Ukraine's War Is Producing a New Politics of Memory | The Walrus

"Wartime realities made themselves apparent from one of our first sessions, in which delegates were to give brief presentations introducing ourselves and our work. Just as I was called upon to speak, our phones lit up with alerts. "Attention!" they blared. "Air raid alert. Proceed to the nearest shelter." Maksym Sytnikov, the executive director of PEN Ukraine, gave the group a weary smile. We picked up folding chairs and headed for the elevator. I continued my presentation in the underground parking garage."

"Missile and drone attacks were, by now, part of the background of life in Kyiv. Since failing to capture the Ukrainian capital in the early days of its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia had, according to one independent monitor, pounded Kyiv more than 199 times as of December 18. It had used ballistic and hypersonic missiles and ever more sophisticated drones-including the turbojet-powered Geran-3, which can approach targets at speeds of up to 370 kilometres per hour, exploding on impact."

"The effects of this campaign were visible everywhere: driving around the city, we saw buildings with their windows blown out, with missing walls and roofs. An office complex near our hotel in Podil had been hit by a missile on October 23, four days before we arrived. Most of these strikes occurred around 4 or 5 a.m., on the theory that attacking a population in the deepest phase of sleep will deliver maximal"

A group of writers, journalists, and human rights activists met at PEN Ukraine in Kyiv for meetings and visits to liberated areas. An air-raid alert interrupted a session, forcing participants to move to an underground parking garage and continue a presentation. The Air Alert app issues warnings and, in its English version, is voiced by Mark Hamill. Russia has repeatedly struck Kyiv since failing to capture it in 2022, reportedly bombing the capital over 199 times by December 18 using ballistic, hypersonic missiles and increasingly sophisticated drones. The turbojet-powered Geran-3 can approach targets at speeds up to 370 kilometres per hour and explode on impact. Damage to buildings and infrastructure is widespread, with strikes often occurring around 4 or 5 a.m.

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