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29.4 Yesterday we went sightseeing in the city. The problem is that Kyiv has so incredibly much beautiful, interesting, and important to offer. The churches are breathtaking, but they make me wonder how previous rulers spent the country's resources to please God and thereby secure themselves a fast track to Paradise. Next year I want to have more time to see all the wonders. And there is certainly much more than the churches. The Museum of Contemporary History shows the count

27-28.4. Volunteer organization Dobrobat supports the military hospital in Chernihiv. They arranged a tour with the chief physician. He is an eye specialist and the one who operated on Artem, whom we had met the day before. Crowded and a lot of people who rushed inbetwen different tasks. We peeped into the hospital wards with about ten beds in each. A doctor earned €500 a month, a nurse €200. Boel and I chose to walk back to our hotel along river Desna. Longer than I thoug

26.4 Just after five, I woke up to a loud bang. Sounded like a anti-aircraft gun. The fligh alarme was blaring outside our hotel. A projectile had hit next to a multistorey building. No injuries, but all windows were shattered. Later in the morning, we met Artem Rakitin. Known, famous, and heavily decorated in Ukraine for having evacuated 25,000 women and children during the Russian siege of Chernihiv. He was also one of the commando soldiers who retook Snake Island from the

25.4 The train departed Lviv punctually at 23:18. By then, I had already made my upper berth. Making the bed is a bit problematic when four people are supposed to make it. The carriage swayed a little at the beginning, then I don't remember anything until just before we punctually arrived in Chernihiv around 10 am. Checked in at Hotel Prydesnyansky. We were welcomed by Stanislav, who participated in the defense of Chernihiv when the Russians attacked in February 2022. Here h

24.4 Social drone is a one-man project and Mykola is the spider in a network of some 9000 more or less active volunteers. These people assemble drones at their kitchen tables. The parts they buy online from Ali Express in China. They glue and solder according to instructions. Then send it to Mykola who tests them before they move on to various army units. There they are equipped with what that particular unit needs at the very moment. The larger drones take 1.5 kg of explosiv

23.4 I´ve come this way several times, but there still this special feeling when leaving a relative zone of comfort and beginning something less predictable. I´m not the least scared, but there is a difference when entering a Ukranian train that soon willl cross the border and drop me in L´viv. L´viv This slogan was placed in each railway car In L´viv our tourleader Iryna (Ira) met on the platform as she has done so many times. After leaving our luggage at the hotel we went o

Writing on the train on the way to Przemyl, a Polish border town. Right now we are passing Zaczarowanej (Polish is a wonderful language). Yesterday we left Nynäshamn with 14 participants with Gedansk as our destination. Nice sunset through the archipelago. The shipping company offered a three-course meal and breakfast the next morning. Curt Sörmark, is one of us, this is his fourth tour with us to Ukraine. At home he works with Ukrainian refugees in Jönköing. He says that som

Now we are 18 participants. Many more applied for the tour, but later cancelled or just did not pay. Most of the reasons given was that a spouse or children said NO, you must not go, it is too risky! I can understand that attitude. On TV news they show sudden events, and those sudden events are almost always terrible events. They do not report on everyday life. BUT Ukraine is the largest country in Europe (besides Russian Empire) and in most places life goes on as usual. Peop

We are now getting close to again travelling to Ukraine. Tour no 7. Focus will be on the city of Chernihiv and the deoccupied villages to the south. You find the day-by-day itinerary on the start page. We are 19 participants and I would be happy to get one more member...! You? I have also spent the last money from the profit of the tour in October, 1000€. Two generators for the 33th mechanized brigade, Unmanned Systems Battallion arrived at the frontline 5 days after I sent

VERY INTERESTING... A British expert on translations has analysed the Trump peace plan with the help of Chat GP to see if it looked like a translation from another language and if so from what language. This is her report: Below is a linguistic/logistic analysis of the text, focusing on (1) whether it appears translated and (2) the most likely source language if so. ⸻ 1. Overall Impression The document is comprehensible, coherent, and grammatically correct in English, but sev

Tour expenses in Ukraine 137 000 SEK Accomodation, transport, guides, tourleader Private spending by 19 pax 247 000 SEK Food, souvernires and donations Surplus from the tour 115 000 SEK Total money left in Ukraine 499 000 SEK A result that we we together have created. I am proud - you should be proud. And thank you to all! Not least to Boel who keep the accounts in order. At our visit to the comunity project in Vyshograd we donated >15 0000HRV. Later I sent 1000€ for the

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the most important monastery in Kyivan Rus 15.10 Stuart from USA said; I knew that Kyiv was a magnificant city, but this was really beyond my expectations We walked the streets and visited some of the most prominent sights. I can post many eyecathing picktures, but you can as well see them on Wikipedia. I only post pictures which comes with a story. Like this one; Peopels´ Friendship arch built in 1982 by the Sovjet regime. Instead of tearing it down the

14.10 Woke up early. Longed for fresh air. Me and Boel found trail into a big forest dominated by huge elm trees. The trail took us down to river Desna when the sun just penetrated the tree tops on the opposite side of the river. Later when taking breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Stanislav and a friend from last year, Gregorii, came to see me. I Wanted to spend some money as compensation for our stay in the villages. Lodging and two meals for 19 people, the vodka unaccounte

People turn up at our departure from the village. They all want tell their story Leaving Lukashivka 13.10 Breakfast consisted of food left from yesterday's dinner + coffee. Almost everything we see in the house is new. When the Russians left at the end of March 2022, all the houses were emptied of everything that could be removed. "They even took my wife's underwear," Valery said with a mocking laugh. When we are about to leave, a neighbor, Hryhoriy Tkachenko, arrives. He wan

12.10 We meet with Artem Rakitin. A really big man with a big black beard. Shell fragments caught his eye in the fall of 2023. He talks about the defense of Chernihiv when the city stood against the large Russian armored column that was heading towards the capital during the very first days of the war. The city was besieged for a month before the Russians were forced to retreat to Belarus. During that time, he led the evacuation of 23,000 civilians along small roads and trail

11.10 Slept well on the train. Shortly after arriving in Chernihiv, the air raid alert on our phones went on: “Attention, air raid alert. Proceed to the nearest shelter. Your overconfidence is your biggest enemy” . Not nice welcome, but Ira was able to reassure us that it was not a critical situation. Probably drones with Kyiv as the target. Only after six hours did the signal come that the danger was over and the message “May the force be with you” . Message read by Scott H

That is the way I wish to think myself, but it was Halyna, our guide in Lviv who said it. Let that be our guiding star. Collage I found...

9.10 Ivona Olofsson One of the participants is Ivona. She has participated in two previous tours to Ukraine. I am sitting next to her,...

7 - 8.10 How are things in Russia? I have been to Russia a number of times. Mostly to the northern Ural Mountains, the so-called Komi...

Svetlana and Vitaly in village Yahidne tell horrific and humorous stories On Tuesday 7.10 we go again to Ukraine. Sixth tour. This time...