The abyss has neither bottom nor boundaries. It is impossible to comprehend. The abyss of Russian inhumanity is just as deep as that. When, after the cynical dropping of aerial bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, it seemed that, following the publicity and resonance, the repetition of the cynical murder of children was too much even for the Russians, a direct hit was made on Okhmatdyt.
Children fighting cancer. Do you think it is just a serious disease with difficult treatment? No. This is a round-the-clock hell that is difficult for an adult to endure. I can’t imagine how a child should experience this. As someone who has lived like this for two years, I can’t imagine.
On the other hand, whoever pressed the button was imagining. Such a goal is not a sudden miss. Someone entered these coordinates. Tracked the flight. Checked the target before launch. This was a completely conscious decision with a pragmatic and cynical approach at all levels. Moreover, there is no doubt that such strikes are agreed with Putin. That does not make him the only one to blame.
There is no doubt that this terror was prepared in advance. That this is revenge, the draft of which was kept by the Russians for more than one week. Why right now? Because Putin once again irrevocably lost the European political battle in France and gained an advantage in Hungary. It is not a coincidence – Le Pen’s loss yesterday and Orbán’s visit to China. All this is one chain. Revenge and marking.
Take revenge for Le Pen and finally brand Orbán as an accomplice. Will he be able to condemn Russia now from China? No. He will be forced either to remain silent or to reveal something in unison with Russian propaganda. And then – a chain reaction of his partners in the parliamentary group in the EU. What will they say, or will they also silently join the Russian narratives?
But it is here that we need to put an end to it. Stop liberal dancing with Putin’s partners. If you shake Putin’s hand – you are responsible for murdering children in Kyiv. Do you encourage negotiations? So, you put yourself in the same camp with the murderers – the Russians, without semitones.
And it is enough for us to play with empathy. Measure the distances from the residential quarters of the Russians when planning strikes. To be ashamed to say the word “retribution”. Enough. The Russians erased the last hint of humanism with a blow to Okhmatdyt. Then everything is real. A war for justice. Retribution to all those who paid with their taxes for the murdering of Ukrainian children. The time for payback must come.
By Petro Andryushchenko
*These opinions are solely those of the author. The Ukrainian Review takes no position and is not responsible for the author’s words.
Petro Andryushchenko was an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. After the Russian Federation started war in Ukraine in February 2022, he became the de facto “voice” of Mariupol.
On his Telegram channel, “Andryushchenko Time“, he tells the truth about the horrors of the occupation, the deportation of people by the Russian occupants and the “filtration” camps in Donbas.
Stanislav Kinka adapted this text for The Ukrainian Review.
