Gennadiy Naumov has closely followed news about Ukraine from the Finnish, international and Ukrainian media.
Naumov has lived in Finland for 26 years. He is from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
The recent escalation of the situation worries him. Naumov’s relatives, such as cousins and godparents and friends from childhood and adolescence, still live in Kiev.
“However, Kiev is still calm. The war is confined to the territory of eastern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia. The situation in Kiev is practically the same as it has been since 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and started a war in the Donbass, ”says Naumov.
“But people understand that the situation can get worse very quickly. The topics are in the news, but not as hotly as in Finnish and international news. Within Ukraine, the media is trying not to make a big fuss about this so that there is no panic. ”
Gennadiy Naumov in Kiev in front of Lukianivska metro station in 2019. It is the district where Naumov grew up and lived.
Naumovilla is used to calling with relatives on weekends and exchanging news. The calls for this weekend are still ahead on Saturday night or Sunday.
“Of course, they are worried and have asked, as a joke, if the situation gets worse, can we come to Finland with you, for example,” says Naumov.
“Last week when I talked to them, they weren’t prepared in any way. For example, they had not bought food for home storage. In Ukraine, in case of a bad day, it is customary to stockpile salt, matches and buckwheat. So far they have not bought. ”
Several Gennadiy Naumov’s cousins work in the healthcare industry and are reserve officers. Naumov has so far not discussed with them what obligations await their cousins in the event of a war.
Naumov points out that people in Ukraine are accustomed to living in a situation like this, although now the atmosphere is now more threatening.
“Ukrainians are used to war. Already since 2014, hostilities have continued. Civilians and soldiers have been killed all the time. In practice, the situation on the front is the same. People have adapted to living with this, ”he says.
“However, I want to believe that the situation will calm down. I hope that Finland will in some way help Ukraine by putting pressure on the Russian leadership not to start wars. And if Finland could supply Ukraine with defense equipment, medical supplies, training, it would certainly be all right. ”
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